Arthur Ave. Taste Test..I need your input!
My wife and I have been to Arthur Ave. in the Bronx on several occasions and tried a ton of stuff there, but as we are moving away in a year, we want to make sure we haven't missed anything good there. So, I'm looking for the best of Arthur Ave. I know there are threads like this already, but I have a few specifics that I'm looking for as well hidden secrets that we might not have even thought about. Also, we aren't looking for sit down restaurant stuff. This is stuff we are going to go buy and then bring home to eat.
So below are my catagories for best of. I've listed our favorites in each category, but you don't need to stick to those. And as a final note, to make this the most useful, give responses as a particular item at a particular store (ex. for bread, "some specific loaf at some specific bakery")
Cheese
-Mozzarella
Sausage
-Sopressata
-Prosciutto
Bread
Sweets
-Cannoli
-Cookies or small sweets
-Locally made candy
Olives
Any other specialty items (ex. some place has a really awesome herb mix or something...basically anything goes here)
Ok, so thanks in advance for any input and knowledge that you guys have!! And remember, you don't have to stick to the exact stuff I requested, I will be super happy to find stuff I didn't even think of!
By drbyyz
on Aug 14, 2011 12:04 PM
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Mozzarella Cheese,
Casa della mozzarella, on 187th, the best
Canolli, Madonia Bros
olives in the market were okay--but I've found better outisde of that area..
Not sure why you left off fresh pasta at Borgatti's
And for me, the artichoke spinach pizza slice is fantastic at Full Moon, you could get that and take it home and eat it, or eat it there......cornmeal crust, exceptional
I would refer to the threads, there is a lot of specific recomendations there, that I think will repeat here...
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Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Madonia Brothers Bakery
2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Casa Della Mozzarella
604 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Full Moon Pizzeria
600 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
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Sausage and all salumi--Calabria PorkStore
Cheese--fresh, Casa di M. But see Teitel (below) for almost everything else.
Bread--Terranova (E187 St) or Madonia
Olives--Teitel (also for all other Italian grocery staples, esp hard cheeses like Pecorino and Parmigiano)
Pastry--DeLillo
Locally made candy, except for very specific Italian things---aren't any.
Borgatti for all fresh pasta, without fail.
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Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Calabria Pork Store
2338 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Madonia Brothers Bakery
2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Terranova Bakery
691 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
De Lillo Pastry Shop
606 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Casa Della Mozzarella
604 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Teitel Brothers
2372 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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Dried pasta: Borgatti has a terrific selection at very fair prices. Brands include Graganese (Campania) and Giuseppe Cocco (Abruzzo) among others.
Biscotti: Madonia
Multi-grain bread: Hardly something you would seek on AA but I have to mention the loaves at Madonia.
Calabrese pecorino coated in red pepper: Calandra, my favorite cheese shop.
House-made pancetta: Biancardi, (and Calabria (see link below; I've not tried the one at Calabria))
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/774684
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Biancardi Meats
2350 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Calabria Pork Store
2338 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Madonia Brothers Bakery
2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Calandra Cheese
2314 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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Thanks for the ideas everyone...between you guys and some internet searching I think I've found a bunch of stuff to fill up at least one good trip.
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Stop in at Cerini Coffee and Gifts while you're on the avenue. They have Nutella from Italy, pistachio butters, candies, coffees, etc. Browse as long as you're not a bull.
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Cerini Coffee & Gifts
2334 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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My favorites are covered by others with the following exceptions:
Large ravioli at Borgatti's is better than small (though small is also great)
Fresh ricotta from Calabria
Pizza dough from Madonia
Teitel Bros has the cheapest cheese but not the best cheese. Everywhere else (calandra, casa de la mozzarella, Calabria, Mike's) offers better quality stuff.
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Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Calabria Pork Store
2338 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Mike's Deli
2344 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Madonia Brothers Bakery
2348 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Casa Della Mozzarella
604 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Calandra Cheese
2314 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Teitel Brothers
2372 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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Now that you mentioned Teitel, I will say that they have excellent prices on canned DOP San Marzano tomatoes.
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what is the best brand of san marzano tomatoes, saw them on special at Iavarone in New Hyde Park, for $2.99 which seems really cheap to me....
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I do not remember the brand but will check and post back next time I am there. But I do remember that they were less than $2.99--either $2.49 or $2.69.
Oddly enough, I have also seen SanMarzano DOP for under $3 recently at ShopRite (Napoletano brand; packed in puree) and, astonishingly, at the IGA in Greenport, Long Island. (Did not buy so cannot recall brand; can check if you like) These both have basil leaf in them but they have the DOP seals. These are the lowest supermarket prices I've seen, by far. Something seems to be up--why are they showing up at supermarkets at such low prices?
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the lavale were the one on sale, vanita, collucio are also listed, I looked on their website and they have them listed..the vantia were the most expensive. I think they all had basil, too-
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"The Real San Marzanos":
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.co...
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What, no gloves! ! ! !
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MIne have all these elements (seals, numbering, etc) , but it does make you wonder, right?!
Thanks for posting the link.
Does anyone have a source for colatura di alici on Arthur Avenue? I know that I can buy this at Gustiamo, and have seen it at Buon Italia in Manhattan, but wonder who carries it on AA?
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And cheese, pumpkin or meat bureks from Tony and Tina's (heated up in the oven, NOT MICROWAVED!) and a cup of their tart homemade yogurt.
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Tony & Tina's Pizzeria
2483 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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Joe's Deli for mozzarella. They also make damn good sandwiches, great for taking to the Bronx Zoo for a picnic.
Calandra's for other cheese, I find their price and selection to be excellent.
Terranova for Semolina and Lard Bread.
Palumbo for pastries
DeLillo for biscotti
Borgatti's for any fresh pasta
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Borgatti's
632 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Terranova Bakery
691 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
De Lillo Pastry Shop
606 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Calandra Cheese
2314 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Joe's Italian Deli
685 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
Palombo Pastry Shop
601 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
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gotta check out Joe's, still haven't been there...how does their mozz compare to casa della?
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I've not tried Casa Della Mozzarella so I can't compare.
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Casa Della Mozzarella
604 E 187th St, Bronx, NY 10458
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The burrata at Mike's is killer. I bought a burrata from another place once (Teitel Bros, I think) and it was just Bel Gioioso, standard American fare. The stuff at Mike's is the real deal - twice as expensive but 100x as good!
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No one has mentioned butchers, but we love Biancardis. The veal scallopini are excellent, and you can't go wrong with their sausages or any other meats there. At Biancardis, you will notice that they seem to take people out of order. That is because people wait for a specific butcher, who is "their" butcher. Ours is Sal.
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Biancardi Meats
2350 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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there is great intimacy that exists between a customer and a butcher :) don't you know you can tell your butcher anything, just like your hairdresser...at least that's how I feel about mine!
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Wanted to add that I bought brasciole and sweet sausage from Vincent's this past weekend and cooked up a Sunday sauce. It's Monday night and every speck of meat is gone. Delicious.
And Addeo's lard bread... divine.
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Addeo Bakery
2372 Hughes Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Vincent's Meat Market
2374 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
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