Showing posts with label Alvin and Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alvin and Friends. Show all posts

Thursday, January 10, 2013

What 2013 has in store for New Rochelle

Welcome to 2013! New Rochelle has a ton of things on the horizon. Political change, new business and events. Take a peak into 2013 with me:

Alvin & Friends - Breaking News!!!!!!!!!!! Alvin & Friends is moving! Yes, the fantastically intimate restaurant on Lawton Street is expected to open in late January in the former Mo's Clubhouse Space.


PAC House - As always, the PAC house has something hip happening! This weekend head over for Salsa on the Sound. 

Noam Bramson- New Rochelle's Mayor has decided not to run for another term. Mayor Bramson's would is choosing to direct his interest towards becoming the next Westchester County Executive. Let's watch and see.


Modern Pizza- The new location (old one is still open) is something to behold. This is how you dine aldente in style. The former ballet studio on Hugenot Street is worth visiting simply to take a bow.

Indoor Flea Market- Make sure to stop by the new indoor Flea Market starting this Sunday @ 112 North Avenue. The first 100 customers will receive a free gift bag.




Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Holiday Shopping In New Rochelle

 
The Curtain Shop

With exactly 7 days before Christmas, the desperation gift shopping is about commence. Don't get caught scrounging the Malls for nicely decorated junk. Why not do your shopping in the Tony Community of New Rochelle?  Here are my picks for best places to shop for quality holiday goods in New Rochelle:

The Curtain Shop-
Located on 541 Main Street, this shop du jour has the perfect gifts for the home at great prices. Stop in and trust me the service and selection are unbeatable. Make sure to go upstairs and investigate what I call a homeowners haven.

Just Funki-
For the woman/man who is into adorning their body in precious stones, Just Funki is the place to be. Each handmade piece is a work of art. If you are looking for something unique look no further. As a bonus, the girts are wrapped free of charge in the most decorative box with a satin ribbon.
Just Funki 37 Division Street 

Alvin Clayton Artiste - 
As the owner of Alvin & Friends, Alvin Clayton holds court in his richly decorated restaurant on Lawton avenue. The food is spectacular and the art adorning the walls is featured in several galleries and you can take a piece home with our after you dine- for a fee of course.

Alvin Clayton 
Sweet Preserves-
Why pay 5th Avenue prices if you don't have to? Sweet Preserves everything you need for that high end hunger. Furs, handbags, jewelery and designer goods. All of the items are in the best condition and the prices can't be beat!
Valentino Cuff - Sweet Preserves 






Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Our 100th Post! History in the Making!


When I started New Rochelle Now in April 2012, It was totally out of necessity.  I was relatively new to the Queen City, and struggled to find out what was happening on a day-to-day basis. I view NRN as my version of Time Out New Rochelle. To commemorate my 100th post, take a walk with me down memory lane and visit some of my favorite haunts and havens. You may even spot something you missed the first time. 


NoMa Social
Places to kick back
After a long day at the office, why not hit a local lounge?  New Rochelle has many to choose from - The Gnarly Vine is an intimate wine bar with a welcoming atmosphere and affable staff. If you want something slightly more upbeat try NoMa Social  the decor is futuristic and the food is fantastic. For those who want to dance the night away or watch others do so,  head to Don Coqui. Now if you need a space to crank out that thesis, head to R.Patisserie where silence is golden and the lattes are hot.
Don Coqui
Speak  Italian
New Rochelle is the prefect town to feed my Love for Italian food and Pizza. Posto 22  is sure to serve as your own personal kitchen. I make a trip once a week. At  Spadaro, the food is served family style and they don't have a menu so come hungry and ready for a taste of Italy! The guys at  Blackboard Pizza buy all their ingredients fresh daily and they know the the ABC's of  perfect pizza.

Castle Gallery
Become a voyeur
New Rochelle has a host of Gallery's and artist spaces and each one is different from the next. The Castle Gallery is a vast estate with rotating exhibits that will marvel you. If you want to simply pop in and see something by a local young artist head over to the Backstreet Gallery . For an all encompassing experience go over to this live/work gallery & Artist space at the  Media Loft. 
 Alvin Clayton of Alvin & Friend's
Food that feeds the Soul
 Having the esteemed honor of one of the Best of Westchester has not gone to Alvin Clayton's head. He continues to churn out plates of love, peace and soul at his New Rochelle restaurant Alvin & Friends. How sweet it is. Sweet Potatoes has perfected the art of cooking for many and making it taste as if it was prepared just for you. Go in and get a taste of that down home soul food you have been missing up north.

