Peyton's Plate: Quiero Arepas

On my plate this week: Quiero Arepas. I’ve been hearing rumors for a while now that this humble little Venezuelan kitchen dishes out the bestarepas in Denver, so I had to taste it for myself. On a recent trip to their food stall at Avanti F+B, we got the Pabellon arepa (the national dish of Venezuela, stuffed with tender stewed beef, black beans, sweet plantains, and mozzarella cheese) and the Pollo Guisado (stewed, shredded chicken breast, black beans, and mozzarella cheese). We topped both with the kitchen’s signature guasacaca (a housemade avocado-cilantro sauce), and both were quite literally overflowing — in fact, I’d almost be willing to argue they were too packed, except it helps the $15-per-arepa price tag go down a little easier.

The quality of the Venzuelan corn-based flatbread is what makes a good arepa, and this one was nice and crispy on the outside while remaining fluffy and doughy on the inside, with the perfect touch of saltiness and that ideal mealy arepa texture. Our juicy, drippy stewed meat arepas were certainly divine, but when I go back I might actually opt for La Original (a vegan option) or the simple Queso Arepa to really let the star ingredients shine properly. (See the full menu here.)

Impressed though I already was with my meal at Quiero Arepa, they earned even more praise when I learned that they boast an almost entirely organic and locally-sourced menu; they were also the first certified gluten-free food truck in the nation

👏Rating: 7/10; pretty damn impressed

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