Nestled neatly along Millpond Plaza, the main drag in the Town of Monroe, N.Y. sits The Velvet Monkey.  Fancier than the local bar/restaurants, but still comfortable and casual enough for a Friday night out, the Velvet Monkey offers continental American cuisine at affordable prices.

I have eaten there many times, yet never blogged about it before.  Perhaps because the food has always been good – but not as fancy or luxurious as some of the other restaurants I frequent (or that you, my readers, have become accustomed to).

Yesterday, my mother came back to New York for the summer.  I picked her up at the airport in Westchester, and we made the long trek through Memorial Day traffic back to my house, where my brother met us.

By the time we all arrived, and settled in, it was about 7:30pm.  So, the tree of us headed into Monroe for a relatively, light dinner.

I began with the “Monkey Salad,” which consisted of mesculn greens, balsamic vinaigrette, cranberries and toasted peanuts.

Next, I ordered the Ahi Tuna appetizer.

Finally, we ordered my brother the bananas foster for dessert (note the candle and the slightly annoyed look on my brother’s face – he’s just lucky the didn’t sing).

The light, delicious meal sated my appetite without weighing me down, which I appreciated after a long day and long week’s work.