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my brother wife and nephew plan to come to NY soon. I wanted to take them, to some "mom & pop" type places as opposed to the humdrum commercial fare they are accustomed to in the Atlanta Suburbs (my brother misses the authentic NY restaurants)
first, I heard a few years ago on a radio talk show that there is an Italian Restaurant in the Arthur Avenue area that has no menu; you simply tell the waiter what you want to eat and they do it for you homemade. Does anyone know of such a place?
second, I have read good things about the Pine Tavern in Morris Park. However,
it's not safety in that area that concerns me, I don't know if that is a place for locals and if us "soft suburbanites" would feel comfortable in an area that is more hardhat types. A former co-worker active in Bronx politics (a real liberal) used to cut on Morris Park, calling it "bigoted, bigots everywhere". If this is true, it's like i don't want to be hissed at when we walk in. I know the area is safe but it looks very very working class
I also notice an interesting looking "Momma Maria" restaurant on the second floor of a shopping center on Morris Park Avenue. Does anyone know how this place is?
The restaurant on Arthur Ave with no menu is Dominick's.It's one of the most famous of all NYC old style Italian restaurants.The food is great and everyone eats at long tables.....you might be seated next to people you don't know and it's a little cramped but it works.The waiter tells you what the specials are and if you want something that he doesn't mention they will cook it for you.Same process with the drinks...no lists,just ask what kinds of beer or wine they have.At the end the waiter gives you an unitemized total so you have to be trusting because basically you order everything without knowing what it costs.This may sound crazy but I have eaten there a number of times and never felt ripped off.In fact i have always been very satisfied both with the food and the final cost. The atmosphere is great.It can be a real show,especially on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons. Dominick's Restaurant - The Bronx - New York Magazine Restaurant Guide
Of course if you go to Arthur Ave you will also be able to show them all the shops and the Arthur Ave market which they will never ,ever see in suburbia.
Two other places I would recommend you consider;
1) Enzo's on Williamsbridge Road -it is owned by Dominick's son who went to culinary school and it is highly regarded.Mayor Bloomberg eats there and hosts dinner parties there frequently.It's smaller and quieter than Dominick's and the food is great. Enzo's - The Bronx - New York Magazine Restaurant Guide
thanks for the links! a Gourmet Italian place opened up (Nono Tony's) on W 235th street off Johnson Ave in Riverdale about 7 years ago and i noticed on the menu Patricia's and Brick Oven Pizza were also noted on it so it might have been the same people
I went to Dominick's and I could not have hated it anymore. You are seated in long tables, which is perfectly fine with me. There is no menu, so you have to listen to waiters who are uninterested in doing much of anything. Asking them to speak up will annoy them further. The wine list..where there isn't really one..they have red and white, and are pretty bad overall. But again, nobody cares, you are supposed to take it and like it.
The food is good presentation, but I was not impressed in the least. I received a chicken parm dish, with chicken patties which were perfectly round???????? That isn't possible unless they come frozen and are processed! I looked at the dish, looked at the waiter, and told him to take it away. He could not care less, did not ask why, and that was the end of my meal. I then got the check WITH the chicken parm on the bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course I went to the "manager" who wasted my time telling me how fantastic everything is and how he could not understand why I didn't like the meal. After I indicated the perfectly round chicken patties, he claimed I was "crazy" and it was all fresh. The conversation did not end well, I of course did not pay a cent, and left.
The place is packed, people eat whatever it is they are served whether they like it or not, and that is appeal of the place, I suppose. I would not go back, not recommend it to anyone. IMO, the vast majority of the places on Arthur Ave are not good, and are skating on a reputation long dead....reminds me alot of City Island's seafood...same idea, same lack of quality.
I would go to Patricia's (the original) on Morris Park Ave, but not Tosca's in Throgs Neck. The one in Throgs Neck is nice, outdoor seating, and always packed, however the food quality is abhorrent as they cannot handle the volume, food is usually served lukewarm or cold, and is overall bad. Patricia's is much better, and they just redid the place, and now have a much higher end experience, with the prices to match (beware).
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