Best Pizza on Arthur Ave

Sometime last Saturday between dusk and nightfall, my stomach starting wailing for some TLC, Naples-style, so I booked it to Trattoria Zero Otto Nove for some melt-in-your-mouth, nothing-in-life-can-be-this-good wood-oven pizza.


Usually, I'd sit down in a room decorated to resemble the quaint streets of Naples to some of their buttery focaccia and sinful homemade cannoli sandwich. But my growling tummy wasn't interested in niceties, so I ordered a margherita (pizza, that is) from the bar, in and out in 10 minutes flat.






(All photos (c) Zero Otto Nove web site.)

If you're new to 089, ease into the wonders of margherita pizza's flaky crust and sweet sauce. Afterwards, try the Quattro Formaggi with smoked mozzarella, gorgonzola, provolone, and fresh mozzarella, or a spectacular 089 special like La Cirilo with butternut squash puree, cream of truffle, mushrooms, and fresh mozzarella.

Salivating yet?

Don't worry, you can wash all of that down with the Pizza Alla Nutella for dessert. Just be sure to tell them it's your birthday for a unique, 089 surprise.

So I'll see you there next weekend, then?

The Beautiful, Beachy Bronx

Summer means swimming. As a southern girl who grew up spending her summer vacations on the banks of the James River and on the beaches of the east coast, the months of June-August necessitate some serious swimming time. Thus, when the prospect of a summer in the city became a reality thanks to the job that I landed on campus last spring, one unshakable worry grew in my mind--where on earth was I going to feed my salt-water and sand addiction?

Now, after a few weeks of wandering and hours of internet-scanning, I have discovered that the answer lies right here in the Bronx: Orchard Beach.

On Friday morning, two friends and I caught the BX12 on Fordham Road. The bus took about 20 minutes to cart a handful of kids with sand shovels and group of elderly women with floppy hats to a drop-off point at the far end of the beach. As we walked from the bus to the boardwalk I had flashbacks of the Jersey shore where my grandfather once lived. The stores that lined one edge of the sidewalk were selling all the stereotypical beach foods and the lifeguards who lounged on their high chairs blew their whistles at overly-audacious swimmers.

The sand was hot, the water was cold, and the breeze was refreshing. Despite it's unlikely location, I can assure you that Orchard Beach is a real, water-junkie approved beach that I'll be sure to frequent over the next few months of New York heat.

Yes, it's true, this city has everything.