As Manhattan’s Little Italy becomes more closely associated with tourists than with good Italian food, the Bronx’s Little Italy, nestled around Arthur Avenue in the Bronx’s northwest, reflects the true ethnicity and warmth of its local crowd. It’s here where cannoli is a form of bribery and halfway down the main drag of “The Real Little Italy”, the Arthur Avenue Retail Market has been a beacon of genuine Italian characters for 72 years. Shoppers and shop owners titter in Italian over legs of prosciutto, hand-rolled cigars and barrels of olives. The Bronx Beer Hall is nestled at the heart of this ethnic melting pot. Read the complete post »
No Comments | Posted on February 25, 2013 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog
tags: Amelia Moulis, beer, Beer Hall, bronx, The Bronx Beer Hall
Hop on the on the 2, 5, or 6 to Hunts Point, swing onto the Hunts Point bus, walk down a hill scattered with garages and warehouses, and you’ll have reached the Bronx’s very own BBQ haven: Mo Gridder’s BBQ. This famous hotspot is actually a small mobile trailer connected to a car auto shop, with indoor and outdoor seating areas. But don’t ever judge a book by its cover– this humble and independent restaurant packs a giant tasty punch when it comes to barbecue. 
Mo Gridder’s got its start about 10 years ago, when Freddy, the then-and-current manager, came up with the idea of cooking on the weekends for the repair shop and for close friends who were regular visitors. In 2006, the Mo Gridder’s trailer was built; ever since then, it’s been nonstop good eating. Deemed a destination spot for high-quality, affordable barbeque in New York City, the restaurant has been featured by Emeril, Eat Streets, and the New York Times. What’s more, Mo Gridder’s is expanding its reach in the neighborhood, offering local delivery services and catering. By the end of the month, they should be shipping their food and famous homemade barbecue sauce nationwide.
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3 Comments | Posted on June 22, 2011 | Categories: From the Blog, The Bronx
tags: barbecue, BBQ, bronx, Food, hunts point, Miya Brown, mo gridder's
Having practically lived exclusively on cheesecake for a month after a bad breakup, I thought that I ‘knew’ what good cheesecake was. As it turns out, I knew nothing. One bite of S&S Cheesecake, and you will forget every other cheesecake you have ever tried. Falling in love with this exquisitely crafted cake isn’t an if– it’s a when (and that when usually happens right after you take your first bite.)
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that S&S’s cheesecake was so good. Not only do they have over 60 years’ experience making cheesecakes, but they also have a website full of testimonials from people such as Bob Hope & President Bill Clinton, all raving about the deliciousness of their cheesecake.
Getting off the subway, it is easy to think that you might have gone to the wrong place. Two subways stops north of the Bronx Target, you’ll find yourself suddenly in a mainly industrial neighborhood, full of buildings that look closed. S & S’s headquarters, a small brick building with a metal gate-like door, easily blends in to its surroundings and is easily missed if you are not paying attention. But inside this little brick building is a room with a large refrigerator full of cheesecakes, all waiting for you to take them home.
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5 Comments | Posted on June 12, 2011 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog
tags: bronx, cheesecake, Food, s&s, simone martelle
My dad is a carrot cake aficionado. So, when he visited me in New York this weekend, we took a straight shot up the 1 train to the 242nd street stop in the Bronx, walked a few blocks up, and came to Lloyd’s Carrot Cake. The bakery, nestled between a green hill and a local grocery, is easy to miss until you come within smelling distance—notes of vanilla, toasting nuts, and browned sugar entice the casual passerby into the tiny shop. As we hovered beneath the trademark neon sign of a smiling, dancing carrot, a man with coke bottle glasses and a white zoot suit told us that the carrot cake inside was the best in the city.
Lloyd’s Carrot Cake has a tiny, wood-paneled interior. Slices of cake are piled high on the counter top and inside the glass display cases, pre-packaged in plastic containers. To the right is a cooler full of Jamaican ginger beer. Cakes awaiting frosting rest on racks in the back, while the kitchen takes up most of the shop space.
Prices range from $1.70 for a carrot muffin to $83.50 for a sheet of carrot cake that can serve 70 to 80 people. Individual slices of plain carrot cake go for $2.25, while slices of the lightly more upscale German chocolate cake cost $2.75 each. Though intrigued by options of pineapple coconut or strawberry coconut cake, we ordered a slice of the classic carrot cake with nuts and berries (though they also serve a version without these additions ) and a slice of the red velvet.
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1 Comment | Posted on June 8, 2011 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog, The Bronx
tags: bronx, Johana Godfrey, Lloyd's Carrot Cake, Riverdale
The Bronx Culture Trolley (courtesy Bronx Council On the Arts)
Though a “trolley ride” may have connotations of a quaint meandering through town, do not be fooled. The Bronx Culture Trolley zips through the edgy South Bronx on the first Wednesday evening of each month to explore the hidden treasures and authentic Bronx styles of local artists.
Your best bet is to catch the trolley when it leaves from Hostos Community College at 5:30 p.m. This is the earliest slot, and it will allow you to keep hopping back on the trolley as it circles around the neighborhood.
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No Comments | Posted on July 7, 2009 | Categories: Attractions, Event-Related, From the Blog, Nightlife, The Bronx
tags: art, artists, bronx, Bronx Culture Trolley, free, karaoke, ldr studio gallery, luis d. rosado, tours
