The 149th St. 4 train subway stop sits at the northern border of Mott Haven, the neighborhood of the Bronx always voted most likely to gentrify. It’s already an exciting place to visit, thanks to elegant historic districts, diverse population and busy commercial strips lined with dozens of longstanding businesses, like these four locally-owned spots.
Flavor-blasted, then fried
Thanks to its location — hidden on a residential corner between Grand Concourse and the Major Deegan Expressway — Brother’s Seafood isn’t a place most folks stumble across by accident, despite a bright orange arrow with the words “good food this way.” That’s a shame, especially for fans of expertly fried fish and shrimp, like those prepared noon to 8 p.m. by Leo Padilla, who co-owns the two-year-old takeout shop with Warren Bunkley. (Bunkley used to run smaller operation in the same spot, appropriately called Hole in the Wall.) Padilla is Dominican, while Bunkley grew up in South Carolina — so they’ve also added soul food snacks like jerk turkey wings, BBQ chicken and $2 sides like collard greens, yellow rice and sweet potatoes.
Even so, Brother’s biggest seller is still seafood: You can now can order it steamed (fillets are $6.50 paired with potatoes, vegetables and garlic-infused butter), but Padilla’s specialty is the batter for platters like the $9.50 combo of fish, shrimp and extra-crispy crinkle fries. He dredges whiting, catfish or tilapia or crustaceans with his own mixture of flour, salt, pepper, adobo seasoning, Old Bay and Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic. You can add one of five different sauces, but for fish this flavorful, all you need is a little squeeze of lemon.
632 Walton Ave., (914) 494-2273.
An accidental classic
If it seems a little strange that a 53-year-old southern Italian restaurant and pizzeria would be called Yolanda’s , that’s because it was an accident, says chef Anthony Fasolino. When the store’s sign was delivered in 1960, his grandmother’s name was misspelled: She was Iolanda Calisi. Now along with his brother Sal, Fasolino is the third generation to helm the misnamed place, which has grown from a tiny spot to a take-out pizzeria and restaurant where families share platters of penne alla vodka or lasagna with meatballs ($13.50). Yankees fans and players also count among the regulars — Derek Jeter’s foundation, in fact, recently ordered 160 pies.
While Sal, 27, now works the front of the house, Anthony, 28, has taken over culinary duties from his father and uncle. They make “simple” food, says Sal — who like his brother has been working at Yolanda’s since he was 13 — but he pays attention to detail. For the crispy-crusted pizzas, for example, he’s the only one who makes the dough, mixing up 180 quarts daily and letting it slowly rise for two days, which improves the flavor.
And not only do they still create massive 22-inch pies — making their $2.25 slice one of the best deals in town — they also wrap their boxes to go with twine like a gift, “old-school” style. Anthony, by the way, prefers the pizzas made on the restaurant side, where one of Yolanda’s original ovens still cranks up to 600 degrees.
292 E. 149th St., (718) 292-4792.
Meximerican sandwich shop
With its slick decor and cartoon logo, the two-year-old Franco’s looks like part of a Manhattan sandwich and smoothie chain, but it’s actually the second restaurant from the family that runs a local soccer league and La Perla Mexicana six doors down. Managed by Jesus Sorza, 25, with help from his younger brother Angel and their father Martin, the menu reflects both their Mexican heritage and the quick lunches those from nearby Lincoln Hospital demand.
In addition to smoothies with silly names (the mango-pineapple-banana-berry Fruitie Tootie), sammies like the top-selling 149th Street Supreme (a $5.50 triple-decker club laced with avocado), there are the traditional Mexican hoagies called tortas, which come layered with refried beans, avocado and jalapeños. If you’re really hungry, try the $7.50 Cubana, a Mexico City version with ham, cheese, spicy sausage and fried steak.
There are also fat burritos, the Mexican apple soda called Sidra and quesadillas delivered with a side of fresh guacamole. In contrast to La Perla, says Jesus, Franco’s quesadillas are purposefully “Tex-Mex,” made with flour tortillas and layered with a mix of Cheddar and Monterey Jack.
295 E. 149th St., (347) 577-1466.
Ecuadoran entertainments
Named after a famous Peruvian bolero singer, on weekends the 29-year-old coastal Ecuadoran restaurant Lucho Barrios hosts musicians and other artista de polifacetico, the Spanish term for “multitalented artists.” But even on sleepy afternoons the sunlit place — in its own little building on the corner of Courtlandt Ave. — draws plenty of diners. (The chef is named Lolita, and you’ll see her name on the front door, too.)
House favorites include the $3 sweet tamales called humitas, or green corn husks filled with egg, sweet fresh kernels and mild cheese, and chaulafan, the Ecuadoran take on Chinese fried rice ($13), made with short grain rice and spiked with parsley. Don’t miss the vinegar-and-lime kissed ceviche de camaron, the wonderful warm Ecuadoran version of shrimp ceviche strewn with tomatoes and paper-thin slices of red onions. (Served with fried green plantains, a large bowl is $16.)
Savvy regulars, meanwhile, come for the $7 lunch specials and soups that change by the day, like Monday’s sopa de gallina, or chicken noodle. A small is $5, a large $9 — and be sure to add a splash of the bright orange, herby hot sauce that sits on every table.
356 E. 148th St., (718) 292-3942.
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