Sunday, September 03, 2006

Feast of San Gennaro to take over All THREE "Little Italys" in NYC

The ANNOTICO Report

Lucky New Yorkers have THREE Little Italies to celebrate Holidays, whereas many of us have None!!!!

In NY there is Mulberry Street in Manhattan, Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, and 18th Avenue in Brooklyn.

The NY Times takes on a tour.

Weekend in New York

The D Train to Cannoli Heaven

The New York Times

By Seth Kugel

September 3, 2006

The Feast of San Gennaro is scheduled to take over Little Italy from Sept. 14 to 24, and it will no doubt attract its usual swarm of tourists and Italian-Americans craving sausage, grappa and nostalgia at Manhattan's version of Epcots Italian Pavilion. (O.K., at least Mulberry Street used to be an Italian neighborhood.)

That can be fun, but if you dont like crowds, you might want to check out some alternatives. Like Little Italy. Or, say, Little Italy.

That is, the ones on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx and on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn. They take longer to get to, and theyre not as flashy (though Arthur Avenue comes close), but the joy quotient is higher. And if your idea of counting carbs is seeing how many bakeries you can ransack in one afternoon, youll be especially happy: the baked-good-to-resident ratio is one of the highest in the city.

The central intersection of Little Italy in the Bronx is East 187th Street and Arthur Avenue. Even there, the Italian population has faded, giving way to other ethnic groups (including Mexicans, who can save repainting costs by taking over Italian businesses since they share red-white-and-green flags), but daily crowds of Italian-Americans come in to shop, and tourists can saunter over from the Bronx Zoo.

You can get a good espresso maker here, or Italian soccer shirts, or you can even wire money to Italy if the mood strikes, but the reason you go is to eat. There are popular restaurants: Dominicks is known for its communal tables and menu-free dining (choose from the recommendations from your waiter and from your neighbors), and Marios for its old-fashioned style.

But you can also just eat your way down the street. Stop off at Cosenzas for a dozen littleneck clams shucked fresh for you, then douse them with an endless array of pepper sauces or just a burst of lemon for $8. In the bakeries, hearty loaves of crusty breads that go far beyond your basic seeded Italian loaf beckon; and stock up on dirt-cheap biscotti to sneak into Starbucks later in the week. Pastry shops like De Lillo serve espresso and cannoli and have informal table service. Those who are particular about just-in-time cannoli filling should try the Arthur Avenue Bakery.

The Arthur Avenue Retail Market, opened by Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia in 1940, is home to the sandwich maestri at Mikes Deli. Hyped and overcrowded, it still lives up to expectations every time; the delis huge sandwiches, stuffed with prosciutto and capocollo and soppressata and provolone and mozzarella, max out at $8, and can feed two. Avoid the crush at the counter by sitting down for friendly table service.

So, what else is there to do besides eat? Why, look at things to eat, naturally. At the butcher shops, sausages sit in massive coils like especially tasty cobras. Vincents Meat Market has an entire former petting zoo in the window, featuring whole rabbits and a lambs head.

There are a few other remnants from the old days around, like the occasional members-only social clubs. (Peek in if the doors are open, and listen for those classic Italian-New Yorker accents). The workers at Acconcia Travel still speak Italian, do tax returns and airplane tickets, and will even wire money to Italy, though that service is rarely used these days. The business also has a surprising collection of tacky relief maps of Italian regions.

The 18th Avenue strip in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn is more spread out and less lively than Arthur Avenue, but youll find all the usual suspects: amazing bakeries (though Alba, the most legendary, has closed), restaurants like Ginos Focacceria and markets like Trunzo Brothers. But it also has things you wont find on Arthur Avenue. Villabate Bakery has pastries so pretty that youll feel guilty eating them; the marzipan shaped like beautiful fruit looks like refrigerator magnets you wish you could eat except, in this case, you can.

Another one-of-a-kind spot is Arcobaleno Italiano, which has Italian CDs and Italian and subtitled DVDs. The films range from Italian originals to dubbed classics to newer hits like that one about a cute-as-the-dickens Italian-speaking clownfish, Alla Ricerca di Nemo. (Perfect for 5-year-olds who have memorized the English version.)

There are also a few Italian hot spots scattered throughout the city: the one Corona, Queens, centers on the Lemon Ice King and the creaky boccie players in William Moore Park, a k a Spaghetti Park. Italian East Harlem, around Pleasant Avenue, has all but disappeared except for a barbershop, a bakery and the impossible-to-get-into Raos restaurant.

But this year, one of the neighborhoods annual feasts, Giglio di SantAntonio, was moved to September from July, and its highlight, the Dancing of the Giglio, in which strong-shouldered men raise a massively heavy tower in honor of St. Anthony in a tradition born in Nola, Italy, will be next Sunday at 1 p.m.

Or you could head to the very Little Italy on the third floor of the Rizzoli Bookstore in Midtown Manhattan. It has everything from Italian classics to current best sellers to, inevitably, Dan Browns Codice da Vinci.

VISITOR INFORMATION

LITTLE ITALY, THE BRONX

Take the B or D train to Fordham Road, then the Bx12 bus east to Arthur Avenue.

Dominicks, 2335 Arthur Avenue; (718) 733-2807. Closed on Tuesdays.

Marios, 2342 Arthur Avenue; (718) 584-1188. Closed on Mondays.

Cosenzas Fish Market, 2354 Arthur Avenue; (718) 364-8510. Closed on Sundays.

De Lillo Pastry Shop, 606 East 187th Street; (718) 367-8198. Open seven days.

Arthur Avenue Bakery, 2413 Arthur Avenue; (718) 365-8860. Open seven days.

Mikes Deli, Arthur Avenue Retail Market, 2344 Arthur Avenue; (718) 295-5033. Closed on Sundays.

Vincents Meat Market, 2374 Arthur Avenue; (718) 295-9048. Closed on Sundays.

LITTLE ITALY, BROOKLYN

Take the N train to 18th Avenue. Italian businesses are concentrated from 60th Street through the low 80s.