The Throggs Neck Merchants Association is looking to add a little spice and flavor – and more customers – to local restaurants through an upcoming event.
The first annual Throggs Neck Restaurant Week is slated for Monday, January 18 through Sunday, January 24, with about 26 participating restaurants not only in Throggs Neck, but also in nearby east Bronx communities, participating.
The idea for the week, which includes restaurants featuring Italian, Latin, Irish, American and Asian cuisine, originated with Travesias Café owner Brian Martinez, who first suggested the it about two months ago to the TNMA.
“January is usually a slow month for restaurants and this is a great way to bring in some old customers and maybe some new customers to the establishments by offering them a deal,” said Martinez.
During the week, participating eateries will be offering a special pre fixe menu at either $25 or $35 for dinner and a $15 lunch option.
At Travesias, for example, a $35 three-course meal will be offered, said Martinez.
The Latin Fusion restaurant, known for its Oxtail Rizzoto and its To’chimi Sliders, a Dominican and Venezuelan appetizer, is located at 3834 E. Tremont Avenue.
It is just one of the fine eateries taking part in the week-long event and promotion that Steve Kaufman, TNMA president, said is a testament to the ingenuity of many of the community’s restaurants.
“It shows that these restaurateurs are alert in terms of what is going on in the neighborhood, and that they want it to flourish,” said Kaufman, adding that normally the week is a difficult one for restaurant owners, and that the merchants hope to turn it into a hot week for dining.
“The community is bursting at the seams with restaurants,” he said, adding “East Tremont Avenue is really becoming the food spot.”
Participation has been excellent, and no one hesitated to take part, he said, adding, the week is an opportunity to come and taste the fine cuisine in the area.
Hussein Nouri, a TNMA board member, said that there are a number of traditional restaurants and many new places that people can visit.
“What we want is the community to experience all of the restaurants, not just the ones that they are used to,” said Nouri, who added that the merchants would like the area grow into a ‘restaurant row.’
A ribbon cutting ceremony for restaurant week took place at Travesias on Monday, January 11.
At the event, Baily Provetto, a food blogger at tasty
Participating restaurants will have a yellow poster in their windows, said Nouri.
Among those taking part are Havana Cafe, Icehouse Cafe, Throggs Neck Clipper, Tosca Cafe, Wicked Wolf, P.J. Brady’s, Alley Cat Smokehouse, Frank’s Pizza, Louis Seafood Restaurant, Crosstown Diner, Brewski’s Bar and Grill, Rino’s, Made in Puerto Rico, Casa Mama Puebla, Spoto’s, Yamada, Outback Steakhouse in Co-op City, DaFranco and Tony in Pelham Bay, with more to come.
