Arthur Avenue Trattoria, Bronx, New York, Italian Restaurant Details

Food:

I ordered take out from this restaurant in May 2014 and I dont plan to return. Arthur Avenue is well known for their delicious italian food and pastries but this one fell short of the avenues reputation in my opinion.
This was my first time visiting this restaurant which was pretty small but had a home like feel. I placed an order for penne a la vodka with chicken. I visited other shops while my food was being prepared and returned after about 15 minutes. When
I returned I was told that my food was ready but that the owner was not present and she needed to calculate the total price? I was invited to have a seat while the waiter or hostess looked up and down the street for the owner. He even placed a call but got no repsonse while I continued to wait. The wait continued on so long that I informed the waiter that I would have to leave the food because I didnt want to risk getting a ticket! As I was about to leave he and the cook figured out a total that seemed extreme to me but I paid it because I was now in a hurry to get back to my car before my parking ticket expired. Both of the staff apologized profusely but the owner never showed.
Later after leaving when I tasted the dish I was not impressed at all. I wasted all that time waiting for a mediocre tasting dish! No second visit from me - there are too many other restaurants on Arthur Ave to go through that again for OK stating food SMH.

Food:

Nice place with excellent food, in a real trattoria atmosphere in the heart of the authentic Little Italy of the Bronx.

Food:

Much better than the legendary Mario's across the street. My wife and I stopped in here around 5:30 to take a break from holiday shopping and it was easily some of the best Italian I've had in the city. I had linguine carbonara that was perfectly al dente, with smoky pancetta, egg, pepper, and cheese. My wife had an excellent seafood risotto. We finished up with the tiramisu, which was outstanding - the only tiramisu I've had where I could actually taste the liquor in the ladyfingers! The chef came out to ask us how our meal was. The waitresses were attentive and spoke some Italian to a family that showed up as we were leaving. A family that was there when we arrived (and when we left) was enjoying their meal as well, and recommended the eggplant. Overall, much better than the much-vaunted Mario's across the street, at which I once had a very dry beef bracioli and a waiter who treated me as if my presence was his day's greatest misfortune. Great value as well. Don't get suckered into some Manhattan clam joint with pictures of Frank Sinatra hanging on the walls - this is the real deal!