The Greatest Dominican Fare Is Served Might Be Served in a Bronx Pool Corridor

On a chilly Saturday afternoon at Tony’s Billiard Cafe within the Bronx, a household of three sat on the black granite lunch counter consuming multicolored Nation Membership sodas. Two preteen boys racked pool balls. A small youngster ran between the three bar-sized pool tables to the TV within the again to observe cartoons in Spanish. Beside her, 4 males performed dominoes. At separate high-top tables alongside the partitions, two males sat quietly, having fun with the principle attraction, chef Anita Belen Romero’s every day specials.

The meals is scrumptious at Tony’s (the title has caught even if Romero and prospects don’t know who Tony was. And sure, it was once named Nano). Her stewed beef, goat, and hen are tender and fragrant, bathed in tangy sofrito. Fried pork stomach chunks style nice over white rice soaked in pink bean liquor. Individuals who eat right here as soon as turn out to be prospects for all times. A bundled-up man hustled down the entryway stairs for his takeout order. He moved to New Jersey years in the past, however he nonetheless makes a protracted journey as soon as every week, as a result of, as he says, ”Anita’s sazon is at all times the identical. You possibly can rely on it.” Anita overheard him. She smiled, walked again to the kitchen, and assuredly spooned stewed meat and beans into containers.

All day folks trot down the basement stairs into the tiny area, for Romero’s meals. The convivial ambiance retains them lingering effectively after lunch. For neighborhood residents, it’s a communal front room. “Within the Dominican Republic, you don’t want a spot like this, folks work together outdoors,” she says, “Life is completely different right here. Individuals dwell in these buildings for 30 years and don’t know their neighbors and even say hey to them within the hallway.”

Romero moved from Santo Domingo to the Bronx 16 years in the past, when she was 47. She is a baker and pastry chef by commerce. She had an award-winning pastry store in Santo Domingo, however she discovered working a enterprise irritating.

“[At the bakery] we’d convey a gasoline tank to have it crammed up and later understand they didn’t give us the quantity we paid for,” she says. “The oven would exit all of the sudden, and I’d have to complete work utilizing a wooden pallet [as fuel].”

As quickly as she moved to an residence within the Bronx upstairs from Tony’s, she took over the lunch counter and her meals was drawing lengthy strains, this time within the States. The meals she cooks at Tony’s, nonetheless, isn’t based mostly on her lessons at Universidad APEC and Infotep in Santo Domingo; right here, she makes use of the strategies she started honing as a child, after her grandmother turned too in poor health to take care of her. “Individuals come heat up, discuss to one another, play pool, dominoes, or watch TV.,” she says. “They let go of the monotony of the identical previous routine: work to dwelling, dwelling to work.” She provides; “Anybody who comes right here eats, with or with out cash.”

Understanding how arduous it’s to make a brand new life in a brand new nation, she has mentored a number of teenage regulars. Her message is easy: “In life, there are many obstacles, however it’s important to keep optimistic.” Romero has seen her share. Proper now, she is combating her second bout with most cancers. Nonetheless, she retains coming to work regardless of protests from household and mates. She says, “I’m nonetheless right here. I’m not afraid, Yo pa’lante.”

At 6 p.m., Romero closed the kitchen and headed dwelling, whereas her good friend and colleague Marisol, a middle-aged lady sporting her lengthy blond hair underneath a baseball cap, took over for the subsequent shift. The evening crowd is aware of her. If wanted, she’d be a very good particular person to move the torch to finally.

The place crammed up, and pool video games rolled on till 4 a.m. There was all of the vitality of a full of life bar, with not one of the alcohol: Anita hadn’t renewed the liquor license because the area modified possession throughout COVID.

“These guys play all evening, each evening. If I don’t see one in every of them, I ponder what occurred,” says Marisol. Across the granite counter, there was an aspiring musician who had been coming since arriving from the DR at 11 years previous. He stated, “Marisol is like my mom.” The person subsequent to him, visiting from his new dwelling in Melbourne Australia added, “And my sister.” That they had grown up collectively. The obvious king of the pool tables, a person in work boots and military fatigue pants approached the counter. He’s a development employee, however was a author and journalist within the Dominican Republic. He delivered jovial one-armed hugs and fist bumps along with his enormous chalky hand between anecdotes about Borges and Garcia Marquez. Marisol smiled and nodded.

That evening, regardless of the shortage of beer and liquor, the place hadn’t misplaced an oz. of spirit. The evening crowd, just like the day crowd, was comfortable to be sipping their pink, amber, and blue Nation Golf equipment, in good firm.

Mike Diago is a highschool social employee and author. His work usually seems in Eater, The Bittman Challenge, and Fatherly. You will discover him at Latin lunch counters all through larger NY, or in his yard on Mount Beacon, cooking over wooden fireplace for his spouse and two sons.