Caracara Mexican Grill

My sister, Marlene and I had the pleasure of dining at Caracara Mexican Grill on Monday night.  For those of you who live in the vicinity you are very lucky to have this gem located in your backyard!  This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. This is dinning!

For those of you who know me, know that I talk to everyone. This occasion was not an exception to the rule.  I think it's important to get to know the people who are around me, especially while sitting at the bar snapping photos.  Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment I forget to ask if it's alright. I'm so glad I started talking!

Julie our bartender made the most delicious Margarita for me. Give me a silver tequilla with fresh squeezed lime juice over ice, lightly salted  with a  touch of Agave Nectar and I am transported back to Mexico. We are talking good times!
Marlene, my sister, who never drinks ordered the Sangria, which she sucked down like nobody's business!  Before I was half way through with my drink, she was ordering another, sucking up the very last drop.  She's working on her New Year's resolution to "drink more"!

We ordered an appetizer of Calamares Fritos, which were Blue Corn crusted and served with Chipotle Honey Aioli and  Ranchero dipping sauces. The Calamres were delicious, crispy and very fresh!

To our surprise, Tony the owner, sent out another appetizer for us to try! Tamales Camarones. This was not your average Tamale. We couldn't stop eating this dish. The tamale was rich and creamy, mixed with corn and a Chipotle cream. The texture was creamy and had intense flavors from the smokey Habanero salsa.  This appetizer was amazing. I can't wait to go back and try the chicken tamale!

Marlene ordered Costillas A La Parrilla. If you like short ribs you have to order this dish! The short ribs were slow cooked with Dos Equis Beer and served with a three chile salsa.  This is another winning dish!

I ordered the Carne Asado. Out  came a perfectly prepared medium rare Skirt Steak.  The steak was so tender and juicy that I ate every single piece and left nothing on my dish!

Our only mistake was not saving any room for deserts!  I won't make that mistake again.
Executive Chef Nestor Hernandez has a magic touch. Our meal was so delicious it rivaled the best meal I had recently eaten in Mexico!

Cinco de Mayo is this weekend and Tony is offering some specials for the occasion and the party will last all weekend long!  I strongly suggest you make reservations!

Tell them, Lorraine from The Food Crawl sent you!

Caracara Mexican Grill

354 Main Street
Farmingdale, New York
516 .777.2272

Like them on Facebook!  Check out the specials! On Meatless Monday's, in addition to the regular menu there are many delicious specials offered!

Buen Apetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Bella Luna Ristorante

Ahhhh, Bella Luna Ristorante...Dean Martin songs come to mind...that's Amore...

This gem has only been open for 5 weeks and already there is a steady stream of people coming in filling up the tables. By word of mouth, at least that's how we heard about it, the restaurant has a following for good food in a friendly atmosphere with reasonable prices. The formula is very simple at Bella Luna,  serve great tasting food at reasonable prices, serve it with a smile and make everyone happy! 

 

If you like hot peppers ask for the roasted peppers with onions. The onions were so sweet and the peppers were deliciously hot.  I ate most of them and loved every wave of heat delivered with each bite!

We started our meal with a tri color salad and a couple of pasta dishes. We just wanted to taste as much as we could!

tri color salad with gorgonzola 

homemade pappardelle with lobster and spinach

homemade cavatelli with escarole, beans and sausage

The salad was crisp and the pasta's were amazing.  

After we had indulged in our first courses we moved on to the main event. 

The menu is extensive. There was so much to choose from. Decisions were hard to make. When everything looks so good you want it all! We knew that we would be back soon, so we were in control!

One of the specials tonight was a soft shell crab. We both love soft shell crabs. Bring it! Pan fried in a lemon and white wine sauce they were sweet and tender! 

soft shell crabs in a lemon and white wine sauce

There is nothing better than a great dish of Pork chops with hot and sweet vinegar peppers. The dish was a winner. I thought about only eating one of the pork chops and bringing the other one home but couldn't help myself! Before I knew it, my dish was empty with nothing to bring home. The pork chops were served with a lovely side of sauted escarole. We had a choice of potato, pasta or vegetable and decided on the vegetable. We also ordered a side of Broccoli Rabe. Both sides were perfectly cooked and seasoned well. 

Pork chops with Hot and Sweet Vinegar Peppers

Broccoli Rabe

Unfortunately Steve and I were too full to try anything from the Dessert menu. We were told that most items were made in the house. I wish we had room for something a little sweet at the end of our meal because based on the rest of our meal it could only have complimented what we had. I will definetely be saving room for the homemade cheesecake next visit!

Bella Luna does not have it's liquor license yet, so for now it's BYOB.

If you go, tell Ralph that The Food Crawl sent you! 

Enjoy!

