Spiderman has his spidey sense that allows him to sense danger. Food bloggers have their own special sense: the foodie sense.
Since I started blogging, I’ve become hyper-aware of restaurants, bakeries, markets, and so on. Everywhere I go, my head’s swiveling like Linda Blair, in a constant search for interesting food. If a place looks good, I either write it down or make a voice recording on my cell phone. It’s obsessive and a little dorky (okay, a lot dorky), but that’s what happens when you embark on this blogging adventure.
So I was pretty disappointed in myself to drive down Mamaroneck Ave. — a drive I’ve made a million times — and only just notice the sign for Juarez Restaurant.
Must be new, I thought. Nope. As I found out, the place has been there for a year. I don’t know how I missed it, but I did. The foodie sense malfunctioned.
Anyway, finding Juarez Restaurant was a very pleasant surprise. It’s not a big place — four tables and a long counter. The daily specials were written in Spanish (always a good sign), and on the menu I saw items like pork belly menudo (the soup, not the boy band), pozole, beef tongue tacos, and adobada. I’m no Mexican expert, but this looked like pretty authentic stuff.
Ready for your mouth to water? Brace yourself.
That’s my torta al pastor, a Mexican sandwich of marinated pork, onions, peppers, queso fresco, avocado, lettuce and tomatoes on a toasted soft bun. It was fantastic. Explosively fresh. Spicy, tangy, and a little sweet from bits of pineapple. And only $6.
The foodie sense doesn’t fire all the time, but eventually it kicks in. And that’s how you end up discovering Juarez Restaurant.
Juarez Restaurant
626 Mamaroneck Ave.
Mamaroneck, NY
914-315-1334