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City’s Media Elite Are Going Nuts for a Jewish Pastry from Harlem

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Plus, Justin Timberlake distances himself from Southern Hospitality — and more intel

Lee Lee’s rugelach
The infamous pastries
Photo via Lee Lee’s/Facebook

Rugelach from Harlem is causing a stir

Michael’s in Midtown, the American restaurant known as a power restaurant for major media players, has reportedly been overtaken by rugelach from Harlem. Former Today show host Tamron Hall passed out the flaky Jewish pastry to diners at the restaurant on Monday, sourced from Lee Lee’s Rugelach in Harlem, the Post reports. The small bakery has managed to garner a lot of positive press over the years, with outlets like Thrillist calling owner Alvin Lee Smalls’ rugelach the city’s best.

The Times spotlights two neighborhood favorites

Santa Ana Deli & Grocery in Bushwick and Fang Gourmet Tea in Flushing got the Times treatment, with the newspaper spotlighting each neighborhood joint. At Santa Ana, locals linger over cemitas, quesadillas, and tacos made in the style of Puebla, Mexico. Over at Fang, tea lovers can find rare vintages, like a fermented liu bao tea that dates back to the 1890s.

Justin Timberlake did not host Steve Bannon, thank you very much

Singer Justin Timberlake received some undeserved flak on Twitter after the restaurant he founded hosted a Republican fundraiser. Southern Hospitality in Hell’s Kitchen held a dinner last week for New York Republican House representative Lee Zeldin with attendees like ousted Trump advisor and Breitbart founder Steve Bannon. To distance himself from that controversy, Timberlake’s people told Vanity Fair that he is definitively no longer an owner and does not have “any knowledge of or involvement in the operations of the restaurant.” The restaurant does still list him a founder, though.

More information on the Times Square shooting

Early Tuesday, a man was fatally shot in the head outside Tonic in Times Square. Now, police have identified him as 33-year-old Perseus Salichs, a worker at Buffalo Wild Wings in Harlem who was shot after a man in a jealous rage believed Salichs to be hitting on his girlfriend.

Jaunt down to Philly to check out this seafood market

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