Bronx Adventure Completed

Total Hours: 4.5
Distance: 3 miles
Attendance: 7

It was a fine day for adventure. Partly sunny, brisk but not cold, fresh, delightful. Seven people were in attendance. Neerob was fantastic. We got to sample many of the dishes, and each one was fresh, flavorful, complex and intoxicating. It was seriously some of the best food I've ever had. The people who worked there were so accomodating and generous, helping us sample many of the dishes, and giving us many things for free. We feasted as if it were our last feast, and still couldn't eat all the food. In the end, we paid $11 a person - incredibly cheap given the delicious bounty we had been offered. After, we went on a short walk of around 3 miles to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, where we browsed around, stopped in an Italian market, and ended our day eating pastries. Thanks to all who came!

Bangladeshi at Neerob, Parkchester Bronx

Walking to Arthur Avenue

A market on Arthur Avenue



Italian Pastries to finish



Bronx Adventure Rescheduled

Good news: The Bronx Adventure has been rescheduled. Why would you not want to eat Bangladeshi food, walk through questionable areas, and end up on a street filled with Italian meat and cheese shops?

Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Time: 12pm
Rendezvous Point: Castle Hill Avenue 6 Train Station
Eating Destinations:
1) Neerob
2) Arthur Avenue markets
Neighborhoods Explored: Parkchester, Bronx; Belmont, Bronx
Approximate Mileage: 3-4



View Bronx Adventure, November 20, 2011 in a larger map

Bronx Adventure

First off, in a stunning display of I'm not exactly sure what, but definitely something not good, there were no adventures this summer.  I take no responsibility for this; I blame President Obama.  Anyway, what's done is done, and with a handful of extremely promising Republican candidates battling it out in the primaries, let us start a new season of food and adventure.

Have you ever wanted to eat Bangladeshi food and then browse Italian markets, looking for cheeses, meats and breads in the same day?  Me too.  Therefore, on Sunday, September 25, 2011, that's exactly what we'll do, eating at Neerob in Parkchester and then walking to the famed Arthur Avenue, the "Little Italy" of the Bronx.

E-mail newyorkepicfood@gmail.com to find out more or sign up, if you are not currently on the invitation list.

Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011
Time: 11am
Rendezvous Point: Castle Hill Avenue 6 Train Station
Eating Destinations:
1) Neerob
2) Arthur Avenue markets
Neighborhoods Explored: Parkchester, Bronx; Belmont, Bronx
Approximate Mileage: 3-4


View Bronx Adventure, September 25, 2011 in a larger map

Jersey City Inaugural Spring Adventure

Ah, spring is here, or at least it will be soon.  Why not come on an adventure?  We will be returning to New Jersey for Indian food, Middle Eastern food, and, as always, heart-pounding adventure.  I expect at least a 50% fatality rate. 

We will meet outside the Path Station on 6th Avenue and 14th Street, take the train to Journal Square in Jersey City, eat at Sapthagiri, walk a few miles to Liberty State Park, walk another couple of miles and eat at Ibby's Falafel, then make our way to the Hoboken station, where we catch a train back to Manhattan.

E-mail newyorkepicfood@gmail.com if you are not already on the mailing list to sign up!

Date: Saturday, April 2, 2011
Start Time: 12pm
Rendezvous Point: Southwest corner of 6th Avenue and 14th Street
Eating Destinations:
1) Sapthagiri 
2) Ibby's Falafel
Neighborhoods Explored: Jersey City
Approximate Mileage: 6


View Jersey City Inaugural Spring Adventure in a larger map

New Jersey Pizza Adventure Accomplished

Saturday, January 29 2011, was a great day for pizza, adventure, New Jersey, and humanity.

There were 4 of us all together. Many people - clearly not true adventurers - backed out for various lame reasons including the weather, sleeping, school work, and other personal failures. We missed our intended 11:14am train out of Penn Station and therefore gorged ourselves on giant Almond Snickers Bars. We departed at 12:14pm for Kingsland and made it there quickly.

Once in Kingsland, we had a roughly 2-mile walk to the first establishment, Pizzaland. Upon arrival at Pizzaland - after a sometimes arduous walk and after also taking a detour so a fallen comrade could buy sunglasses at a local CVS due to intense sunlight reactions - we were shocked to discover that said Pizzaland was closed due to "construction."  No plan survives first conact with the enemy.  We found a nearby spot named Joe's and got a pie, half-plain and half-white, and it was edible and not much more, I thought, although at least one adventurer liked it the best of the two places we ended up trying.

Afterwards we continued on our trek, which became more and more dangerous due to large piles of snow and unshoveled sidewalks.  It was not uncommon for us to have no choice but to walk on major roads, literally putting our lives in jeopardy.  We walked past projects and also found hot cocoa, at least in name, at a neighborhood bodega, which was an adventure in itself.  A light snow began to fall by late afternoon, and we reached our final destination, Star Tavern, at around 6pm. I thought the pizza here was great and ordered one for myself, although embarrasingly I couldn't finish the last 2 slices.

We made our way to the Orange New Jersey train station and headed home, glad to be alive.

Heading south to Pizzaland

Stopping at a CVS so a wounded comrade could buy sunglasses

Pizzaland - closed due to "construction"

Plan B

Plan B pizza - um, ok

Danger!

The Nativity buried in snow - symbolic?

Star Tavern - an Orange Institution

The pizza was thin and flavorful - I would easily give it 8/10

THE END

New Jersey Pizza Adventure

The first OFFICIAL train adventure of the New York Epic Food Adventurer's Club.  Yes, this is yet another pizza adventure.  However, pizza is good.  Also, if you do not like pizza and/or are sick of it, rest assured: there will be many non-pizza adventures in the future.

We will take a train from Penn Station to Kingsland, where we will walk about 2 miles to our first destination, Pizzaland, which was immortalized from the opening credit sequence of The Sopranos.  After eating there, we will walk about 5 miles to Star Tavern.  We will then take a train back to Manhattan.

E-mail newyorkepicfood@gmail.com to sign up!

Date: Saturday, January 29 2011
Time: 11am
Rendezvous Point: NJ Transit Info Booth at Penn Station
Eating Destinations:
1) Pizzaland
2) Star Tavern
Neighborhoods Explored: North Arlington, NJ; Orange, NJ
Approximate Mileage: 8


View New Jersey Pizza Adventure in a larger map

Train Trips Coming to New York Epic Food

This past weekend I organized a trip to New Haven for food and fun.  This was not a New York Epic Food Adventurer's Club event, though.  It was just an informal quest. New Haven has a great pizza-making tradition, and I wanted to take advantage of this tradition of excellence.  I therefore invited some friends and asked them to invite their friends, etc. etc.  All told, there were 12 of us, and a finer cast of characters I cannot recall.  We took Metro North, which takes about 100 minutes from New York.  We went to Bar and Frank Pepe's.  Bar was definitely good, and a very cool place.  However, I do not think it's quite as good as Sally's or Frank Pepe's, the two most well-known New Haven Establishments.

Here are some pictures:

Half cheese, half mushroom from Bar

The Yale campus.  How lovely.

Half pepperoni, half roasted peppers from Frank Pepe's

Metro North.  How lovely.

Anyhow, New York Epic Food has always been about walking, and god knows there's nothing wrong with walking. But why can't an official New York Epic Food event entail train ridership? The fact is, I cannot come up with a good answer to that question, so starting now I am changing my official policy and allowing events that entail train ridership. In fact, a few people biked to New Haven yesterday, so what the hell, biking might even be in the cards! I am going CRAZY now.

But yes, look for train (and possibly bike) events in the future. Thank you and goodnight.