I find the food at Uptown to be uninspiring and poorly seasoned, and much prefer the Ghanaian fare further north at Ebe Ye Yie and Papaye.

Touba coffee, though. My interest is piqued.

That branch closed. Its an article plagued by factual errors.

Tony and Tina's is a separate institution from Ann & Tony's, which is a sit down restaurant and the poster seems to have confused with the nearby T&T's. Happens all the time.

They are still making burek there, but unless you're craving for the pumpkin variety I would suggest going down the street to Giovanni's. More flavorful, fresher fillings, better phyllo, no threat of microwave, and a wood-fired oven: http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/0...

JFores is right. You'll find some leaf stews at Bate too (http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/0...), which are quite delicious if funky and unusual to the unaccustomed diner.

Unfortunately it looks like Maryway, which served one of my favorite mafe in town, has closed. Will see if the new place is simply the same place with a new name, but last time I walked by (Thursday afternoon, 3:00ish) they were shuttered.

A quick search through the Home Cooking archives revealed Time-Life's Foods of the World: New England to be the strongly only recommended book for New England cooking. So, does anyone have any suggestions for other New England cookbooks? Most I've found online feature a mix of reviews, with the negatives being pretty damning.

Xochimilco in BK is definitely no more; the unrelated Xochimilco in the BX serves one. Its acceptable, but not special.

I had the pambazo at La Morada once over the summer, but will have to return to try it again. I wasn't thrilled, but I was also at the tail end of a long day of eating.

I should also point out that, for those desperate for some Oaxacan home cooking, La Morada serves several dishes that are difficult to find elsewhere in the city. Mole verde, Oaxaqueno, guaxmole, and others. (We wrote about last week: http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/0...

If you were to ask I'd advise that you favor sauces based on fruits (tomato, the guaje in guaxmole, tomatillo, you know). Their chipotle sauce, though, is supposed to be quite good.

I've walked by this place a number of times and never felt inclined to go in. Do you have a close-up photo?

Hey guys,

When I stumbled upon this lady with a small plastic table next to her fritura cart, I wasn't expecting much. I tried some corn pudding, found it good, and decided to come back.

I'm glad I did; I ended up writing about the vendor in my column last week. I also felt like it was very much a Chowhound type of place, so I wanted to share it with you all here.

I really enjoyed the sweet potato cake, flavored quite like our pumpkin pie, as well as the cinnamon-heavy rice pudding. More interesting, but less tasty, was her gandules con dulce: pigeon peas made sweet, with chunks of submerged yucca. I can't say I liked it as the flavor reminded me of less successful Cambodian desserts I've had that make use of savory ingredients. In any case, it's interesting. Perhaps some of you are more inclined towards this sort of thing.

Don't go out of your way, unless you're a fiend for sweet potato cake, but certainly pick something up when you're in the neighborhood.

Here's the full post: http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2013/0...

Thanks Pete. Question for ya: is there a Shanghainese population in Queensboro Hill?

What time do they open?

The kind of "ramen" you're talking about (the pre-packaged, salt-soaked kind American college students eat) has as much in common with real Japanese ramen as South Korean pizza topped with sweet potato has with a New York slice. I liked the article, and largely agree; ramen is a Japanese working man's quick lunch, sure, but there's nothing "fast" about cooking that broth! (Then again, she did write this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012....

It's weird and unsettling, as an American, to see domestic trends ripple so suddenly in other major cities throughout the world. I say this as an American who loves food culture, who knows there once was (and remains, in some corners) a lot more to our food than jut burgers, and doesn't want the food of Italy to be pillaged by our corporate deities.

Marketing or not, there's only one to stop the onslaught of McD's and the Colonel. Sorry, but you've got to choose Britain over our easy crap.

OKAY. This is a wonderful response. I think you gave the more accurate depiction of AA. I defer. I appreciate the balanced picture you paint, I just feel that some people portray AA like its the promise land. As if everything were wonderful. So I feel the need to compensate and downplay the hype, but maybe too much.

For people who didn't grow up in New York, like myself, AA can be awesome. Don't get me wrong. It was a great place to live by: I got to enjoy the best of the shopping, and not get duped by the stale old pastry shops.

"But there is a sense some of us have that young food artisans feel somehow they have single handedly saved a culture--that without them, we'd have nothing left of real value, and that to shop anywhere other than, say, Marlowe and Sons is a sad compromise."

This is the real problem, you are right, and as a young person who grew up with food at a time/place when it was not fashionable I get annoyed by those ingenuine types who think they're already masters. Immersion is fundamental, and then you have the dosa guys at Smorgasburg and Jesus help us...

Calabria should be a landmark, in any case.

I said that ""old world way" implies methods of production that are pre-industrial, with an emphasis on such buzzwords as local, handmade, craft, etc." because I was trying to imply an appropriate self consciousness about the concept. AA is anything but "hipster" though I find it laughable that people on a message board devoted to food deride this new enthusiasm for food--however ill-informed and naive. As part of this younger generation raised in the land of Cambell's soup, we're just finding our way. Just because someone makes their own salami does not mean it is good--this applies to both the hipsters and the old guard.

Old world is an idea. It's nostalgic. It's a crystallization. The real world is never so simple. But old world is not frozen ravioli. Arthur Ave was great, I loved going to Vincent's weekly, but it is not the epitome of American food culture. If it then was all those horrible bakeries and pastry shops would not be there. I'm just tired of people propping AA up on a pedestal, when while there are some great things about the place it's also lagged behind the times. Definitely awesome mozz at Casa. Definitely Calabria is one of my top 10 sausages in the city.

