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Arun Venugopal: This is All Of It. I am Arun Venugopal in for Alison Stewart. She's on the mend and will be back on air next month. Till then, you've got a revolving cast of characters guest hosting her show, WNYC's Bridget Bergen proceeded me, and next week, Kerry Nolan will be in this chair, that's in the future. Coming up on today's show, we've got one of the stars of the Broadway musical, Here Lies Love, along with the show's choreographer. We'll learn about an exhibition of Queens artists that's currently on display in Jamaica, and we will speak with two people involved with the new documentary about the late rap legend Biz Markie. That's a plan, so let's get started with the Bronx.

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Arun Venugopal: We are kicking off today's show with another installment of our Summer in the City series where we serve as your guide to New York's five boroughs. Last week we went to Staten Island, where we got some incredible restaurant recommendations and summer activities. Today, we are headed to the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop and home to Yankee Stadium. Also, FYI, the Karinos borough in the city, nearly a quarter of the borough is made up of Parkland, like the 13-mile saltwater shoreline in Pellum Bay Park, and a scenic seven-and-a-half-mile hiking trail in Van Cortland Park, perfect for a quick summer getaway.

Bronx is also home to its own little Italy. It's located in Belmont and is one of the borough's best-known tourist destinations, has really rich history with generations of Italian Americans establishing pizzerias and meat markets all lined up across Arthur Avenue. That's just a taste of what you can expect if you head over to the Bronx. With us today to be our guide to the borough and to share her extensive list of recommendations on how to enjoy the Bronx in the summer is ET Rodriguez contributing writer of the Bronx Times. Welcome to the show, ET.

ET Rodriguez: Hi. Thank you, so happy to be here.

Arun Venugopal: ET, tell me a little about your relationship to the borough.

ET Rodriguez: Yes, I grew up there, Mosholu Parkway, from when I was born until I was 16. I did my undergrad at Lehman College, which is also in the Bronx. My mother lives there, my little sister, my friends, everyone. My favorite bar is there, so it's a really big part of my life.

Arun Venugopal: Okay, great. Great to have you here to help guide this conversation. Listeners, we also want to hear from you. Are you from the Bronx? What do you love most about the borough? Is there a specific restaurant or maybe a bar that you want to give a shout-out to? Maybe there's a local museum or business that you want to share with us, give us a call, that number is 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNC. We're talking about summer activities in the Bronx with freelance cultural writer, ET Rodriguez. You can also send us a message on social media, that's @allofitwnyc. ET, you are a food writer and you used to work in the service industry, right?

ET Rodriguez: Yes.

Arun Venugopal: What prompted that pivot from one to the other?

ET Rodriguez: Well, I just got tired of the labor-intensive work of the industry, and I decided I didn't want to be 40, 50 years old lifting heavy boxes and slinging tons of drinks, so I pivoted to school, got my undergrad in our history. Then really realized that I'm super knowledgeable of the industry and wanted to write there. Went to the J school, graduated, and here I am.

Arun Venugopal: Here you are, and it's the rare person who actually has that kind of background who does what you do now?

ET Rodriguez: Yes, I agree.

Arun Venugopal: Also, I guess you're part of this wave of all these people who have left, I guess, service industries for various reasons?

ET Rodriguez: Yes.

Arun Venugopal: Let's get started on a topic that you write a lot about, which is food. What kind of cuisines do you run into in the Bronx that you really want to talk about?

ET Rodriguez: I love pizza. [chuckles] I think pizza's great, there's the Kingsbridge Social Club on Kingsbridge Avenue in the Bronx. They're just doing wonderful things there. On Wednesday nights, they do a $50-date night where you can get a salad, a pizza, a dessert, and a bottle of wine, $50. I mean, that's a steal.

Arun Venugopal: That is good.

ET Rodriguez: Famous Pizza also on Riverdale Avenue, and then, of course, Little Italy, all the Italian food there.

Arun Venugopal: Are there certain cuisines that you are seeing more of these days or conversely that you feel are disappearing maybe because new immigrants hitting the borough, maybe people leaving, going to the suburbs, or whatever?

ET Rodriguez: I'm definitely seeing a lot more, I guess you would say, American food. The Bronx is, so there's so many immigrants and so many diverse cultures. You see a lot of Latin American cuisine and all these other ethnic, I'm sorry, cuisines that are not part of the American staple, but I've seen like Charlie's Bar down in Mott Haven. A lot of places moving more towards that American style that you would find a lot of places in Manhattan.

