Tacos, Mole and More At Giny Deli In Ossining

OSSINING, N.Y. – As a chef, Jose Arillano used to treat the restaurant he cooked for like his own, and now that he co-owns Giny Deli Mexican restaurant on Croton Avenue, he treats his restaurant with even more pride.

"I worked for a long time as a chef in a Mexican restaurant," Arillano said in Spanish, referring to the seven years that he worked for Veracruz restaurant in White Plains. "When the opportunity came up to become a partner in a restaurant, I took it."

Giny Deli at 25 Croton Ave. in Ossining used to be a Dominican restaurant owned by Fernando Vasquez who is Dominican. Vasquez also owns Ferris Food Market, a bodega at 142 Ferris Ave. in White Plains, and he met Arillano there.

"We used to shop at his bodega and we got to know each other there," Arillano said. "He told me that he was looking for someone who would be responsible for his restaurant and he decided to change the menu to Mexican."

Giny Deli is a small restaurant with about eight tables and a walk-up counter with a variety of soups and daily specials.

Specialties at Giny Deli include tacos, mole poblano, a dish that features chicken or meat covered in a chocolate sauce, pipian verde, a dish similar to mole but made with a green sauce, chorizo, or Mexican sausage, and pozole, a type of large-grain corn.

For breakfast, the restaurant serves tamales, a food made out of ground corn that is stuffed with chicken or meat and wrapped in a corn husk, arroz con leche, or rice with milk, bacon and cheese sandwiches, pancakes, and steak sandwiches with French fries.

Typical Mexican drinks served at Giny Deli include Jarritos, a bottled Mexican soda, and horchata, a tea made from rice.

"Although we've only been open for a little over a week, we're getting some customers," Arillano said. "For just starting out, I think we're doing ok."

Giny Deli is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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