HARLEM — Minton’s Jazz Club, Barawine, BLVD Bistro, Bodega 47 and Cheri Harlem are just a few of the places to offer up dining on a budget at Harlem Restaurant and Retail Week.
Two dozen restaurants and seven retailers have signed on to participate in this year's event — which runs through Aug. 31. The restaurants feature a $30.14 three-course dinner menu that includes a choice of different appetizers, entrees and deserts.
Minton's menu features Southern fried chicken, while BLVD has a cornmeal-crusted grouper and Bodega 47 offers short rib nachos.
Other places around the neighborhood offer less expensive options, including Harlem Shake which is offering a dinner for two for $20.14. Unlike New York Restaurant Week, which sticks to a set price list, participants in Harlem’s version can choose from a three-point price range, she added.
Corbin Hill Farm Project is selling their large summer farm share — which has enough fruits and vegetables to feed three or four people for a week — for $20.14.
Bikram Yoga East Harlem is cutting the price of their drop in class from $20 to $10.14.
Click here for a full list of specials.
Most of the participating restaurants are located between Fredrick Douglas Boulevard and Lenox Avenue, and all are north of 96th Street, organizers said.
"It's a good way for new people to come in and find the place," said Cesar Aquino, manager of Corner Social. “We get a lot of people coming back.”
Local shops also play a large role in the event. The week is an opportunity to showcase the neighborhood what other services are in the area, said Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, executive director of Harlem Park to Park.
Harlem Restaurant and Retail Week started out five years ago with just nine participants. Organizers created it to give Harlem businesses a chance to showcase their talents after being excluded from the citywide restaurant week.
“New York Restaurant Week stopped at 94th Street,” Evans-Hendricks said, adding that this summer's New York Restaurant week featured several Harlem businesses, including Red Rooster and Minton’s.