Arun Venugopal: Sure. We got a text from a listener, City Island hit Johnny's Reef and Lickety Splits. That's Cindy from the West Village. Thank you, Cindy. Johnny's Reef is, we were mean to talk about that anyways. Is that something you're a fan of?

ET Rodriguez: Love Johnny's Reef, they're at the end of the island. There has been a longstanding competition between Johnny's Reef and Tony's Pier, which is right across the street. Johnny's Reef, I believe is the only place in the borough serving frog legs.

Arun Venugopal: Oh.

ET Rodriguez: I don't know anywhere else in the Bronx that does that, and they're delicious. I think they also serve the best pina colada. I have a little sister who's a minor and she goes with me trying pina coladas everywhere in the Bronx, and she agrees that that's the best one.

Arun Venugopal: You got the in-house expert there.

ET Rodriguez: Yes.

Arun Venugopal: We want to hear from you, if you are a Bronx resident and you want to give a shout-out to a favorite restaurant, a bar, maybe a museum, or business, let us know, 212-433-9692. You can also send us a message on social @allofitwnyc. We've got a caller here, her name is Susan calling from the Bronx. Hi, Susan.

Susan: Hey, how are you doing?

Arun Venugopal: Great.

Susan: Yes, this great call-in. I really appreciate you giving a shout-out to Bronx businesses and people in our community. I was calling in because I moved to the Bronx nine years ago. I'm from Queens originally, I've also lived in Manhattan. My parents grew up in the Bronx, so I feel like I've come full circle. I'm also the curator and director of Judaica Museum in the Northwest Bronx.

It might surprise your listeners to know there's a Judaica Museum and a wonderful Art Collection, we are called the Derfner Judaica Museum and Art Collection. We're located on the campus of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in the Northwest Bronx. We're open to the public, we are free, and you can find out more about us at derfner.org.

Arun Venugopal: Derfner, D-E-R-F-N-E-R.org. Susan, if you're still there, I'm curious to hear, thanks for the shout-out to your own place, but as a former Queens person who's now in the Bronx, any things that you find exciting or interesting about there to compare/contrast between these two great boroughs of ours?

Susan: Well, you know what? We're an incredibly diverse borough just as Queens is diverse. What I like about the Bronx is the variety also in our geography. I think you opened with the fact that we have a lot of parkland, so you can go from the urban to the country in the same borough. It's still hard to get across the Bronx, east and west. North south is okay, so would love the city to look at helping out our transportation here. We've got the seashore. I guess that's a little bit about the differences.

Arun Venugopal: There you go. Thank you.

Susan: Yes. Thanks so much.

Arun Venugopal: Thanks, Susan for your call. Shout out to the Derfner Judaica Museum. I'm not sure, have you ever been there?

ET Rodriguez: I actually have not, so I guess-

Arun Venugopal: [unintelligible 00:08:43]-

ET Rodriguez: -that's next on my list.

Arun Venugopal: -to the list, there you go. All right, well, and [unintelligible 00:08:47], we have another text from someone who says, "Of course, fabulous restaurants in the Bronx, but you can't go to the Bronx without thinking about the New York Botanical Garden, the zoo, of course." We'll talk more about those in a bit. Another text from someone, Aloha in Little Yemen, is one of my favorite places to eat. They have the best food in the city. Great, it's nice to add all these shout-outs. Let's talk more about food. What are some other spots that you recommend for a Bronx one-on-one tour, food tour of the neighborhood, ET?

ET Rodriguez: Well, one of the things that inspired my master's capstone was 138 Street in Mott in the South Bronx. That entire strip in the last 10 years has turned completely Mexican. You walk down, there's a Mexican barbershop, Mexican good stores, grocery stores, bakeries, restaurants, so for everyone who says New York City doesn't have any good Mexican food, I suggest just stroll down-

Arun Venugopal: [unintelligible 00:09:45].

ET Rodriguez: -138 Street, exactly. 138 Street, there's also Xime, which is just this pop of color and decoration. Looks like a pinata exploded all over it.

Arun Venugopal: How do you spell that?

ET Rodriguez: X-I-M-E.

Arun Venugopal: Good to know.

ET Rodriguez: Looks like a pinata exploded all over it in the best way.

Arun Venugopal: [laughs]

ET Rodriguez: So much fun, great family place, and the price is good, so take a walk down 138th and take in the culture.

