A Big Red Tomato has sprouted in Haverstraw Village. Reyes “Ray” Dominguez, a long-time Haverstraw resident, has created his most recent venture, The Big Red Tomato at 9 Main Street, right across from Lucas Candies. The new bar and grill boasts a tasty fusion of Latin, American, and international flavors. Ray has come a long way since his immigration from Mexico years ago. His story is an inspiration for us all, and the true entrepreneurial spirit of the Big Red Tomato is bright.
Ray lives the American Dream.
Driven by his will to succeed in America, the absolute global Capital of Opportunity, Ray Dominguez started small – he was a dishwasher at the New City Diner on Route 59. He made his rounds at several local golf course eateries, including Rotella Golf Course’s Bogie’s and at Spook Rock Golf Course. Ray made his “Head Chef” debut at the Rainbow Grill, just before heading to a top chef position at Civile’s Restaurant in Emeline Park in the Village of Haverstraw. Then he made his way to the former Bricktown Brewery as an additional chef for that restaurant. Ray was able to save his money earned, and soon opened Broadway Pizza – a hit among the pizza joints of the Village. Over the years, Ray developed multiple skills, required to save money and make some extra money on the side.
Ray’s carpentry skills are forefront. Ray opened Broadway Home Improvement, a company that offers carpentry, painting, and other home services. The fine woodwork of the Big Red Tomato bar and wall paneling is immediately apparent as one enters the restaurant. The bar area is composed of large, mitered moulding pieces of dark grained wood. Mr. Dominguez is a driven entrepreneur in every way.
When Ray bought the multi-story, mixed-use building at 9 Main Street a few years ago, he dreamed up the concept of a higher-end restaurant where he could experiment with his culinary skills and offer fine drinks at a bar setting. The patch of earth behind 9 Main offered a fine, sunny spot for growing tomatoes – big, red, delicious tomatoes. Ray would cultivate his tomato plants all summer, using the ingredients in his sauce at Broadway Pizza, another ingenious way to cut down on operating costs. This brings another meaning to “local food.” The name of his dream restaurant was soon born: The Big Red Tomato.
I haven’t even spoken about the food yet.
The food is wonderful. Ray combines various nationalities and cultures, as if his menu were a microcosm of the Village itself. Mexican Eggrolls, my favorite, are deliciously crispy and bursting with flavor. Again, the menu is expansive and varied, so you’ll more than likely find something that suits your taste – it’s a safe bet. With the departure of Bricktown Brewery, I’m very excited that there’s finally a restaurant in the Village that picks up the slack of offering a high-quality, wide range of tastes at an affordable price.
HaverstrawLife welcomes the Big Red Tomato to the Village. Ray Dominguez will continue to act as a foundation for the community – his drive and spirit has already brought so much to downtown Haverstraw, and he will only continue to offer more excitement and positive change to an ever changing Village.
The Big Red Tomato
9 Main Street, Haverstraw, New York
Open Tuesday through Sunday, noon to 11pm
(845) 269-3746
HaverstrawLife.com 
Great! Excited about this!
just had beer, sopes, and guacomole after 3 hours of hiking to high tor. the draft ale was brought quickly, the sopes were the best i’ve had in a long time, and the setting is clean and cheerful. I definitely recommend to all. Bikers and hikers wanting to refuel–this is a great place!
Wow – I did the same thing recently! I took the day off from work (I live in Westchester) – took the ferry from Ossining and hiked High Tor. I went at it from the southern end of the mountain, which I heard is the more difficult side. Plus, the “rock cut” is a pretty difficult place to walk, with all the traffic. I stopped by Big Red Tomato on the way out before catching a 4-something ferry. It was great! Nice little village. I SHALL RETURN!
tastefully delicious. needs an atmosphere pick-me-up though. I do enjoy the woodwork however. Mirrors are not my favorite
1 п. “Не имей сто друзей, а имей сто шекелей” тоже хорошо рифмуется 🙂
8 п. Ты никогда не потеряешь работу. Когда закончатся фотографии можно размещать рисунки (да хоть бы и конкурс объявить на лучший рисунок Одри (-:), аппликации и фотографии поделок из пластилина…
9 п. Сто пудов ! 🙂
Ой, благодарю
This may not be fit for this post but the Bricktown Brewery has just been sold to a new owner and is expected to open within a month. That is confirmed. Plus, the corner of Forth Street and Main where “Mardoffs” used to be is opening as a bar/restaurant by October, (according to the owners) but hopefully in time for the street fair in September.
I walked from The Harbors at Haverstraw on Saturday afternoon which only took about 7 minutes. I had a late lunch around 3:30 so it wasnt so crowded but the bartender/waitress told me that the lunch crowd was very busy. Anyhow, the food was amazing!!! I had the Mexican Eggrolls as well, then we ordered the chicken chalupas and the beef tostadas, which were very spicy! I highly recommend this place to anyone. All you Harbors residents, get off your but and start walking into the village, everyone was extremely friendly on the way in, saying high and waving in some cases! Change has come!
This is Jared everyone. All this sounds incredible. It sounds like the Village is picking up some steam! Wow! I can’t wait for Bricktown to reopen!!!
My sources have revealed that Bricktown is still 100% available. The building is not being sold as previously thought by many. The rent price is $3500/month. There are several parties interested however but nobody has sealed the deal. If you are interested contact me at adam.stein@wrightinnyack.com
Let’s not start rumors here. A lot of people are upset that Bricktown closed in the first place, and would love for it to reopen. I’m very excited to see new restaurants open in the Village – let’s just make sure it happens without rumors, OK?
it seems as though haverstraw is a comfortable town to live in…and that red tomato spot might be a place i will stop in to have lunch after a long bike ride on the rockland state beach…
It is actually a really nice ride, to ride up from Nyack to Haverstraw via the Nyack Beach trail and to get some lunch before riding back. Usually, I get something to eat in Nyack, but Haverstraw is starting to add some really great restaurants.