A pre-Christmas family visit to Arthur Avenue – “Little Italy in the Bronx”
Christmastime in my family is always wonderful; in fact any excuse to get together in my family is wonderful. But Christmas holds a special place in our hearts, not only because we get to give out gifts to show each other how much we mean to one another, but also because it comes with a tinge of sadness – my grandpa “Papa Mike” passed away on Christmas day 12 years ago. Papa Mike was the patriarch of our family, and most family gatherings were spent at his house, including Friday night pizza and Sunday afternoon macaroni and gravy every week. And while we definitely don’t get together as much as we did when he was around, we still try to go out of our way to have family functions even when it’s not a holiday. A few weeks ago it was a trip to Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, and last weekend it was a trip to Arthur Avenue – the “Little Italy” of the Bronx – to celebrate my Uncle Cliff’s birthday and do a little pre-Christmas food shopping.
Papa Mike in his Marine Corps Uniform. This photo was also used as the cover for a fantastic book my dad’s girlfriend Nicole got us all for Christmas filled with photos and stories of my grandfather.
Hosting Christmas Day (the Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes is hosted by my aunt Camille) is now on the shoulders of my brother and I, because along with getting to live in my grandparents house, we also inherited the heart and home of our family gatherings. We are more than happy to cook and host, but any good Italian American Christmas should include at least of a few traditional Italian foods. And where better to get them than Arthur Avenue in the Bronx – which I have to say from my experience is waaayy better than Little Italy in Manhattan. I have a few recipes that were a hit with my family on Christmas day that I definitely want to share with you guys – fresh ravioli breaded and fried served with parmesan marinara dipping sauce, and a baked crispy polenta with triple mushroom sauce – but for now I want to share a few pictures of the people and sights of Arthur Avenue – people and sights that bring me right back to shopping with my Grandpa in the days leading up to Christmas.
Look out below! Being dripped on by a salami is a very real danger on Arthur Avenue.
A quaint seating area to enjoy your spoils in the Arthur Avenue Retail Market.
Ravioli ornament Christmas tree! Also the store where my brother Ben picked up fantastic fresh ravioli to serve on Christmas Day.
Classic Italian American cookies.
Say hi!
Stopped for a snack of fresh shucked oysters on the half shell.
The oysters went quick.
Freshest seafood you can find.
My brother Ben needs to make sure the cheese is up to par before purchasing to serve on Christmas Day.
Incredible but hectic lunch at Dominick’s rounds out the afternoon.
Hoping everyone enjoyed their Christmas, and Happy New Year from my family to yours!
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