Zero Otto Nove – Ristorante Italiano
Trattoria Zero Otto November
Zero Otto Nove on Arthur Avenue
In the heart of ‘the little Italy of the Bronx,” Zero Otto Nove is located on Arthur Avenue towards 184th street. Zero Otto Nove in Italian means 089, which is the area code of Salerno, Italy, the seaside town from which the chef-restaurateur, Robert Paciullo is from. He immigrated to the United States in 1970.
In an interview conducted by the NY magazine, Paciullo said that his father, who was a cook, would come home to his eleven siblings at one o’clock to cook for them, and after everyone finished eating he would ask his children, “What we gonna eat tomorrow?” Paciullo has had the restaurant for about ten years (and another one named Roberto on Crescent Ave in the Bronx) and does not plan on leaving Arthur Avenue because he likens it to a small town in Italy.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Paciullo arrived 36 years ago from Salerno, Italy, w
ith no plans beyond a job with a relative as a house painter. Gradually, he began cooking for others, first at a social club run by his brother Tony, and then at a restaurant they opened together. Word spread; his brother stepped aside; now Zero Otto Nove is a place where you might see the manager of the Yankees, or the mayor of New York.
Getting to the restaurant is quite simple. By car, Arthur Avenue is off of East Fordham Road and is about five minutes from Lehman College. By train, one can reach there by taking the B or the D trains and then taking a bus depending on the time of the day.
I decided to visit this restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. As soon as I got there, I was placed on a waiting list and everyone else before me seemed to be waiting very patiently near the bar. Upon asking one of the customers about the wait she replied, “Trust me, their food is worth the wait.” The lady’s words hyped up my expectations. After about fifteen minutes, a very professionally dressed young woman escorted Lubna and I into the dining area; the walk from the main lobby into the dining room felt as if I was walking in a little village in Italy. The walkway had a sunroof, posters on the walls of Italian drama and movies, antique woodwork and paintings.
Sitting in the dining hall gave me a very comfortable and relaxed feeling; the warmth from the sun could be felt on my arms and the smell of fresh basil was refreshing. I ordered a Margherita Pizza, which had buffalo mozzarella, basil and fresh tomatoes. While waiting for the food to arrive, Lub
na and I were fascinated by the architecture of the restaurant: antique-looking posters on the walls and a window panel drawn on the side with cloth around it that gave the feel of sitting on a sidewalk by the street.
The interactions between the waiters and costumers were of particular note: the waiters did not lose patience as the customers (including myself) asked them about the items on the menu. Upon asking the manager about where they get their meat and cheese from, he replied, “meat is bought from the local Arthur Avenue market and cheese is bought from the Casa Della Mozzarella around the corner.”
Overall, my experience at Zero Otto Nove was excellent and it fits my definition of authenticity: it gave me a feel of eating a traditional Italian Pizza on a bright sunny afternoon in an Italian village around Italian people. After devouring the pizza, I was greeted by the chef working near the brick oven, “ Ciao! See you next time.” Yes, indeed, he will see me next time and that too very soon. J
