Earth To Eats

Arepa City Review

6th April, 2010 - Posted by Scott - No Comments

After months and months and of trying to get to Arepa City, I finally made it.  Including the iced tea I bought on the way in so I had change for the meter, the meter, and food, it was $14.  I was able to park on the street about a 1/4 block away and wheel my children down in their stroller.  Someone working in the downtown Harrisburg area could probably be there in 10 minutes, eat  and be back to the office in under an hour for $10.

Before I get too far into this, I should define an arepa for those of you, like I was, who are unfamiliar with them.  An arepa is a corn bun that is a staple of Venezuelan cooking.  It is made with a corn flour, grilled, and then either stuffed with a filling, or topped with ingredients.

I got a queso arepa with queso fresco and a pernil arepa (slow roasted pork) with spicy slaw (I asked to have that added).  Both were awesome but I was a bit fearful when I opened the box and was greeted by them.  The presentation didn’t say anything and they didn’t look impressive at all.  The wonderful taste more than made up for my reservations.

The prices for the arepas are all a dollar or two higher than when I first looked at the menu way back when, but versus the pictures I originally saw it looks like they are much larger than before.  They originally looked like a 3-4″ bun, similar to a basic fast food hamburger.  They are actually in the 5-6″ range, more like a sit down restaurant burger.

The queso was tasty and let me really enjoy the bun, which is familiar but different.  The first bite was generic corn bread, but that impression quickly passed as each bite drew me further towards the center.  It was nicely toasted on the outside that gave a nice resistance which was chewy in the mouth with the nutty flavor that corn can have coming through.  The the center underneath this crust was soft and warm and with a flavor like plain fresh popcorn.  A very odd mix and much better than the first impression.

The pork with spicy slaw I will certainly want to get again.  The slaw had little in common with the American counterpart other than the cabbage and was hot enough to start my nose running.  Very refreshing and opened the palate to enjoy the flavor of the pork, which was incredibly savory.  It was also among the most tender pieces of pork I’ve ever encountered.

All in all a good experience, even a delay in getting home to eat it.  Arepa City has earned a spot on my gluten free dining list.  Go out and give it a try.

You can view the full menu and see pictures of the inside of the restaurant here:

http://arepacity.com/Arepa-City-Harrisburg-Venezuela-Restaurant-Menu.php