Little Italy

Yesterday we went to New York's real Little Italy, on Arthur Ave in the Bronx. We'd driven through it before, but never stopped. Our visit began with Robert squeezing into a tiny parking spot that we found right away, which was delightful. Then we went to Casa della Mozzarella on 187th, and bought snacks of olives and grilled mushrooms. The olives were slightly garlicky and totally delicious, and the mushrooms were fabulous. We stopped to watch the crabs at a fishmarket (the kids were entranced), and then went to Calabria Pork Store. They had me before I even walked in, because their awning featured two pig wearing expressions of delight. Nothing like happy food! This store makes a variety of sausages and cheeses in house- we bought a fresh sausage with broccoli rabe and a dried sweet sausage. The inside was just hung with cured meat- totally rad.



I wanted to check out a deli I'd heard good things about, so I went there while Robert and the kids stopped to visit with the crabs again (Zion later informed me that the blue crab was his friend, so he had said good-bye to it). The deli didn't do much for me, which was just as well because it was about time for us to meet Mr. Faux and Kaori for dinner. Kaori had suggested Zero Otto Nove, so that's where we went. It's a relative newcomer to Arthur Ave, but has received quite a bit of praise in it's short time- most famously from the Food Maven. To summarize, some folks claim it's the best pizza in New York, and therefore, in the entire United States. Others feel the crust is lacking (it's quite soft and floppy), while others disparage the tomatoes. Still, no one says it's bad pizza.

There were 6 adults and the kids at our table, and we ordered 4 pizzas: Capricciosa (ham, fresh mozzarella, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes), Caprese (fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, arugala, and parmesan), Quattro Fromagi (smoked and fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, provelone), and La Riccardo (butternut squash puree, smoked mozzarella, basil, and pancetta). All of the pizzas were excellent but I'm not a fan of smoked cheese, so those ones didn't do as much for me. The Caprese (which was my top pick) was drool worthy, probably the best pizza I've had (which may not be saying much since I'm normally just a lukewarm pizza consumer). Yum.

Here's me and Mr. Faux and Kaori and Liel. Kaori was a perfectly beautiful pregnant mama, and Mr. Faux has accepted his move to the Bronx with good grace.