Like CB suggests, there a whole lot of charm to AA. THAT is my favorite part of the place. Also the jump to scream "hipster" is the contemporary cultural equivalent of crying "nazi": its meaningless and indicative of an insubstantial argument.

The "old world way" implies methods of production that are pre-industrial, with an emphasis on such buzzwords as local, handmade, craft, etc. It doesn't mean "Italy in 2012 in the modernized world of convenience and globalization". That's not what people picture when you say old world.

Nothing wrong with freezing your ravioli. I could use some of Borgatti's egg noodles though.

This is exactly what I'm talking about: "the old world way" does not involve freezing your signature product as at Borgatti! I like Casa a lot, really dig their boccocini, but it should be noted that among the many good meats they carry they also have Boar's Head. I'm also big on Borgatti, I'm just saying ... Your statement that the presence of Albanians on AA makes it more authentic is a little confusing. Are there so many Albanians in Italy that you can find them in all the most acclaimed stores and shopping districts??

Well, not exactly. Someone could've passed away, inherited the store, or moved on. With these old places there's always that danger. What if the kids lack the passion?

Great point, Bob. I guess I got a little reductionist there. I agree with the use of Italian as short hand for Italian-American, but what I was trying to say is that people hype AA like its Italian and not in the shorthand sense of the word. I also just think that there's a lot of branding up on AA that people ignore, preferring to think of it as as 'pure' and 'unfiltered'.

Thanks for the measured response, Bob. I think you lay out accurate expectations. For reference: I did used to live in the neighborhood, so I was able to see it's daily comings and goings on a more intimate level.

Roxlet, what makes you think AA is still Italian? If there's barely a blip of a residential population, what makes it Italian? I think it's fine to describe at catering to Italian-Americans, but its mostly people coming in. Which is FINE. I just think its an exaggeration to call the hood 'Italian'--there is a difference. One of the best parts of AA? Sandwiches. Traditionally, do they eat sandwiches in Italy? No, its an Italian thing.

AA is definitely better than LI, though nothing up on AA has made me feel the way Torrisi has. AA is worth the visit, but some people act like it's the cat's meow. Even when an Albanian doesn't own the store, they might be working there. Which is also fine. But just worth pointing out, because some people will have you people you're stepping through a wormhole when you hit 187th.

In any case, please visit Calabria! Its wonderful.

Yeah, the Concourse is pretty barren. The closest place on Jerome I'd recommend is Ebe Ye Yie, down by the 183rd stop. I'd go get some burek at Tony and Tina's, though.

On Crosby Ave, off the Buhre Avenue stuff. L&E's is pretty famous.

Arthur Ave is by no means massive, though once upon a time 187th Street was awash with Italian businesses. A lot of the places are actually operated by Albanians, who have emigrated to the borough in significant numbers, and a number of spots (Michael Angelos, La Dolce Vita or whatever its called, and some of the restaurants past 187th on Arthur) are relatively new and very 'inauthentic'. I think calling AA more Italian then LI is a bit of an overstatement, in that it implies there is still an active residential Italian community. There isn't.

Arthur Ave is good, but over hyped. I find the shopping the best part: Tietel brothers is so-so, the butchers uniformly good. Calandra Cheese, Casa della Mozzarella, Calabria, Borgatti, and Tino's for pricier stuff are all safe bets. The retail market has Mike's (famous) and good pizza, but is a shadow of its former stuff. You can get fresh-filled cannolis at a Egidio and Madonia, but most of the pastry shops are tourist traps.

If you do a search for 'Arthur Avenue', you'll find a number of threads and some good intel.

Well I'd have to agree with E Eto after all. Nothing in your description really distinguishes the spot for me; if it were elsewhere, I wouldn't amble over. I intend on trying a taco, maybe more, next time its convenient. There are great Mexican spots in the Bronx, Chief points out one. Why should hounds based in other boroughs head here?

Some serious praise. Will have to check out.

Indeed. Timo and John Muncan, the brothers who kicked off the party, were raised in the former Yugoslavia before emigrating here. I find their Istran products (pancetta, etc.) to be particularly good. Not to say everything there is wonderful. But, alas, I digress.

Also, I prefer to drop in to the Astoria location. Despite Ridgewood's association with Eastern Europeans, their first store was actually their Broadway location. And you catch Timo there, if you're lucky. (Does he also work the Ridgewood store?) He's an affable guy.

Muncan delivers on a killer jumari (or fried pork rind.)

Bummer. Hope you can make it back sometime soon.

No problem. Bate is an excellent Guinean restaurant. They have a larger menu. What I'm trying to say is, Maraway's menu is very limited because of the size. Still great, though!

I've been going a lot over the last few weeks doing, and every dish I've had has been excellent. The mafe is particularly good; unlike peanut butter soups at a lot of other West African joints, the flavor is successfully integrated into the dish as a whole. They have a limited selection (the place is pretty damn shabby), but I don't think anything is really a no go. No ginger drinks though! Have you been to Bate?

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African American Restaurant Maryway
218 E 170th St, Bronx, NY 10456

Bate
860 Melrose Ave, Bronx, NY 10451

I am very into the bulgogi, the pork belly less so. Jeff's definitely right about the special filler coffee, its pretty kickin. Beware the summer rolls though.