Volkwein - The Arthur Avenue cookbook: recipes and memories from the real Little Italy

Arthur Avenue is indisputably Italian, and indisputably American. Whenever I visit, Im struck by the fact that its a little out of kilter with the rest of New York City which is one of the reasons I like to go there. Arthur Avenue still has a very live and living Italian street market just like youd find in many regular medium-sized cities in Italy. The food merchants line several blocks, and theres a sense of community and a sense of favoritism; every grandma has her favorite place to get her meat and her artichokes.

Part of the romance of Arthur Avenue, which this book captures so well, is that it is timeless and touched by the immigrants who first settled there, and at the same time modern. We filmed several episodes of Ciao America up on Arthur Avenue last summer, and I remember thinking after the second visit that it was like a little neighborhood in Naples: Every caf owner, every cop, every fireman, every person on the street knows each other, and they all say hello to you and everyone wants to have a coffee with you and welcome you. Now, its not only the grandmas who shop on Arthur Avenue its their sons and daughters and grandchildren, and everyones cooking, and Arthur Avenue is still a very vibrant part of the Italian culture. And while the neighborhood has (refreshingly) not changed very much over the ten years Ive been going there and apparently, the decades before that it has begun to draw in a wider circle, including the yuppie foodies and tourists and others who visit looking for an authentic and realistic experience. Magically, these new visitors havent changed the timbre of the place or the tone of the people or the way stores operate. Arthur Avenue is still geared toward the Italian locals, still has the mom and pop shops that could make more money if they stayed open longer or if they wanted to be more aggressive about advertising. Instead, the people of Arthur Avenue are happy to continue to sell their fresh pasta and their deli products as they always have. They preserve a sense of old Italian charm that way. Biancardis Meats is wonderful, and David Greco of Mikes Deli is a relic who is individually responsible for maintaining and promoting a lot of the character of the neighborhood. When Im going to make a special Italian meal for my family, I shop on Arthur Avenue.

Theres no longer a need to worry about time changing Arthur Avenue, and no need to miss out on it for those who live far from New York. The Arthur Avenue Cookbook beautifully preserves an intact Italian experience that has yet to lose its tanginess, its particular flavor that makes it feel really familial, really familiar, and really expressive of the Italian spirit.

Mario Batali April 2004