Arun Venugopal: Excellent. All right, we're going to take another call here. Let's go to Ed calling in from the Bronx. Hi, Ed. Just a second here. Hey, Ed, you there?

Ed: Yes, I am.

Arun Venugopal: Ed, you're on the air now, you want to give a shout-out to any particular business or restaurants in the Bronx?

Ed: Oh, restaurants? You got Taste Latinos and stuff like that but I was calling regarding the Bronx River Greenway. The Bronx is home to New York City's only freshwater river, and it's eight miles. The portion of the Bronx River Greenway in the Bronx is from Soundview, like the Westchester border. It's eight miles long. It's car-free, it's multi-use. Folks who want to bike and access the waterfront or whether it's running or jogging. It's one of those unique little things that we have that is very special to us, part of that very green borough, and that a lot of folks just aren't aware that it's there for them to use. It's been a space that people have built around for over two decades already.

Arun Venugopal: Thank you, Ed. Calling from the Bronx. I was taking another call from Carolyn. Hi Carolyn.

Carolyn: Hi. How are you?

Arun Venugopal: Great. You're a resident of the Bronx, are you not?

Carolyn: I am. I'm calling from the Northwest Kings Bridge, and I love it. We love it that you're featuring our beloved borough today. I'm calling to talk about one of my favorite cafes, Mona Moore Cafe at 238th Street off Broadway. It is the cheers of coffee houses. It's a sweet ambiance. It's the place where they remember your order, they know your name and they miss you when you don't come in. The proprietors are Jeff and Joister Garcia. Really lovely neighborhood-invested people.

Arun Venugopal: What's something that you tend to order when you go there, Carolyn?

Carolyn: Oh, thanks for asking. My favorite meal is the La Jaff, which is a pretzel croissant with cheese and hammer turkey, whatever you prefer, arugula, and roasted red peppers.

Arun Venugopal: Nice.

Carolyn: I always get a hot mocha and they always get my order right.

Arun Venugopal: Carolyn, calling from the Bronx with some food tips. I saw a nod of recognition there from you, ET.

ET Rodriguez: Yes. I'm familiar with Mona Moore and it's funny that she calls it the Cheers of Coffee because right across the street from it is the Punch Bowl, which is basically a cheers of a bar itself.

Arun Venugopal: All right. Vying for that cheeriness competing restaurant establishments in the Bronx, let's talk about other places, City Island, what are your recommendations for City Island?

ET Rodriguez: Well, that's Johnny's Reef is in City Island.

Arun Venugopal: Sure.

ET Rodriguez: I also like, well, the caller or someone mentioned in a text, Lickety Split. It's a wonderful little ice cream shop. It looks like a shack. It's been there for decades. It has a totally old-school feel and vibe and I really like it there. It's very sweet.

Arun Venugopal: Great. Let's see. We've got other people texting in, but let's see. Once you're done with food, apparently you're also an avid pool player, am I right?

ET Rodriguez: I am. [chuckles]

Arun Venugopal: Any particular dive bars that you recommend for the pool enthusiasts listening in right now?

ET Rodriguez: I have two. One is the Dive Bar, which is the Punch Bowl, which is right across the street from Mona Moore. They have a great pool team in competition. Then, Bar 47 in Mott Haven. Actually, the very, very first story I ever wrote was, I played the owner of Bar 47 at pool and won. They also have a wonderful vibe, a great pool scene, I believe once a month every Tuesday, they have a pool competition as well. It's just a wonderful, wonderful little place with a vintage feel.

Arun Venugopal: Nice. I always like, "When I'm in a Dive Bar and someone brings in their own [unintelligible 00:14:02].

ET Rodriguez: I have my own too.

Arun Venugopal: Do you do that?

ET Rodriguez: Yes, I do that. The places I go, a lot of the players do that as well.

Arun Venugopal: It's a nice flex, isn't it? Like walking around, people are like, "Whoa, who's this?"

ET Rodriguez: Yes. It's great. Then you got to bring your A-game.

Arun Venugopal: [laughs] No, what I do is I play, I pretend like I don't know anything and then I completely hustle and I'm like, "Just take him for all their worth."

ET Rodriguez: That'll get you in big trouble.

Arun Venugopal: Yes, right. [chuckles] Charles calling in from Queens, a fan of Arthur Avenue, are you?

Charles: Yes, restaurant is Zero Otto Nove and it is on Arthur Avenue and the food is great, but to get to the food, you have to go through a romantic tunnel and you come from the dark. You come into this Piazza 360 degrees with a skylight. It is absolutely the most romantic place in the Bronx.

Arun Venugopal: Nice. Wait, what was the name of the establishment-

Charles: I know I--

Arun Venugopal: -Charles?

Charles: It's a number, Zero Otto Nove, it's I think 089.

ET Rodriguez: Yes. It's the International Code for Italy.

Arun Venugopal: Oh, very nice.

ET Rodriguez: That's why they named it that.

Arun Venugopal: All right. Thank you for that recommendation, Charles, is it a place you're familiar with, I guess, ET?

ET Rodriguez: Yes. I've been up and down Arthur Avenue since I was a kid. I know Zero Otto Nove, Emilia's is another place, Bronx Beer Hall, Teitel Brothers. I go there religiously about once a month to get Capocollo, Parmigiano Reggiano, everything for a food or charcuterie board, and Full Moon Pizza's been there forever. You can't go wrong going down that strip.

Arun Venugopal: I guess you've got the added appeal of businesses that seem to have been staying in the family for a while, which is hard with real estate costs elsewhere and in other Little Italy's but you still have that kind of legacy in the neighborhood with Arthur Avenue, don't you?

ET Rodriguez: Absolutely. Mario's is over 100 years old on Arthur Avenue.

Arun Venugopal: Wow.

ET Rodriguez: As a matter of fact, this September, they're going to be celebrating Ferragosto, which is a huge festival, means Feast of August. All the restaurants come out, they're in the street, they provide food, music. This September, put it in your books, go to Little Italy. It's a lot of fun.

Arun Venugopal: Another recommendation from one of our listeners on text, Patricia's in Morris Park. Great food and vibe and says, "You don't need to go to Arthur Avenue for greater time food. Archie's Tapping Grill on City Island, Wave Hill, of course, The Garden, lots of other wrecks, Orchard Beach, whatnot." Thank you for all these wrecks. Let's see, somebody else weighs in with Chaco Bar and Hudson Grill. Is that something you're also familiar with, ET?

ET Rodriguez: Yes. Actually, the hat I was wearing earlier today is from Chaco Bar. [chuckles]

Arun Venugopal: You were wearing? Oh, that's right.

ET Rodriguez: Yes. I love that place. The owner there is just doing great things in the community, really making it a place where millennials can come and the food is really authentic.

Arun Venugopal: All right. We're going to get back with some more Rex from Bronx Expert and Bronx Native. ET, thank you for joining us, but we're going to take a little break first.

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Arun Venugopal: This is All Of It. I'm Arun Venugopal sitting in for Alison Stewart. We are talking All Things Bronx with Bronx Native and writer, ET Rodriguez and we're also taking calls from all of you in the Bronx or just fans of the Bronx who have your favorite restaurants or other destinations that you think everybody needs to know about. ET, do you get a lot of, "Don't tell people about that please, because it's already old, we don't want to gentrify it further," that kind of stuff? Do you have that kind of protection?

ET Rodriguez: I do. I was just having that conversation with one of your producers. [chuckles] He's like, "I want to shout it out." The cultural tapestry of the Bronx is so beautiful, so diverse, it makes it what it is. I see what's happening in Mott Haven. It's taking the right approach because Chocolate Bar is in Mott Haven and it's Puerto Rican-owned and he's doing a lot of things for the community. Playa Gelato, which opened last year, they're also Puerto Rican-owned, doing things for the community, so I like that. I want to see more businesses owned by the people who are in the neighborhoods as opposed to people coming in and buying up the land.

Arun Venugopal: Absolutely. Let's take a call from Joe in the Bronx. Hi, Joe.

Joe: Hi. Good afternoon. This is Joe from the Bronx. I wanted to give out a shout-out to some Ghanaian restaurants, some on Eastmont, The Point on Western Avenue.

Arun Venugopal: The Point.

Joe: Sambra on Eastmont and Papaye on Grand Concourse, those are very beautiful. If you wanted some African cuisine, those are the places to be.

Arun Venugopal: Joe, I'm curious, do you know if there are a lot of immigrants from Ghana more recently or have been there for a while?

Joe: Yes, they've been there for a while. The Ghanaian community have been in the Bronx for a very long time, so there's a lot of Ghanaian restaurant that even I can't remember right now talking to you.

