by Bianca
Fatigued by crime stories in the Bronx, my classmate Celia and I decided to do a couple of pieces on restaurants in the borough for a change. We swung by Arthur Avenue for some cannoli and fresh mozzarella, but most foodies already know about the old Italian district---we wanted to dig more into the Bronx's seamy belly for our article. The first stop was Real Azteca, an authentic Mexican taqueria in Hunts Point, while the second one was Neerob, a Bangladeshi eatery in Parkchester.
Both restaurants are real gems; the dishes we tried had bright, piquant flavors---maybe a bit much for most Western palates. No wishy-washy fusion, because the dishes were clearly created for their respective immigrant communities.
The best part was, Celia and I walked away with bellies full to bursting for under $10.
Today's foray into Parkchester brought us to Neerob, located in the heart of a Bangladeshi community. It was packed when we got there at about 2pm; we shared a table with an elderly man who was sipping some tea. He didn't speak English, but he nodded at us encouragingly as we dug into our spread of fish, duck curry, bhorta (a sort of mash eaten with triangles of naan bread), fruit-studded rice, and pakoras. Neerob's been attracting a more diverse set of foodies lately---The New York Times and the New York Daily News wrote articles about it---so they weren't surprised when we walked in and asked a lot of questions about our meal.
Fatigued by crime stories in the Bronx, my classmate Celia and I decided to do a couple of pieces on restaurants in the borough for a change. We swung by Arthur Avenue for some cannoli and fresh mozzarella, but most foodies already know about the old Italian district---we wanted to dig more into the Bronx's seamy belly for our article. The first stop was Real Azteca, an authentic Mexican taqueria in Hunts Point, while the second one was Neerob, a Bangladeshi eatery in Parkchester.
Both restaurants are real gems; the dishes we tried had bright, piquant flavors---maybe a bit much for most Western palates. No wishy-washy fusion, because the dishes were clearly created for their respective immigrant communities.
 |
| How to make a fresh tortilla. |
 |
| From chili to salsa. |
 |
| No ground beef here---that's slow-cooked, hand-pulled meat |
 |
| I had a steak quesadilla for $4. |
 |
| Tamarind soda! |
The best part was, Celia and I walked away with bellies full to bursting for under $10.
Today's foray into Parkchester brought us to Neerob, located in the heart of a Bangladeshi community. It was packed when we got there at about 2pm; we shared a table with an elderly man who was sipping some tea. He didn't speak English, but he nodded at us encouragingly as we dug into our spread of fish, duck curry, bhorta (a sort of mash eaten with triangles of naan bread), fruit-studded rice, and pakoras. Neerob's been attracting a more diverse set of foodies lately---The New York Times and the New York Daily News wrote articles about it---so they weren't surprised when we walked in and asked a lot of questions about our meal.
 |
| Naan and duck curry |
 |
| Pakoras and fish curry with cilantro |