La Ceniga
Latin flavor 
New Rochelle has a tremendous amount of Latin fare to choose from. For date night I would suggest
 La Ceniga! Once inside, you may feel as if you just entered the Meatpacking District with it's hip crowd and sumptuous food. My second pick is the Peruvian gallery style restaurant  Cholos Kitchen, plan to go there only if you are hungry, because you won't be able to resist trying several items off of the menu. 

Shop till you drop
Before you head to The Westchester for your next shopping spree, try heading  downtown to  Consign it on Main! They have everything you need for your home and then some. The Sweet preserves boutique located in the rear of the store is a treasure chest of luxury goods. Stop by and tell Amy that I sent you. For your seasonal home refreshers, go to the  The Curtain Shop.That place is not just curtains. The jewels at Just Funki are all handmade originals and each piece is like a work of art. Rhonda is a master jewelry maker her handmade chandelier is magnificent.

The Curtain Shop

Wide open spaces
Wildcliff  is an oasis in New Rochelle. This open air space has showcased many local talents as well as billboard hit-makers. I would go just for the view. When the weather permits, two words BEACH BAR! The Hudson Park Beach Bar's newly revamped tiki bar will make you want to go to Aruba-Jamaica..KeyLargo- Montego.. but, New Rochelle is a much shorter flight.
Wildcliff




Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Best of Westchester- Gobs of NewRo Grub

The Best Of  Westchester brought out the epicurious crowd last night. Conceived in 2001, this years bash hosted at the Glen Island Harbor Club was the party of the summer. Dapper dudes and gorgeous gals, feasted, foxtrotted and fawned over displays that looked almost too good to eat.

New Rochelle has an abundance of  restaurants on the 2012 "Best Of" list  and some of them were  previously featured here on New Rochelle Now. I have long since said that New Rochelle has some of the best restaurants in the New York. I suggest that you make a reservation (if applicable) at one of the spectacular 7 below, because now that the BOW is ringing their praises, it may be a pain getting a table to quell your hunger pangs.


Best Cheese Plate The Gnarly Vine 501 Main St, New Rochelle (914) 355-2541; thegnarlyvine.com
Best Upside Down Pineapple Cake Alvin & Friends  49 Lawton St New Rochelle  (914) 654-6549
Best Vegan Restaurant-Jolo’s Kitchen 412 North Ave, New Rochelle (914) 355-2527 joloskitchen.com
Best Finger Food- Pionono's at Siete Ocho Siete 414 Pelham Rd (914) 636-1229 sieteochosiete.com

Best Bagels H & R Bialy Corp 41 Quaker Ridge Rd, New Rochelle (914) 576-1411 
Best Churros El Trigal Mexican Bakery 216 Union Ave New Rochelle (914) 633-9516
Best Chowder- Cienega Restaurant 179 Main St, New Rochelle (914) 632-4000 cienegarestaurant.com

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Essential Pictures- Cinematic Cheers

The fabulous folks of New Rochelle looked picture perfect during the Life Essentials Trailer preview at Alvin & Friends on Monday evening.  Muta' Ali Ruby's grandson (above) provided commentary to News 12 Westchester.

                               Alvin Clayton - Owner of Alvin & Friends


              Kara O'Neill                      
      
Michael D. Armstrong w/ Host's Terry and Alvin Bowles 
  Ruby's grandson Guy Davis 

                              Ruby's granddaughter Ihsanna Muhammad
All photography by Brahm Rhodes

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Ruby Dee - Essential Life

                               http://rubydee.lifesessentialsdocs.com

Ruby Dee still knows how to draw a crowd. New Rochelle Residents braved the inclement weather last night to view the trailer Life Essentials at Alvin & Friends restaurant in Downtown New Rochelle. Life Essentials is a documentary style film about love, art and activism. The film is told through the eyes of Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee's grandson, Muta' Ali. The film's revealing conversations and never seen-before material gives the current generation a glimpse into the living history that is Ruby Dee. Donations for the production and filming of this living time capsule are still being accepted on the Life Essentials website.


Born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, she spent most of her youth in Harlem. Academia was a priority to Dee and she received degrees in French and Spanish in 1944 from Hunger College. As a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the NAACP and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Dee and her husband Ossie Davis were vocal in their disdain for racial injustice. Dee & Davis were close friends with Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and Davis provided the eulogy of Malcolm X in 1965.

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Ruby stared with Sidney Poitier in the 1961 film A Raisin in the Sun. For her spectacular performance, she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress.