Jenn’s Side of Ranch…

As a server we always get asked for a side of ranch, well here’s my side of ranch.. an insight on what servers look for while dining out.

My name is Jennifer Masache, I work at two Italian restaurants, and one of my favorite hobbies and favorite thing to do is going out to eat. Now you might be thinking well everyone likes to do that, but to be specific, I do not like to just sit, grab a bite, and exit. But rather DINE in and enjoy all of the aspects that come with it. Not necessarily fast food restaurants, or quick food stops or common restaurants everyone goes too. But instead, dining out at a nice restaurant. For the past year I’ve been visiting small restaurants across Long Island. Reason being, I am a food lover, restaurant server, and all time restaurant lover. And although I spend most of my time and days at a restaurant working, I still love to go out and try out different restaurants on my days off.  I love to try the various foods and seeing what that specific restaurant is like. Partially because after serving all weekend, I like to put myself in the shoes of the guests I serve and have a well deserved sit down meal as well. While I dine, I enjoy checking out the different foods, what unique foods the menu has to offer, the service, the ambiance, and the dining experience overall. Since I am passionate about it, I decided my blog would be about me sharing my experiences at different restaurants across the island. Obviously not common restaurants people know of, but of the hidden gems. 

Today’s side of ranch is…

The Cuban is a new restaurant that recently opened earlier this year. It is located right in the heart of Patchogue. There is also one in Garden City. What made me decide to try it was how much everyone was raving about. Since working at a restaurant, restaurants love to talk about other restaurants, and all I was hearing about this one was positive things only, so I decided to give it a try with a friend.

Food quality: I had the chicken empanadas, and “masita de puerco” which was crispy bite sized pork.  My taste buds were dancing in my mouth. They were so light and crispy. So delightful I myself was raving to my family members that they have to give it a try as well.!

Overall Service: What I loved about this restaurant is how all of the servers are dressed adorably! They are dressed in a traditional Cuban outfit and even wear the Cuban hat. This made the experience that much better. The service was astounding, they offered their most popular dishes, their best drinks, and even asked what we were celebrating, because he wanted to make our dine in special.

Ambiance: The ambiance was that of a club. But it was so fun! The walls are murals of the streets of Cuba, they had traditional Cuban music playing which put us all in the mood to dance… and of course there was a dance floor with a Cuban DJ!

Value: They have a very affordable lunch special.$10.95 plus tax, and you can pick two small plates from the lunch menu. Although the portions are small, each dish was packed with flavor. We ordered dinner which was remarkable.
Overall Experience: This is my all time new favorite restaurant! I had such an incredible time with friends, the staff was enjoyable and entertaining, this is my new all time favorite dinner and lunch spot!

Today’s side of ranch is on…

Gallo is a Colombian restaurant located on the corner of Main Street in Patchogue. I actually live right in Patchogue and have never been here. My friend recently got a job there so my friends and I decided to go and pay her a visit 🙂 I was stoked since I LOVE Colombian food!

Food quality: 10/10! Had the Mountain Platter that came with a grilled steak, chorizo (Colombian sausage) rice beans, tostones, and sweet plantain. It was served with their homemade avocado chili sauce. Just to explain how out of this world this sauce was, they sell bottles of it to the public! Made fresh daily!! I seriously contemplated on buying one. I still cannot believe I have never been here.

Overall Service:  My friend Maria was our server : ) Since she just started we all of course cut her some slack LOL.Just kidding, she was very efficient,, knew the menu well, and always brought us new drinks without us even having to ask. She did an awesome job! 🙂

Ambiance: Gallo has two sides. One side is the dining area, and the other side is for the bar crowd, DJ, and dance floor. Since it is Patchogue Main Street, after 10pm it does get loud and busy on the weekends. So it is a great place to have some real authentic colombian food, or just for a drink.

Cleanliness: From my perspective the place was quite clean, nothing crazy sparkling. But from my friend who works there, her perspective was that they clean a lot. Their side work is very intense which involves lots of deep cleaning.

Value: The prices were on the pricey side, and the portions were a bit small, but the food for sure is worth it. You will not be dissapointed! The sauce is to rave about. It is the perfect balance of spice, and then you get the nice avocado taste with a kick.

Overall Experience: My friends and I had a great time at Gallo. From the food, to the service, to everyone being so welcoming and amicable we definitely want to make more girls trips here. Definitely a place to try on Main Street! But make a reservation as it is always packed!

Today’s side of ranch is on…

Ruvo East is on Main Street in Port Jefferson. My dine in at La Tavola sparked me to try this restaurant as it is one of the many restaurants they own.Ruvo is an Italian Flare restaurant and offers a delight of fresh food.

Food quality: As I stated before, you can really taste the freshness in the dishes here. I had the Crispy ½ Duck which was served with a exceedingly flavorful sweet and sour apricot glaze that gave your mouth the best of both worlds. I also tried couscous for the first time! Our server described it as a healthy grain which definitely caught my attention. I was pleased at how inviting this was to my mouth. The whole meal was very palatable.

Overall Service: Our server Matt was honestly nothing too special. He did just about the bare minimum with serving us. He took our drink and dinner order, answered a few of our questions, and we never saw him again until it was time for dessert. He never checked in on how our appetizer or dinner was. This is major in my opinion, as in some occasions a guest might not like a dish and a server should always be around to perhaps offer a different dish. Overall the service was OK. Although the host who sat as was exceptionally nice.

Ambiance: The ambiance is very pleasant. They have fresh plants and flowers as you walk through the main door. Around the restaurant they have rewards shown of what the restaurant has achieved through the years. That is always good to see.

Cleanliness: This restaurant also served us with placemats which like I said is always a bonus for the server and guest as it is quick and easy for the crumbs to be taken out of the way. One thing I remember about Ruvo East is that the bathrooms were exceptionally clean. They were sparkling. Literally. That is a good sign. I hope the kitchen is on that level of clean.

Value: A dinner check for two was $100. We both got an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert to share, and a simply drank seltzer (boring I know). For a restaurant in Port Jefferson Main Street I believe that is an average check, a price one would expect to spend.

Overall Experience: The one reason I would come back is for the food. I a firm believer that the service of a restaurant affects whether a customer will come back. But in this case I always give restaurants two chances. Perhaps Matt that night was having an off day, so we will be giving Ruvo another try perhaps in the summer.

Today’s side of ranch is on…

Tango is one of my favorite Argentinian Restaurants on Long Island! I first went with my family and was blown away with all of the different authentic dishes they offered. It is family friendly place, and is great spot for big groups. What I love best about them is they always are able to accommodate you even on a busy Friday or Saturday night.

Food quality: At Tango you can definitely tell they use their traditional family recipes, as for what I’ve heard Argentinians say they feel as if they are back home eating their grandmas recipes. I always have the Churrasco which is an enormous sirloin steak for just $18! It comes with rice and beans and a nice small fresh salad on the side. It is always cooked to perfection and seasoned

Overall Service: The service here is always consistent and friendly, and every staff member wants you to enjoy your time and always makes sure you enjoyed your food. What I like about this place is all of the servers are always hands on willing to help. If your server is not around and you need a drink, even if you are not their table another server will come quickly with a new drink, no problem 🙂  

Ambiance: Very authentic Argentinian decorations, hung with frames of their home country. the staff is all mostly from Argentina which makes the restaurant extra authentic and the staff knowledgeable and affable.

Cleanliness: Now I know most of you know spanish ladies like to clean. Coming from a hispanic household myself,there is a such thing as clean, and spanish lady clean!  And to say the least this place is spanish lady clean!

Value: This restaurant is fairly priced but it really does depend what you get, some of the food they offer can get pricey but only because those big dishes can be shared with a big group and served family style.

Overall Experience: My overall experience here every single time is the same, it is the best when they recognize me and even remember my order 🙂 I love places that actually care about you and your loyalty to a restaurant opposed to owners/restaurants where they just want you in and out of the door. This place is worth the drive for me and always will be!

Today’s side of ranch is on…

Trento is on 110 in Farmingdale and I am sure many of you have driven past it as have I. Until I decided to try it for one of my best friend’s birthday. We pulled into the parking lot in my friends 2014 Toyota Corolla and were laughing with each other as all we saw in the lot were Mercedes Benz, BMW’s and Audi’s. But we were prepared to have a good birthday meal.

Food quality:
I had the French Cut Pork Chop. What caught my eye about this on the menu was that it was paired with grilled peach and fresh figs. I was intrigued as to see what this would taste like. Once I finished eating it I felt as if the three were meant to be together. I no longer want to eat an ordinary pork chop after that. My friends are very basic and mostly ordered pasta dishes so they claimed their food was simply “good”.

Ambiance: Trento is an Italian American Retro restaurant that as the experience begins even before you walk through the door. The outside is elegantly decorated with lights, and gives a nice aesthetic with the neutral colors. Walking inside the staff was very pleasant and were seated right away as we had a reservation. The inside was dim and created an adequate feel for a nice dinner with friends or family.

Cleanliness: From what we saw the restaurant was sparkling clean, even though it was a Saturday night and it was pretty dark in there, our silver was cleared always and crumbs were always being cleaned and our silverware was literally shining, which shows the cleanliness of a restaurant always and makes me a happy gal.

Value:My Pork Chop was priced at $38 dollars, which is actually a reasonable price for a fine dining restaurant on 110, but you definitely get what you pay for, The portion was huge, and I did not mind as we constantly had bread and drink refills which made us girls all very happy.

Overall Experience: My overall experience at Trento was memorable. Our server Miguel was very personable with us, always came around with a gleaming smile, he offered to take a picture of my friends and I as he saw we were struggling to get a selfie with all of us in it. He was very enjoyable which always make the experience that much better.

Today’s side of ranch is on…

The Lake House in Bay shore offers a beautiful water view, and is the perfect place for Sunday brunch. We made reservations because the first time we came they were not accepting walk in’s as they were extremely busy. As all five of us  walked up to the host stand we enjoyed the breathtaking water view, the fresh sea breeze rushing through our hair which really does put you in a superior mood on a Sunday morning.

Food quality: The brunch menu had plenty to offer, but I was hooked once I saw the Vanilla Bean Grand Marnier French Toast. Now let me say, as I took my first bite I felt as if I was biting into a cloud of cotton candy, that is how fluffy the french toast was. The sweetness  meddled into my mouth amazingly. I literally licked the plate clean. All I have to say is you have to try it for yourself!

Overall Service: Now as I stated before the Lake House is very busy on Sunday mornings. So I was not expecting top service although this is a fine dining restaurant.

Although they were running around like chickens with no head, our server Amanda was very efficient and refilled our mimosas when needed and did ask us how our food was when she was able too. We did not stay for dessert (clearly since y meal was basically dessert) but do plan on coming back to try some of their dinner specials.

Ambiance: In my perspective the Lake house had a beachy feel to it. It is decorated very modern with vibrant blue accents throughout the restaurant. This was how it felt on a Sunday morning with the sun beaming through the enormous windows.Although it probably would have a different feel on a Friday or Saturday night dinner with dim lights and no sun.

Cleanliness: The restaurant seemed very tidy, they had fresh flowers throughout which made it feel fresh and airy inside. The servers were dressed in white, and managed to stay clean, which was surprising with all of the maple syrup going around!

Value: The value was nothing we did not expect, but it was a bit on the pricey side for lunch. We got bloody mary’s and mimosas which also racked the check but still the food was honestly worth it so we all did not mind.

Overall Experience: Overall brunch was exquisite and we do plan on coming back as the views were remarkable and we are all eager to try their dinner and drink specials.