I was positively shocked to learn Shawn had never been to Arthur Avenue – and he’s been living in the Bronx for 3 years! It had to be remedied. With socially distanced dinners now possible, we immediately made a plan for an evening out with him and Kathleen. Not only was Arther Ave. a must because it’s amazing and we wanted to show it off to the newbie, it’s also an ideal place for COVID meals since they’re blocking off the main street to traffic, making it easy to spread out tables. Kathleen suggested Fiasco because she’d seen it hyped up by a Bronx-based ‘grammer she follows. I was very interested in checking it out because it’s only about 3 years old – very new by Arthur Ave. standards. We saw it spring up, with its bright green and yellow facade, during our regular stock-up trips and had wondered if it could compete with old school red sauce joints like Dominic’s or Enzo’s. Spoiler alert: IT CAN. Note: it was dark so my pics are garbage, but check out their Insta for some much better shots.
We decided to go family style, starting with a round of apps. We got the calamari (not pictured, but very good with thick pieces), prosciutto with mozzarella, and eggplant parm. First of all, the prosciutto and mozzarella was delicate and delicious. Simple but very well done. I think I counted 5 different mozz-based appetizers on the menu…pretty sure that’s when I knew I’d like this restaurant. I never think to order eggplant parm, but I may have to reconsider because this was actually wonderful. The breading didn’t get soggy at all, the eggplant was nowhere near metallic (my typical issue with eggplant), and there was a lovely helping of melted cheese like snow on a mountaintop.
We then decided to get a pasta course, which I highly recommend. We wanted to keep this one cheese free since dairy doesn’t sit well with Shawn’s tummy. I normally want all the cream and cheese on my pasta, but this penne with shrimp, clams, and bread crumbs could very easily convert me. Finally, for the mains we got a chicken francese and skirt steak sautéed with white wine tomato sauce , rosemary and mushrooms. Both were wonderful. The chicken was cooked perfectly – perfectly, I tell ya! And the steak was nice and tender with sauce that you just want to sop up with a piece of bread, which I most certainly did.
They may be the new kid on the block, but Fiasco might be my favorite sit-down restaurant on Arthur Avenue. I’d like to make a joke about how eating at Fiasco is anything but that…but I’ll spare you.
Peaches to Apples 