LGBTQ MEETUP AT THE CLIFFS HARLEM

Harlem Bespoke: CRUX empowers members of the LGBTQ community to participate in rock climbing and outdoor recreation in New York.  CRUX will host meetup nights at The Cliffs at Harlem on the second Tuesday of every month.

Tuesday, April 11th, 7:00PM-9:00PM, CRUX LGBTQ Meetup Night at The Cliffs climbing facility in Harlem located at 256 West 125th Street across from the Apollo Theater between Frederick Douglass and Adam Clayton Powell.  This is a great way to try out the sport and meet the community before signing up for a monthly membership.   At 15,000 square feet, The Cliffs is Manhattan’s largest rock climbing gym featuring hundreds of climbs (refreshed weekly), and state-of-the-art climbing training equipment. $15 climbing pass with rentals.  Learn more on the official Cliffs Harlem site: LINK

* This article was originally published here

AMATEUR NIGHT AT THE APOLLO APRIL 2023

Harlem Bespoke:  The renowned Amateur Night at the Apollo returns in 2023 after almost almost a two years absence and tickets are now on sale for November.

Wednesday, April 5th, 7:30PM, Amateur Night live at the Apollo Theater, 253 West 125th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue.  Local events have been selling out way in advance recently so those who want to get a head start on good seats should do so sooner than later.  More details and advance online tickets at the official Apollo site: LINK

* This article was originally published here

BESPOKE: HARLEM’S BEST RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Harlem Bespoke: We were feeling very nostalgic for red velvet cupcakes lately and headed over to Loretta Alston’s namesake specialty bakery on Lenox by 120th Street.  Red velvet was everywhere when we started blogging over the decades but has since become harder to find these days and most offerings are pretty basic.  Not at L.A. Sweets!  Everything at the boutique shop is baked freshly within hours and is hands down the most super moist cupcake we have had over the years.  Our red velvet experience was absolutely on point with flavor and the cupcake was still warm with the cream cheese icing just whipped on top per order.

 

A salted caramel offering also caught our eye and this sticky sweet confection was also devastatingly decadent.  The cube of caramel on top is absolutely extra and we would recommend to give it to your kids since we thought everything underneath was so rich in flavor already.  We had a lackluster cupcake experience at Magnolia further downtown since everything was cold with that day-old taste and so would highly recommend to go out of the way for this under the radar Harlem shop which opened on the boulevard eight years ago: LINK

* This article was originally published here

BESPOKE KIDS: ST. NICHOLAS PARK EASTER EGG HUNT

Saturday, April 8th, 12:00PM-2:00PM, Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the James Baldin Lawn at St. Nicholas Park, 135th Street Plaza
St. Nicholas Park. The annual Easter Egg Hunt at St. Nicholas Park returns again this year and will usher in Spring with face painting, crafts,
kids activities, and more! All for FREE for uptown families so mark those calendars!

Brought to you by
Friends of St. Nicholas Park: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

* This article was originally published here

A Soho restaurant known for its sweets has new dessert omakase

A Soho restaurant known for its sweets has new dessert omakase

Japanese restaurant Momoya Soho always aims to innovate its frequently updated sweet treats. Last fall’s “Autumn in New York Parfait,” for example, was included in our roundup of the season’s best dishes late last year. The item earned an entry for its use of topical ingredients like apple sorbet and pomegranate mochi in attractive fashion with the addition of shiso-apple gelée-filled sake mousse molded into an apple shape and chocolate sculptures inspired by NYC sights. 

The confection was impressive on its own, and now the chic, sleek spot has a whole dessert omakase to slake all your sweet teeth in one multi-course swoop. 

Momoya Soho
Photograph: Courtesy of Momoya Soho

Tickets will be available for $85 for five courses at one of two seatings on the first Monday of each month at 6 and 8pm. The chef’s choice is intended to include some surprises, but guests can expect items like yuzu cheesecake, mochi flower balls, raspberry rose ume tarts and matcha cookie sandwiches. 

Dessert is served at the bar and capped at six guests for each time slot. An optional $50 beverage pairing will include wine and sake selections. Allow about 90 minutes for the full photogenic flight. 

Momoya Soho opened one year ago. Its original location is in Chelsea with another on the Upper West Side.

* This article was originally published here