Business Profile: Ramiro’s 954 Restaurant, Mahopac
a little bit of Latin America to the Mahopac community.
Sometimes you just want to get away from it all; you just want to take a short vacation to another place. Ramiro’s 954
Restaurant brings the Latin American world to the steps of Mahopac and for its customers the cuisines and the atmosphere can provide the holiday away from the daily grind.
“We encourage people to go out and forget about their worries for a moment or two, said co-owner Ramiro Jimenez, after whom the restaurant is named. “We want them to enjoy life. We want people to come here not just for dinner, but to have an experience. From the moment they walk in to the moment they walk out, we want people to be amazed. I want people to clearly remember coming here and dream about the next chance they get to come back.”
Jimenez, who is also the head chef, grew up in Mexico City and has been cooking since he was seven years old.
His grandmother owned a restaurant in Acapulco, Mexico and Jimenez grew up loving the family business.
Nevertheless, in college Jimenez planned on studying law and becoming a lawyer. The call for the kitchen was too strong for him through and Jimenez left his studies and became a notable chef working in Latin restaurants throughout New York City.
Prior to opening up Ramiro’s 954 in February 2010, Jimenez and his wife Jan discussed opening a restaurant with their partners Joel Rosow and Traci Medford- Rosow of Mahopac for ten years. It was not until the Jimenezes drove up to Mahopac to visit the Rosows that they found the perfect place.
“We could have opened up in White Plains or even in New York City, but we knew that this was where we should open,” said Jimenez. “There was something special about this town that told us that this is where we belonged.” In addition to opening up the restaurant in Mahopac, Ramiro and Jan Jimenez decided to move to the Mahopac-Carmel area with their two daughters.
Ramiro’s 954’s menu features dishes from across Latin and Central America, the Caribbean and even Spain.
“My cooking is a modern Latin-American cooking based on traditional recipes with traditional ingredients with my personal touch,” Jimenez explained. “What I’m showcasing here is my own vision of Latin cooking, my own interpretation of certain dishes and my approach when I present those dishes.” Several of the dished like the arroz con pollo are recipes Jimenez learned from his grandmother.
Keeping the traditional base to all of the menu items is very important to Jimenez because each one represents a piece of Latin culture.
“There are a variety of dishes that you see ingredients you might not know, but that is what it great about an ethnic restaurant— you can educate people on something new,” said Jimenez. “In our case it is the culture of Latin America and it starts with the customers trying some of these ingredients that they may not try elsewhere.”
For those who are interested in trying some of Ramiro’s most popular dishes, Jimenez recommends coming to the Sunday brunch which starts at noon each week.
“For brunch what we do is we feature some of the most popular dishes—from pernil to parrilla, rice and beans and roast chicken,” said Jimenez. “It is a great way to be able to come in and get a taste of anything.” The brunch also includes items like bagels, pastries and pasta salads.
Ramiro’s menu is also full of tasty items that are safe for those customers with special dietary needs including vegetarian and gluten free offerings.
“About 98 percent of the menu is considered gluten free; even several dessert options,” said Jan Jimenez. “There are very few items on the main menu that have gluten and that is important. We are well-aware of the many allergies that are out there and we do our best to accommodate everyone.”
In addition to the main menu, Ramiro’s also offers a customized catering menu and has a private room upstairs from the restaurant that can seat up to 90 people for corporate meetings, holiday parties or family functions. Ramiro’s 954 recently joined efforts with Look Art Gallery which is now curating the art shown on the second floor. Art is a very important part of Latin culture, according to Jimenez, and he wanted to make sure that it was incorporated into the restaurant.
The local community has embraced the Latin eatery and the fan favorite is pernil, which is a pork shank, and Ramiro Jimenez could not be happier. “I grew up eating pork with rice and beans and not it is something I get to share with people who may not have had it before, but will look forward to ordering it again,” he said.
Ramiro’s 954, which is located at 954 Route 6 in Mahopac, is a participating restaurant in the Hudson Valley’s Restaurant week November 5-18. It will be offering a three course prix fixe lunch for $20.95 and a three-course prix fixe dinner for $29.95. For reservations for restaurant week seating, call 845-621-3333.
For more information about the restaurant or to see its menu, visit www.ramiros954.com.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
