Arthur Avenue

Sleep has been a little hard to come by these days. I woke up around 3 am this morning discouraged and with a sore back. I have been at this for over 10 weeks with a full schedule, seeing doctor after doctor. I have had so many tests that one of the main veins in my left arm has collapsed. Still, I have no definite diagnosis just a likely one. I am exhausted from all my hospital and clinic visits, research and discussions with doctors. It is true that the worst part is not knowing and I thought that the biopsy that was scheduled yesterday would get me on track to some answers. Dr. B is scheduled to be in the operating room today and most likely I will not be able to talk with him until tomorrow.

The goal for today was to forget about all the medical issues and just enjoy the beautiful weather. A friend gave me a book about the best things to do in NYC and, with a rare doctor-free day, I decided to go to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. This is the true little Italy of NYC and my type of neighborhood with prosciutto and ham hanging in every window.

The first stop was Pasquale’s Rogoletto, a lively Italian restaurant. We were quickly welcomed with a serving of some bruschetta and Reggianietto (a type of Parmesan Cheese.) Most places in this neighborhood have been family owned for generations and Pasquale's is no different. We struck up a conversation with Vinny, who is the son of the owner. Vinny told us to visit Mike’s Deli and to ask for Dave as he would take good care of us. Dave turned out to be the son of Mike. Dave shared with us his experiences at Yankee stadium where Mike’s Deli is also one of the vendors. He knows the whole cast of The Sopranos and showed us all his pictures with the actors. He is an amazing chef and has cooked with numerous famous chefs including Bob Flay. His cousin is the pastry chef at Mario Batali’s Babbo. The best part was all the prosciutto, sopressa, ciablo and mozzarella that he had us taste. Then he took out the family album and showed us pictures of his father and mother when they were 17 years old (after all, we are “friends” of Vinny.)
As I was walking down Arthur Avenue I had to stop and go into Madonia Bakery for the amazing prosciutto bread. This bread is so delightful with big chunks of prosciutto. There is nothing like warm bread--add prosciutto and all your troubles melt way. The bakery also has an amazing selection of Italian cookies.
Our last stop was on 187 Street at Borgatti’s Pasta Shop. As soon as you enter, the smell of fresh pasta overwhelms you. You order by the pound and select the thickness. Going to Arthur’s Avenue you really step back in time and you can imagine yourself in Italy without the 8 hour plane ride.