Emilia's — Restaurant in New York

My English Bulldog led my wife and I to one of the best Italian restaurants we've ever been to:. Emilia's on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. One Sunday afternoon we took a drive from Connecticut to the Arthur Avenue section, the" Little Italy" of the Bronx, After taking in the sights and smells of the shops, markets and bakeries, We stopped to discuss our dinner plans. Suddenly a woman ran out from a restaurant with a strange look on her face. I thought she was going to tell us not to hang out in front of the restaurant with our dog. But she quickly dropped to her knees to shower affection on our bulldog. She introduced herself as Pat - the owner of the restaurant. she told us she absolutely adores bulldogs. She told us they had a beautiful garden in back - but of course, Board of Health rules made it impossible for us to dine there with our canine buddy. And it was too warm to leave our Bulldog, Cooper, in the car (never a good idea at ANY temperature. So we decided to do take out. Pat went over virtually every item on the menu. Most dishes were made with homemade pasta - a totally different taste and texture than the dried stuff. My aunt used to make her own pasta and it was amazing. So we ordered two dishes to go: Rigatoni with Sicilian meat balls (reminiscent of brajole, with pine nuts and spices), and we ordered fettuccine Bolognese topped with ricotta cheese (or as they say in Naples "riggot)".For dessert we chose Italian cheesecake - a very sweet treat. If you're expecting Cheesecake Factory fare, fuggeddaboudit. This is the real thing that maybe isn't for everyone, but it sure was for me. So we took our meals and made the trek back to Connecticut - about a 45 minute drive. When we got home we dove in - each of us sampling the other's. I grew up in a family of exceptional Italian cooks, and my wife is a true afficionado. We were blown way. Every bite was beyond delicious. It brought me back to my childhood. Oh - I forgot something important. The meals came with fresh Arthur Avenue bread, in my opinion the best Italian bread anywhere, with its slightly chewy crust and flavorful inside, it's perfect for mopping up the last exquisite bit of...

We made a reservation at Emilia's on Arthur Ave in the Little Italy neighborhood of the Bronx, NY for Sat Dec 9, 2023 at 2pm. This was our first time here. We arrived at 1:35 and were going to wait at the bar for our table. Well there was no bar and the host seated us immediately without regard to our reservation. OK, that worked for us. We had been seated and were greeted by our waiter, George. We asked a few questions about the wine choices and made our selections ($12/glass). Warm, crusty Italian bread was brought to the table with small plates for the dipping olive oil. Now the restaurant was filling up quickly. But service wasn't affected. Our shared appetizer was the sauteed & cheese stuffed zucchini flowers ($14) and it was perfect. Our meals arrived just after George;s brought our second glasses of wine. Perfect timing again. My bride had the lunch special Spinach Fettucini con Cavolfiore -Spinach Fettucini with Roasted Cauliflower & Crisp Pancetta ($22). Excellent balance of flavors & textures in this dish. She took half home as she opted for a second piece of the bread. I had the other lunch special Cavatelli Sposato-Cavatelli Married with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Sautéed with a Touch of Small Italian Red Peppers ($23). A truly wonderful dish with a sprinkle of grated cheese & crushed red pepper. Repeated offers of dolce (dessert) had to be declined (cannoli & biscotti were in our future). There is also an outdoor patio/dining area out back. Emilia's is open from 12pm Wed-Mon, closed Tue. Emilia's is the quintessential Little Italy restaurant. Great food & wine with impeccable service. Mille Grazie to George and all the staff at Emilia's. Hope to see you again next year. Nicola &...

What can you comment on a dish that’s name after its location? LOL. I picked this dish at first considered the balanced of its ingredients used in terms of nutrition. And I found myself curious in its representation of this neighborhood, Belmont in Bronx. A Neighbor that is well-known with a mix of Italian, Latino, and Albanian.

This is a well executed dish at some point quite difficult to “operate” (I meant to cut it like a steak without having the baby broccoli fell apart). The favor is rich. The chicken is thinly sliced and it successfully prevented it being too dry from the grill. The chicken is slightly marinated with salt and garlic which perfectly matched the favor of the baby broccoli. The mozzarella cheese meant to bind everything together and yet, it made it like a pizza in chicken crusts.

This dishes is savory. The broth carried its chicken favor with onion, celery, carrot (my wild guess of the making of the chicken broth) brought together a lot of immersion story between Italian, Latino, and Albania. It told me a lot of stories about this neighborhood in the hard time of mingling between immigrants and the anthropological transition of Belmont. It brought to be a lot of sentimental and emotional stories for immigrants here who worked hard for their family and lived up their culture. The Penne in marinara sauce as a side dishes bring it to a big reunion but also a balance of the nutrition pyramid. 😝

Last but not least, remember to save a piece of bread to finish the broth on your plate. You won’t regret embarrassing yourself with its taste.

This is a dish deserves its name. The ambience is...