Arthur Ave folks are known for their incredible edibles. They love to cook, eat, and share their spectacular food with others. My late father- in- law Raphaello Angelo Martuscelli , a Belmont resident was no exception. Freddy , also known as the Baron, was a Master Chef who worked his magic in some of the finest restaurants in the Bronx and Westchester County. He was, by all accounts, an artist.
Anyone who ate at his table always said, "this is the best (fill in any dish) I ever tasted " ! No kidding. His secret : he loved what he did.
This was a really interesting guy. He came from a gifted family of musicians and could work his guitar and ukelele as well as his wooden spoon. He was a lover of Literature, his favorites being Nathaniel Hawthorne , Shakespeare, Chaucer and Poe. Not only was he a talented Chef, but a N.Y.U. Graduate. He also went on to Dental School, but suddenly decided he would rather put food in a person's mouth rather than his hands. He was able to speak, read, and write English, Italian, French, Albanian, and Chinese so perfectly he was offered a job as an interpreter at the UN. He turned all of these options down because he loved to cook. He would cook at work and he would cook at home. He owned and manged a 32 family building on the famed Belmont Avenue, and even his tenants would use their sense of smell to time their visits . They always feigned surprise when handed the visitor a plate of hot zeppoles, or a tray of veal croquettes that are still a closely guarded family secret. Likewise his recipe for spinach pie is legendary. These recipes , as well as others , came from Salerno and Ischia . My wife once said that her father warned her as a little girl, "you better watch if you want to learn how to make these things. Daddy is never going to write them down . They belong to us ". It turned out he wasn't kidding ! Fortunately, she loved to share his labors, and loved the expression on the recipient's face after a taste of one of his specialties, and so inherited his skill in the kitchen. The point is the best food is created through love of the art . He truly loved his work. There is a special bread he liked to bake in the Spring. It started for St. Joseph's Day and went straight into Easter. Everyone loved it. I'm posting it here and on Bellarturo's Facebook page. If you get a chance to bake it, let me know how you liked it. It is still a family favorite.
So the other day we visited Gino's and had the sublime taste of the Old World . It was the taste of tradition. Today we sampled the same pastry called "Sfingi" from Artuso's . This zeppole was very light and airy .It seemed more air than pastry, until biting into it. The filling was very creamy and not too sweet. It was topped with the candied fruit peel and a candied cherry . Artuso's also added a modern twist with green sprinkles reminiscent of the red,white,and green of the Italian flag . The sprinkles are a change from the old days when these pastries as well as the better known cannoli's were dusted with chopped pistachio nuts. I'm not sure why the change, but we could guess at the factors : the price of nuts combined with the possibility of them turning rancid , or a changed demographic who are used to seeing and tasting candy sprinkles on their cakes and pastries . The price was about equal with Gino's priced ten cents more but a bit larger. It really comes down to preference. They were equally fresh as well as delicious . If you like a lighter dough ,then go to Artuso's for Sfingi. Gino's has the Old World texture that many people remember. Either way you can't go wrong. Just remember to have a cappuccino with it. The friendly service is very good . Don't forget to say Hi to Joey who greets everyone with a smile and a warm greeting.