Arun Venugopal: Got it. Thanks so much, Joe from the Bronx. Let's take another call. This is Julie. Hi, Julie? Give us just a second. Julie from the Bronx, any recommendations for us?

Julie: Yes, I have two places; Up The Hill from Mona Moore Cafe, Up The Hill from Kingsbridge right in Riverdale, up the Stairway to Heaven, as they call it. On 238th, there is Anvil Bar, which is hard to spell and pronounce if you don't speak Gaelic. It is an in-neighborhood institution. It's essentially an Irish pub, but it's really not about the drinking. It is not that. It's a traditional Irish pub, so they have play readings, poetry readings, live music, and they stay open all hours and people are there all day long, every day from all over the place. It has a real community, neighborhood feel, very friendly. You meet people there. It's a special place.

Arun Venugopal: Great. Thank you, Julie.

Julie: It's been around for a long.

Arun Venugopal: Thank you so much for calling.

Julie: Then there's Tin Marin. Tin Marin as well.

Arun Venugopal: All right.

Julie: Which is a Pan-Latin-- Hello?

Arun Venugopal: Yes, I know you're there. Pan-Latin place?

Julie: It's a Pan-Latin place right around the corner from Anvil Bar, and they have great live music and just a really nice vibe.

Arun Venugopal: Thank you, Julie. I saw some more nods and recognition from you, ET.

ET Rodriguez: Yes.

Arun Venugopal: Anything to add?

ET Rodriguez: Yes, I know both of those places. I know the crazy staircase that it takes to get up to Anvil Bar but it's true. It's a nice little place. It's separated into two spaces, and there's all these wonderful frames all over the wall, really gives you that old Irish pub vibe. It's true, it's really not about the drinking, it's more about the community. Tin Marin, I actually know one of the owners who used to work at the Monkey Room way back in the day in Washington Heights. I remember when he told me, "I'm opening up a new restaurant," and that place has been there for over 10 years. It's easily probably the most popping place on Riverdale Avenue.

Arun Venugopal: Let's go to another call, Neil, calling you in from Brooklyn. Hi, Neil.

Neil: Hi. I live in Brooklyn, but my roots are in the Bronx. My mother and father met in public school by Yankee Stadium.

Arun Venugopal: Oh, nice.

Neil: And [unintelligible 00:21:36]?

Arun Venugopal: Do you keep on going back to the borough, Neil?

Neil: Oh, I go back frequently. I participated many times in the Tour de Bronx. It's a wonderful free bike ride with about 5,000 participants. At least that's before COVID. I hope the borough president brings it back. Just last night, Tuesday night, Rooftop Films presented a preview screening of an amazing film called Story Avenue, set and made on location in the Bronx about a Bronx graffiti artist with a crew who goes to rob an MTA worker on the subway station, ends up befriending the MTA worker, ends up befriending him and guiding him. It was very powerful, and it showed a part of life in the Bronx that many people do not see.

Arun Venugopal: Thank you so much. Thanks, Neil, from Brooklyn. I'm going to read a couple more recommendations from our listeners. SNS Cheesecake, Bronx Born, Salin Domes, Pastry Shop on Allerton Avenue. This is non-food recommendation, Riverdale Children's Theater. Our listener says, "Broadway plays performed by kids from six-year-olds through high school. Theater kids have a wonderful time, learn and even prepare to audition for New York City Performing Arts High Schools. About four or so productions every year at Mount St. Vincent College, audiences also have a wonderful time. Shows for about $20. Great recommendations."

ET, curious. Long time, you could hear this complaint from members of the Bronx, residents of the Bronx that the borough got a bad rap. I don't hear as much of that anymore, but I'm wondering what your thoughts are on that.

ET Rodriguez: The borough, it still gets a bad rap. I just think it's transformed so much over the decades, and people are constantly trying to fight that narrative, especially people who live there and business owners. We are changing things. There's a lot more arts coming out of the borough, a lot more artists organizing to create artistic spaces. Bronxlandia is one of them at the Hunts Point train station, gorgeous building. We need to let go of that narrative and allow the Bronx to really grow because if we hold on to that mindset, we're never going to let it flourish.

Arun Venugopal: I've been speaking with ET Rodriguez, contributing writer of The Bronx Times, with her recommendations for all the different places you should be hitting up in the Bronx, either as a native or someone who hasn't been there enough. Take up some of those recommendations, and thanks to all of our callers with all their recommendations too. Thank you so much, ET.

ET Rodriguez: Thank you

 

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