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When the sun gets hot in NYC, I board the F train headed south. the ride is arduous and time-consuming, passing through all the Brooklyn avenues of the alphabet. I exit the final Stillwell Avenue station, and I smell it immediately. Sandy bottoms. Salt water. Freak shows.
A day at Coney Island.
Sure, Coney Island isn't a world class waterfront. Not anymore. There's broken glass in the sand. I never see any
surfers on the waves, and the housing projects immediately off the beach are some of the poorest in Brooklyn. But the city's first luxury hotel opened here in 1879. In 1884, the world's first roller coaster debuted. Its famous son, the Cyclone (b. 1927) still stands. And in 1923, Coney Island built its most legendary feature: the boardwalk. World class or not, this stretch of planked wood is so well known they wrote a song about it. And they have arepas. Arepas!
cup of horrible pina colada. It's all premixed in a blender; they pour in the mix and dump cheap rum on top. The giant cup is yours to keep, plus a short section of straw good for one free refill later. When the sun starts to dip, I get a soft serve and stand in line for the Cyclone. For the ride home, I munch funnel cake and spend the better part of half an hour getting powdered sugar off my legs.
This last Sunday, I broke my routine. A sign at my corn dog spot advertised a corn bread and mozzarela delight called a "mozzarepa." It looked like two stacked pancakes with melted cheese goodness in between. For only $2.50, I sealed the deal: fried sweet corn joy and dripping dairy, all on one plate with a little plastic fork. That night, I skipped the Cyclone for the Top Spin and had the time of my life.
The next day, I couldn't get the mozzarepa off my mind. What should have been a one night stand turned into an obsession; before I knew it, I was at the corner store, buying mozzarella and corn bread mix. I cooked golden corn flapjacks and stacked them generously with cheese. It was like dinner with the panting loser when your real love
won't return your calls.
Neither the Food Network site nor Wikipedia gave me results for "mozzarepa," so I turned to Google. The results generally disappointed, though Chris Kula (http://www.chriskula.com/) offered the priceless description: "fried cornbread that is 'raped' by mozzarella." The Gothamist had an excellent feature on NYC street food that shed actual light on the mozzarepa, describing it as a variation on the arepa.
The arepa, according to Wikipedia, is a Venezuelan maize flour cake, though common in other Latin American cuisines. It can be fried, grilled or baked. Once it is cooked, it is split open and stuffed with various delectables like cheese or beans. In the olden days, making the dough took sweat and tears. The maize had to be soaked,
peeled, and ground with a mortar and pestle. Fortunately, in 1960, the Venezuelan company Empresas Polar introduced Harina P.A.N. Other pre-cooked arepa corn flours have since been introduced, but Harina P.A.N.
remains the most popular--so popular that, like Kleenex, its name is synonymous with its product.
Though rent prices are ridiculous, New York City living does offer great perks, and my local supermarket had Harina P.A.N. for less than five bucks. