caracas arepa bar

7th st, just E of 1st ave

i found this place originally through various new york restaurant search engines as a cheap, interesting and tasty place to eat. turns out though that people i know like it! i decided to give it a try last night for my non-date.

unfortunately, i was concentrating more on following and perpetuating the great conversation we were having than on the food itself, so i can’t say a whole lot about the arepa i got except that i have a general impression of its tastiness. i ordered the “de pabellon” which included black beans, shredded beef (i think), sweet plantains and a sprinkling of cheese ($4.50). we also split an appetizer of tajadas (tejadas?), the usual fried plantains, except without the yummy sauce that usually comes with them. these came also with a little container of crumbly cheese. not as good an accompaniment, i would have to say. the arepas were smaller than i expected, so should i go again (and i will, to try more!), i would probably get two or share an appetizer and 3 arepas with another person. altogether, it makes it not as great of a bargain as i thought it would be, but despite the tiny space and my lack of attention to the food, i thoroughly enjoyed the combined food/atmosphere experience.

in total, a brahma, split appetizer, and arepa cost me $15 including tax & tip. were i to get a fuller meal, i would plan on spending $20. the menu has about 15 arepas, all waiting to be tried.

(although venezuelan would be the more accurate categorization of this little e. village nook (hello, caracas), i’ve decided instead to create a “latin” category which will probably for the moment be more useful as a “catch-all” category.)