New Harlem Restaurants: Open-Mic Bar, Loaded French Fries

HARLEM, NY — A performance spot on Lenox Avenue and a loaded french-fry shop are among the newest restaurants coming to Harlem.

The two upcoming eateries were revealed last week when their owners stopped by Community Board 10 to seek the board's approval to obtain liquor licenses.

Here's what we know about both new businesses:

Harlemwood (333 Malcolm X Blvd., between West 126th and 127th streets):

• This new enterprise was presented by Jacqueline Allmond, who has owned the three-story building containing the storefront since 1996.
• The ground-floor space was previously home to a hair salon, then recently replaced by signage for a restaurant named "BK Lobster," but Allmond told the board that the seafood spot is no longer moving in after having "some controversy."
• Instead, the storefront will become home to Harlemwood, a venue that will offer nightly entertainment like open-mic sessions, paint-and-sip classes, and comedy shows — creating "a variety of different things for the community to come in and enjoy and have a good time," Allmond said.
• Besides drinks and entertainment, Harlemwood will offer a "light and sweet" food menu with dishes like chicken wings, Allmond said.
• With a capacity of 80 to 100 people, the business will close by around midnight each day, Allmond said. It aims to open within two to three months.

Spudz (2046 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., between West 122nd and 123rd streets):

• This will be a second location for Spudz, a "specialty french fry shop" that first opened in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.
• Co-Owners Tamar Joseph and Forrest Greene came up with the concept while they were roommates at Howard University, as Greene would pile toppings onto his late-night french-fry orders to create more filling meals, Joseph told the board.
• The result is Spudz, whose menu features items like El Frito Loco — fries loaded with jalapeño cheese sauce, roasted corn and black bean salsa — or Grandma's Pie, with sweet potato fries topped with cinnamon streusel, caramel sauce and vanilla mascarpone.
• Joseph described Spudz's Brooklyn outpost as a "family-friendly environment," featuring wall art and hosting regular fundraisers to benefit the community.
• Their new Harlem storefront was formerly home to Harlem Super Pharmacy. The business will be open daily, from noon to 10 p.m.

Other upcoming Harlem restaurants that Patch has reported on in recent weeks include Youz, an Indian spot on Malcolm X Boulevard, and a new Chipotle on East 116th Street.