Mold Remediation in Armonk, NY

A Hudson Valley card shop has gone viral after an amazing moment was caught on video. Now, millions of people are cheering on the once-in-a-lifetime experience from across the globe.

The Instagram video, which has been viewed nearly 10 millions times, starts off as any other clip of store surveillance. Then, the impossible happens and a father, son, and store employee celebrate the unforgettable achievement.

The Card Shop Armonk sells cards and collectibles from the world of sports, pop culture, and more. As they explained in their viral video, a father and son recently went to their sister store in Plattsburgh, NY searching for special Pokemon cards.

The video begins with the father and store employee talking about a "god pack" - a collection of Pokemon cards the store describes as having not only one, but ten rare cards in a single pack, a find valued at roughly $4,500.

"Can you imagine that? Can you imagine pulling a god pack?" the father can be heard asking the employee. "You ain't got a better chance at a high than that", he continued. Then, his son Grayson opens the cards.

"God pack!", Grayson screams, "god pack!". "We literally talked that into existence!", the employee exclaims. The video (below) shows the pure joy the father, son, and store employee all share as they realize that the impossible has in fact happened.

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"Amazing, congrats! That’s what it’s all about, that kid's reaction", shared one commenter. "Look [how] the father embraces his boy and the son is so pumped wow that memories tied to that pack it’s truly priceless... I’m so ready I just want that memory", added another.

As this video shows, one of the best parts of any hobby is how it can bring families (and strangers) together over a shared common interest. Take a look at some other Pokemon cards that could be worth major cash below.

Old Pokemon Cards Worth a Ton of Cash

Hudson Valley Tarot Card & More Locations

All of us get curious about our future from time to time. Some of us go as far as consulting the tarot cards. If you are wondering what might be in store for you in the future why not pick one of these Hudson Valley shops and stop in for a reading?

Jeanne Muchnick

Mariachi Mexico, which made this food reporter's "Best thing I ate" list in 2023 and was also included on the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list, is closing due to a lease issue.

The sister-run Mexican spot, which has been in Armonk for 35 years — the past 11 of which were rebranded from Tex-Mex to a farm-to-table focus — will serve its last dinner March 23 with a party planned for March 22.

"The landlord has decided not to renew our lease, without providing a reason or previous notice," wrote chef/owner Joana Herrera in an Instagram post March 1. After "extensive negotiations" through their respective legal teams, an agreement was reached and an end date determined.

"While this chapter is closing, we will cherish the memories and experiences we've shared," posted Herrera, who said that while it's been emotional and difficult, she and her sister Meto Herrera are grateful for the unwavering support, loyalty and kindness.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate our customers for making our journey so rewarding."

A long history

There's been a lot of history and love in the building at 405 Main St. where Herrera's parents first signed the lease March 20, 1990, and where Meto and Herrera shared a lot of memories of what had been their parents' dream.

When Herrera received the USA TODAY "Best Restaurants" honors, she told The Journal News/lohud how grateful she was to be able to cook the kind of food she grew up with, and the importance of honoring traditions.

That meant a focus on seasonality with meals at Mariachi Mexico rarely the same. A large blackboard in the back was updated constantly, showcasing where Herrera, a regular at the Union Square Farmers Market, Hastings, Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow TaSH and Union Square Market, sourced from that week.

Mexican ingredients such as huitlacoche, hoja santa, squash blossom, papalo, pipicha, and alaches were also a big focus, with Herrara also growing her own flowers and herbs at the restaurant, visible from planters in front and back.

In addition, everything, from quesadillas plazeras to tetelas and memelas, are pressed to order, with many items gluten-free and vegan.

Judy Gilmartin-Willsey who's owned Framings in Armonk for 38 years, has long been one of the restaurant's regulars who is heartbroken by the news.

"I'm deeply saddened by the decision of the landlord to decide not to continue renting to a local restaurant which has been such a lovely part of our community," she said. "I know for a fact that this has nothing to do with their ability to pay or their popularity of their restaurant."

If you go

Address: 405 Main St., Armonk, 914-273-6805, mariachimexico.biz.

Hours: 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday; to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

35th Anniversary Celebration: from 6 to 10 p.m. March 22 with a DJ, a la carte food menu and a special cocktail menu.

Jeanne Muchnick

Mariachi Mexico in Armonk is a farm-to-table Mexican restaurant, where ingredients are sourced locally from the Hudson Valley, and this week it has made national news. Along with 46 other restaurants, it was included on the 2024 USA TODAY Restaurants of the Year list.

"My parents worked very hard to open their dream restaurant 33 years ago, and now, being selected as one of USA TODAY Restaurants of the year 2024 is a huge honor," said chef-owner Joana Herrera, who took over the restuarant with her sister Meto Herrera in 2013. They changed it from Tex-Mex to a modern farm-to-table spot. "I'm very, very grateful to be able to cook the kind of food I grew up with, honor traditions, and have strong relationships with the people who grow our food.”

What makes Mariachi Mexico stand out

Herrera has passion for seasonality, which means no two meals at Mariachi Mexico are ever the same. A large blackboard in the back of the dining room is constantly being updated, listing the farmers she's sourced from that week.

The 43-year-old Herrera likes to call her menu "back to the basics with a New York twist." That means a respect for tradition, using fresh nixtamalized corn masa for handpressed tortillas, molcajete for salas, molinillo for frothing chocolate and seasonal Hudson Valley ingredients. Everything, from quesadillas plazeras to tetelas and memelas, are pressed to order, with many items gluten-free and vegan.

Furthermore, each dish — whether it's shrimp tacos with salsa tatemada de molcajete and lime, tetela de hoja santa (made using an old family recipe for mole) or guacamole with market crudité and gluten-free tostada — is served like a tiny piece of art, complete with edible flowers.

The bounty of what's available at the markets — Manhattan's Union Square Greenmarket and the Hastings-on-Hudson and Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow TaSH farmers markets — is where Herrera gets her inspiration, often with loud music in her earpods and piping hot black coffee by her side. Her menu is tight and small and changes weekly.

That seasonality extends to the cocktails, which in the fall and winter tend to focus on classics such as Mezcal Negroni, Mexican coffee and sangria. The spring and summer feature margaritas and spritzes.

In addition to what she finds at the markets, Herrera, who grew up accompanying her grandmother to "Día de Plaza" (aka "Market Day") in Tlaxcuapan Mexico, also grows some of her own food. Come spring, summer and early fall, her planters, in front and in back of the restaurant, are full of herbs, edible flowers, veggies and flowers she uses for table decor.

The Herrera siblings (brother Pedro Herrera is also involved in the business) are keen on a "less is more" approach, which is reflected in the restaurant's minimalist decor and the handwritten motto etched into the rafters that reads: "Eat. Drink. Smile. Love. Cheers to Life."

What to order at Mariachi Mexico

Guacamole with Farm Fresh Crudités. With radish varieties, flowering broccoli, mustard greens, cuca melon and husk cherries, and garnished with flowering cilantro (and my fave sal de Tlaxcuapan, which comes from the family's generations-old salt mines), this dish tastes like a summer garden, even in the heart of winter.

Quesadilla Plazera. Since the menu is ever-changing you'll find these hand-pressed and stuffed with whatever's in season. Often, it's Oaxaca cheese, medium rare skirt steak and salsa tatemada, topped with farm-fresh baby greens, radish, extra virgin olive oil and salt. In peak season, you'll find edible flowers and herbs grown in house.

Shrimp Tacos. Again, the veggies will change, but usually you'll find plump shrimp nestled alongside salsa tatemada de molcajete, herbs and lime. The warm tortilla is like a hug wrapped around super fresh ingredients that shine in their simplicity.

See the full menu.

Did you know?

Even Herrera's salt is thoughtfully sourced — from generations-old family salt mines in Tlaxcuapan, Mexico.