The other day I treated myself to a manicure in a place where there is a small high def television at every nail drying station. In addition, the salon has a huge screen; all televisions are tuned to The Food Network.

There are a dozen or so lovely ladies with wet nails drooling over Paula Dean’s presentations, or Bobby Flay’s. I happened to hit Bobby on a good day: he was challenging the owner of Caracas Arepa Bar to a “Throwdown” challenge. Who can make the better arepas?

Caracas won. Sorry, Mr. Bobby the Foodie Ego. You can’t beat this place! And so I made the journey the following day with gustatory visions swelling in my head.

Located at 91 East 7th Street in the East Village, not far from the Fillmore East and Tompkins Square Park, the 60’s hippie havens (and very close to where I grew up), the little store front devours lines of people who dutifully wait outside for a table. It’s worth the wait.

Arepas are a Venezuelan staple; a little white corn cake, with a crunch on the outside and a doughy cloud on the inside. They are stuffed with meat, beans, guacamole. The owner, Maribel Araujo, is lovely and so very personable. I believe the chef’s name is Ilse, and her creations are spactacular though simple. We ordered an assortment of arepas, (La Surena, La Popular, La Pernil, a plate of “yoyos” (stuffed fried plantains), and tostones, elegantly presented crispy plantains topped with cheese. We washed it all down with juice; make mine passion fruit.

There is now another branch of the Caracas Arepa Bar in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Photography by the author~click to enlarge

Talking about the lines outside the door; this one goes down the block. Forget any doughnut you’ve ever had and head on down to Grand Street (right across the street from my alma mater Seward Park High School,) and check out The Doughnut Plant. (Bakery of the Year 2008)
Give a click and check out the flavors.

Yesterday’s special was Meyer Lemon, but trust me the creme brulée is mighty fine, as is the chocolate hazlenut. What a day.