Looking back at my grad school days at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY, one of my proudest accomplishments is having discovered the amazing resource that is Arthur Avenue. Actually, I was introduced to it by a fellow grad student who had grown up in the neighborhood, and who introduced me to many of the treasures it has to offer. But even if they have never visited this area, just about everyone who lives in the Tri-State area knows of the legendary bread that comes from this culinary street –there is nothing like the crunchy crust and chewy inside of Arthur Avenue's italian loaves. Besides the bread, there are a number of outstanding deli's, restaurants, pastry shops and produce stores. In this neighborhood, food is given the respect it deserves, and it is made and served love.
This past weekend, my husband and I made the journey to Arthur Avenue, having been inspired by a recent episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay featuring the eggplant parmigiana from Mike's Deli. The dish was everything it was cracked up to be, with a perfect balance of sauce, cheese and very thinly sliced breaded eggplant. Deliziosi!
In addition to the eggplant, we bought some stuffed peppers, roasted red peppers, olive oil, and jars of Mike's Deli's tomato sauce (all of these are available to order through their website ). Down the street at Madonia Brothers Bakery, we scored a loaf of freshly baked bread and some Italian twist cookies. Around the corner, we stopped at Egidio Pastry Shop for a selection of mini-pastries and the best cappucinos we have ever tasted. For the road, we each got a slice of cheese pizza from Full Moon Pizzeria. While I love living in the DC area, I have not yet found a pizza place that has that authentic New York flavor and texture. [My dear readers, if you know of any authentic-tasting NY style pizza restaurants around here, please let me know!]
If you love food, and have the opportunity, I highly recommend a visit to Arthur Avenue. It's a few blocks from the Bronx Zoo and The New York Botanical Garden, so it's easy to make a fun-filled day of it.
This past weekend, my husband and I made the journey to Arthur Avenue, having been inspired by a recent episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay featuring the eggplant parmigiana from Mike's Deli. The dish was everything it was cracked up to be, with a perfect balance of sauce, cheese and very thinly sliced breaded eggplant. Deliziosi!
In addition to the eggplant, we bought some stuffed peppers, roasted red peppers, olive oil, and jars of Mike's Deli's tomato sauce (all of these are available to order through their website ). Down the street at Madonia Brothers Bakery, we scored a loaf of freshly baked bread and some Italian twist cookies. Around the corner, we stopped at Egidio Pastry Shop for a selection of mini-pastries and the best cappucinos we have ever tasted. For the road, we each got a slice of cheese pizza from Full Moon Pizzeria. While I love living in the DC area, I have not yet found a pizza place that has that authentic New York flavor and texture. [My dear readers, if you know of any authentic-tasting NY style pizza restaurants around here, please let me know!]
If you love food, and have the opportunity, I highly recommend a visit to Arthur Avenue. It's a few blocks from the Bronx Zoo and The New York Botanical Garden, so it's easy to make a fun-filled day of it.