Orbit

The Bar You'll Root For


NOTE: Restaurant is closed indefinitely for renovations.

You're not sure what to expect when you walk into Orbit, a bar and restaurant on the corner of 116th St. and 1st Ave. It could be a dive bar - dark wood-paneled walls and mismatched tables and chairs are the decor - but this bar has bigger dreams of grilled salmon, skirt steak and seafood fra diablo.

Orbit will welcome you with a friendly staff who seem to be on a first name basis with half of the patrons. They are a surrogate family of sorts, but like every family it has its issues – a forgotten drink here, an ambitious dish that doesn't quite make it there. But they are your family, so you root for them in their ups and downs. And like the best family they are always there for you with a round on the house.

Orbit serves generally good American fare, with an interesting hit-or-miss list of specials for the day. The addition of a weekend brunch menu is definitely welcomed in an area with few other options.

The restaurant has lots of entertainment options like live jazz and themed parties.

Location: 2257 1st Ave., at the corner of 116th St.

Phone: (212) 348-7818

Recommended Dishes/Drinks: Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich, Chicharron de Pollo, for brunch the Breakfast Pasta or Comida de Puta.

Average Dish Price: $12

Orbit

-Gloria

East Harlem 101

Technically East Harlem – also know as El Barrio or Spanish Harlem – starts at 96th St. and goes up to 125th St. from Central Park to the East River. But most people think it starts a bit further up – around 100th St. It's a culturally diverse neighborhood – settled either temporarily or permanently by immigrants since the late 1800s. The first to settle in the area were the Germans, then the Irish and Italians – whose mark is still felt by certain restaurants and shops mostly east of 1st Ave. Much of East Harlem's culture is currently defined by the recent immigrants from Puerto Rico and Mexico getting the nicknames Spanish Harlem and El Barrio (or "the neighborhood" in Spanish). Recently, as East Harlem's story continues to be written, the area has become more gentrified as new buildings go up and the area becomes the new destination for those priced out of lower areas of Manhattan.


Read Up on Your Hood, Some Great East Harlem Books:
In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio
by: Philippe Bourgois
A sociology view of East Harlem in the late 80's during the height of the crack-epidemic there. A sad and powerful look into the area. You'll see how far East Harlem has come.

The Tenants of East Harlem
by: Russell Leigh Sharman
The lives of seven East Harlem residents tell the story of the area's immigration and history. Included in this work is the life of the author, a recent East Harlem resident.

Flying Over 96th Street: Memoir of an East Harlem White Boy
by: Thomas L. Webber
A coming-of-age memoir from a man who's minister father moves the family to East Harlem in the 1950s.
-Gloria