Bella Luna Ristorante

861 Midland Avenue

Yonkers, New York

914 751-5588

Buon Appetito

xoxoxo

Lorraine

Il Sogno Ristorante

Ever pull in to the parking lot of a restaurant and wonder where the heck you are going or why?
Never judge a book by it's cover, right?
Il Sogno Ristorante in Port Chester, New York is one of those restaurants. I can't tell you how many times I have passed by it's doors never giving it a second glance.
A friend of mine, who considers himself another foodie suggestted a night out at It Sogno and let me tell you, it's a gem!
 It's very unasumming from the side of the road, but once you pull in and have a seat your mind will be changed.
While waiting for the rest of our group to arrive we were seated at the bar and greeted by Jimmy, the owner of the restaurant. He was quick with a warm greeting and a fabulous pour.
My martini was made perfectly and my husbands glass of wine was served at the perfect temperature.

My friend Frank had to jump in on the picture!  He's a handsome guy so I let him! lol

Jimmy quickly put out some thinly sliced salami and some toasted Italian bread for us to munch on while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive.

And here's my dirty appearing perfectly naughty!

When you are so comfortable at the bar and everything is perfect it's sometimes hard to make a move to your table. We contimplated eating at the bar, and while we sometimes enjoy that we felt that we would be missing a beat if we didn't venture into the dinning room.
Our waiter greeted us warmly and made us feel as if we the only people in the room. After being informed of the abundant specials of the evenng we were left to consider our choices.
We were even shown the special cut of veal that was being offered!

We wanted to try everything! I think we came very close to ordering many of the specials that were offered.
Our waiter offered us a beautiful platter of the pastas that each of us were considering, offering us each a taste of everything we wanted!

The whole wheat pasta puttanesca, eggplant napoleon, and tagliatelle with cream and truffles was something made for each of us. Each dish satisfied all of our palettes! Bravo!
There were so many specials to be considered.
If this was going to be right, it could be great!
A few of our choices were ...Bronzino, fish,  grilled and served whole, a double cut veal chop, served with potatoes and broccoli rabe, and a pounded chop served with a caprese salad! I was struggling with my order and finally decided on ordering the whole grilled roasted Bronzino fish.   I'm always looking to stick my fork into someone elses plate!  I love my friends who let me taste!

We were so full no one wanted to order a desert. But guess what? Out came a beautiful platter of delicious biscotti with our coffee! These were home made!

And then another plate of Italian specialties. The heck with the diet. You have to take a taste, right?

and then a martini zabgone with strawberries. Who can resist?

We all gathered at the bar for a last hoorah and after dinner drink.

I can't wait for the next time we get together for a crawl. We're thinking lobster rolls!
Monica  thinks she doesn't take a good picture!  I think we look fabulous! xoxoxo

Il Sogno Ristorante
316 Boston Post Road
Port Chester, New York
914 937-7200
www.ilsognony.com

Thanks Jimmy!
Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Sushi Mike's

It's Friday night during lent and what could possible be better than eating fresh fish. When I suggested  Sushi to my husband, even though it's not my favorite, my husband readily agreed. He loves Sushi, Sashimi and all that goes with it. We thought we'd do a little food crawling in White Plains. There is a sushi restaurant that we have been wanting to try.
 When we asked the kids if they wanted to eat with us, and they found out it was Sushi they quickly decided that they would love to dine with us on a Friday evening!  They love Sushi! Me, I usually just eat the rolls. I try to sneak in a  California Rolls,  or maybe some spicy tuna rolls. It's just not my favorite.
We tried getting into the restaurant in White Plains and it was packed. No walk ins we were told, you must have a reservation. So I called! When I asked if there was any availability for a table for 4 Iwas told that a table would become available after 9 pm.  We all got back into the car and started off in another direction. I knew if I suggested our favorite local Italian restaurnat the kids would have baled on us. They were in it for the Sushi...come on, it's a Friday night!
When my husband suggested  Sushi Mike's of Dobbs Ferry I called before he could finish his sentence! I love Sushi Mike's!
I met Sushi Mike last year while attending The Westchester Food and Wine Event 2011. Not being a true sushi fan I first passed by him just looking at his food, truely impressed by his presentation at the event. He offered me a dish and once I tasted one of his special rolls I knew that I could fall in love with Sushi and raw food.  It was divine and I knew that my family would fall in love with his mastery of food from the sea.

Sushi Mike, himself!

When you walk into the restaurant you are greeted by Mike. He has an infectious laugh and is quick with a joke. The restaurant is very small.  We wanted to wait for a larger table to become available. I could tell that my group was getting a little antsy and frustrated at the wait. Once we sat down and started to eat they forgot about everything but what was in front of them. Again tonight we had a meal that we talked about on the drive home.
 Live Scallops sliced so thin, and so fresh you could still taste the sea! Soft shell crabs sauteed in garlic and butter sauce, so delicious that you wished you had more. The Red Snapper pan fried with jalapeno peppers and onions was like nothing we've ever had. That was just our appetizers.
We order a boat! The best part is we leave it all up to Mike. He takes care of us! The better he knows us the better he can serve us. We are always impressed by what he puts in front of us. It's the very best quality, very fresh and always a work of art.  It's nothing like we've ever had anywhere else!

My dish of rolls. There's not one California roll on the boat!

It's always good, down to the last morsal of roe!
This place is a gem!
If you decide to go, make sure you make a reservation, and get there early!

Sushi Mikes

146 Main Street.

Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

(914) 591-0054

Buon Appetito
お食事をお楽しみ下さい
xoxoxo

Lorraine