Signature Dish: Candlelight Inn Wings

The Candlelight Inn is a well-known, local Westchester "dive" spot located on Central Avenue in Scarsdale. Small and relatively non-descript, aside from the homey "Inn feel", this local pub has been making their mark with patrons for their signature buffalo wings for over 50 years. Opened in 1955 and family-run, this place is everything one would expect from a dive - small, 'intimate' (read: 'crowded'), and slammin' food. Candlelight serves up your typical American pub food (burgers, fries, sandwiches, etc.), however their crown jewel - their 'signature dish' - is their buffalo wings. They're so known for their wings that you're best advised to make order reservations for Super Bowl a couple of days beforehand.

They have your traditional flavors - mild, hot, barbecue, teriyaki - as well as the option to make your own combo (I recommend hot teriyaki), however the sauce that keeps 'em coming back is their Chernobyl sauce. Many have attempted it, many have fallen short, and some have conquered it. As a hot sauce lover myself, I can vouch for it and say that it's pretty darn hot! I've had wings from many a places, including the famous Anchor Bar itself, and this sauce ranks up there. As with all signature dishes, the sauce recipe is a highly-guarded secret but I will say that it's definitely muuuuch hotter than your mama's habanero.

What's also appealing about this place is how traditional and old-fashioned the place is, yet has a very loyal and rabid following. This is a place that doesn't take reservations, doesn't take credit cards (cash only!), doesn't have an ATM, and until about 2 years ago did not offer delivery. If you've been living under a rock or you don't get out much, I highly advise you to go and check out this gem....I guarantee you'll like it!

Candlelight Inn

519 Central Park Avenue

Scarsdale, NY 10583

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Candle-Light-Inn/261967016185

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/candlelight-inn-scarsdale

Gastronomical Genesis

Hi, and welcome to the next biggest thing on the internet....okay, maybe not, but one could dream, right? I'll spare a long-winded, self-aggrandizing autobiography and simply introduce myself as a 32-year old sports-loving "closet foodie" whose legal name is Derek but is more commonly known to most as D-Rock. I'm somewhat of a late bloomer in the cooking department in that I never really took an interest into properly knowing how to cook until 2-3 years ago, combined with the fact that my father is quite the good cook and that specific gene was a little late to emerge. Like most, my culinary talents had mostly consisted of choosing the right menu and dialing the right take-out place number. But after enough delivery orders and money spent, the proverbial light bulb went off in my head and said to myself, "Why am I paying $10 for something that probably costs $3 to make myself?" From that moment on, I took an interest in learning my way around the kitchen and after a few years of good and botched attempts alike, I've finally grown comfortable enough to make an attempt at a food blog.

So what will this blog be about? Good question, I have no clue. Just kidding. It will be an ever-changing, ever-evolving blog but primarily will be in the vein of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" in the sense that my goal is to find undiscovered or low-key culinary gems of places around the Westchester and surrounding areas. Whether it be a "signature dish", a food "challenge", or just a restaurant review, I hope to provide people who enjoy good food and good times with an informative resource. I will also feature personal creations and recipes eventually because there has to be some level of narcissism involved. (Sarcasm is a strong point of mine)

One last thing before putting my stamp on the internet -- a big thank-you goes out to the people who have pushed me to pursue and explore my culinary endeavors, and a special thank-you to one person in particular for making this blog a reality, they know who they are :)