Reader Nicole Mancini took umbrage at our hasty dismissal of the Bronx's underdog wins in the Post's pizza and burger sweepstakes the other day. She writes,

I was born and raised in the Bronx and I'm sick and tired of its bad rep. I love Grub Street. I check it everyday; but, to open it today and read that, "somebody better find out what neighborhood Carla Spartos comes from", because she picked the Bronx for best pizza and burger is beyond disappointing to me. Perhaps Zero Otto Nove decided to open on West 10th and Bleecker, I'm sure the win would not come as such a shocker. However Zero Otto Nove is located on Arthur Avenue, the main street of the Belmont section of the Bronx, and the heart of the Real Little Italy. Coals may be located right outside a bunch of auto repair zones, but what better place to open to feed a hungry car mechanic with a delicious burger? The Bronx is also home to City Island, a mini seaside town with dozens of seafood restaurants to choose from. We have Pelham Bay Park, the biggest park in NYC. We have The Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Gardens. We have the Yankees (even though they are overpaid and seat prices are ridiculous). We have Stanley Kubrick, Calvin Klein, Billy Joel, Regis Philbin, Colin Powell, and Edgar Allen Poe for crying out loud.
We're a borough of old Italian grandmothers who are willing to feed you at any time of the day. We love our food, just as much as the next person trying to get a reservation at Momofuku Ko, but instead of writing about it on Yelp or the next food blog, we talk about it over five hour Sunday dinners with the family.I just hope you guys can give us more credit next time.
P.S. We're not all in the Mafia, either.

We take it back, Nicole!

Earlier: Bronx Does Pizza and Burgers Better, According to ‘Post’