The Bronx’s Little Italy is thriving amid the COVID-19 crisis
Bellissimo! is not a word one would use to describe business in New York City since the pandemic struck — unless you’re talking about Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. The stretch of roughly 12 blocks that encompass the Bronx’s Little Italy — known for its cured meats, cheese blocks and other Italian delicacies — has become a shopping oasis for cooped-up...
Uncle Giuseppe's set to open North Babylon location soon
Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace is opening its new store in North Babylon earlier than expected. Originally planned for a 2021 launch, the Italian market and grocery store is weeks away from opening at Sunset Plaza in a former King Kullen location. A spokesperson from the company told GreaterBabylon the opening will be sometime mid-December. (Check ba...
The Top 5 Gluten-Free Neapolitan Pizzas in New York City
Sometimes it’s a necessity. Other times, it’s a trend. Either way, gluten-free pizza options are a popular request in New York City restaurants – Italian pizzerie included! In just a few years’ time, gluten-free pizza has gone from “meh” to a must-have on just about any menu. Originally very different from the original Neapolitan pizza dough, now i...
Where to Find the Spookiest Sicilian Halloween Pastries
In the Italian neighborhood of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, (where Dr. Fauci grew up), spooky Halloween pastries are a seasonal specialty. At Villabate Alba, a family-owned bakery and gelateria founded in 1979 by the Alaimo family, they sell exquisite trays of Sicilian pastries. When crisp autumn breezes rush through the streets, pushing trick-or-treater...
This iconic Italian market in NYC has an unexpected Jewish history
Teitel Brothers, the 105-year-old Italian provisions store on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, is not Italian at all. In fact, Teitels is the only existing store in the Bronx’s Little Italy — the real Little Italy — with Jewish roots. Arthur Avenue is a gem in New York City’s cultural and culinary crown. It’s authentically Italian with your selection of...
Zito’s Bakery, a Family Legacy
Berenice Abbott is best known for her black and white photographs of New York in transition in the 1930s. Sponsored by the Federal Art Project, a New Deal program, Abbott produced over 300 photographs of New York’s urban landscape, culminating in the book Changing New York, which was published to coincide with the 1939 New York World’s Fair. One of...
Long-time sausage maker and New York State Fair icon dies at 92
Paul Basilio, who made one of Central New York’s best-known Italian sausage brands for 61 years and was the longest-serving vendor at the New York State Fair, died Wednesday. He was 92. He was a member of a big and prominent Italian-American family — one of his brothers was former boxing champion Carmen Basilio, who died in 2012. Basilio operated t...
Jonathan Waxman, the Father of Californian-Italian Cuisine, Tells All
Crudo of sole freckled with Fresno chile. Raw kale leaves shiny with anchovy vinaigrette. Glistening gnocchi sauteed in butter, olive oil, and broccoli rabe. If the vibes of these dishes remind you of California, Italy, and a bit of France, you get the drift of Chef Jonathan Waxman’s cooking. The chef just published his third culinary opera, “The B...
La Pizza & La Pasta
Great news, amici – La Pizza & La Pasta is now open! Book your table and be one of the first to enjoy indoor dining at La Pizza & La Pasta. While pizza and pasta are just the tip of the Italian iceberg, there's a reason these two culinary staples are the most beloved exports from Italy. ù La Pizza & La Pasta is Eataly NYC Downtown's largest restaur...
San Gennaro Festival Coming To Inwood: What To Know
An Inwood restaurant is getting into the Italian spirit this weekend by holding a San Gennaro festival in the neighborhood. The Tryon Public House is hosting the Uptown San Gennaro Festival starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The celebration will take place both inside and outside the restaurant, and all guests are asked to maintain social distancing s...
Think it's hard keeping a restaurant open in a pandemic? Try opening one
On a New York City avenue near midtown Manhattan's Restaurant Row, several former restaurant windows are currently dotted with For Lease signs. But one features a surprising promise in the middle of a pandemic: "Coming Soon." "I want to go forward — no surrender," said Salvatore Fraterrigo, who placed that sign at his Sicilian restaurant Norma, a 7...
Italian restaurant La Tavola Trattoria Ristorante opens in Huntington
"I wanted to bring something new to Huntington," said Lewis Vargas, chef-owner of the new La Tavola Trattoria Ristorante in Huntington, "and to bring new life to Jericho Turnpike." Among his signature offerings: wood-fired chicken served over puréed potatoes ($24), a salmon artichoke-encrusted entree ($26), classic meatballs and sauce ($12), and a...