Entertainment

MOVING ON UP – IN HARLEM A RENAISSANCE IN FOOD

NO one can accuse 125th Street of subtlety. To walk across the Harlem thoroughfare is to submit to a barrage of music-blaring shops, barking street vendors and crowds. But head south on Frederick Douglass Boulevard, and a much different climate quickly emerges.

There’s Harlem Vintage, a sleek wine shop filled with a large, of-the-moment international selection of bottles. A few more blocks down, patrons sip cocktails in the cool, woody comfort of Melba’s, while just across the street, latte lovers tap on their laptops in an airy coffee-cum-eatery that – surprise – is not Starbucks.

Sure, we’d heard about Harlem’s luxury condo market and coveted brownstones, and even a new crop of trendy clothing shops. But caviar bars and organic wines?

North of Central Park – and above 96th Street to the east – soul kitchens are being sidled up to by everything from organic Chinese food to moules frites that a waitress at a restaurant named Food says even Belgians seek out.

Not that the neighborhood’s popular chicken and waffles and Senegalese thiebou diene (fish stew) are going anywhere. Neither are stalwarts Patsy’s pizza and Copeland’s gospel brunch. They’re just getting some company.

The latest buzz on one-two-five is Pier 2110 Seafood Restaurant, which just opened nearby last week. From the management of Manna’s of Harlem and Brooklyn, it sports a snazzy lounge, raw bar and ginseng drinks.

As for ViVa – a k a Viaduct Valley – that’s real-estate speak for the West Harlem area reportedly poised to spawn its own restaurant scene in the coming year near Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Fairway Market and the new Citarella. “New Harlem” is fast becoming the next destination for fine dining.

Served uptown (map)

1. Food

1569 Lexington, between 100 and 101st streets; (212) 348-0200

The no-nonsense moniker belies the jazzed-up classics in this new incarnation of the former DinerBar, where fish-centric chef Scott Geller (who’s worked at Nobu) turns out luscious escolar and moules frites in Dijon white wine broth in a friendly neighborhood spot.

2. Itzocan Bistro

1575 Lexington Ave., at 101st Street; (212) 423-0255

Mexican with French flourishes – such as seafood posole – has been making East Harlem residents happy at this offshoot of an East Village original.

3. Creole

2167 Third Ave., at 118th Street; (212) 876-8838, creolenyc.com

Creole and Cajun bites – alligator gumbo and crawfish etouffee from the kitchen – and nightly jazz from a changing roll call of artists.

4. Harlem Tea Room

1793A Madison Ave., at 118th Street; (212) 348-3471, harlemtearoom.com

Twenty-two kinds of tea including fruit blends and organics at this comfy spot for nibbling cakes and sandwiches or taking in poetry readings, music events and seminars.

5. Ginger

1400 Fifth Ave., at 116th St.; (212) 423-1111, gingerexpress.com

Healthy Chinese food? That’s the word at this sleek, colorful space located in a “green” building. Organic and antibiotic-free ingredients light on the frying result in a baked egg roll (skip it) and sweet, fall-off-the-bone BBQ beef ribs.

6. Native

101 W. 118th St., at Lenox Avenue; (212) 665-2525, harlemnative.com

Ample outdoor seating makes this bright-colored, 5-year-old eatery a fair-weather find for eclectic fare from a BLT salad to Moroccan fried chicken with collard greens and walnut sauce.

7. Settepani

196 Lenox Ave., at 120th Street; (917) 492-4806

This 5-year-old offshoot of a Westchester bakery chainlet has become an epicenter for pastries, sandwiches, salads and pasta, especially when a jazz band riffs outside.

8. Emperor’s Roe

200 Lenox Ave., at 120th St.; (212) 866-3700, emperorsroe.com

Caviar and Harlem together as never before at this mail-order shop which has just added a shiny new tasting bar and dining area for fish eggs, smoked salmon and bubbly.

9. Society Coffee & Juice

2104 Frederick Douglass Blvd., between 113th & 114th; (212) 222-3323, societycoffee.com

Airy, laptop-friendly lounge for java, wine, and “passion and cream” smoothies to wash down waffles, fondue and thin-crust pizza.

10. Melba’s

300 W. 114th, at Frederick Douglass Blvd.; (212) 864-7777, melbasrestaurant.com

This welcoming, woody bistro gives comfort food a tweak by filling spring rolls with yellow rice, black-eyed peas and collards.

11. Harlem Vintage

2235 Frederick Douglass Blvd., at 121st Street; (212) 866-9463, harlemvintage.com

A $10 bottle of sauvignon blanc is just as easy to come by as a $90 Brunello di Montalcino from their “winemaker of color” selection at this chic shop.

12. Pier 2110 Seafood Restaurant

2110 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., between 125th and 126th streets; (212) 280-4737, pier2110.com

This spanking-new seafood place with a raw bar and lounge just opened next to the new Harlem Lanes bowling alley.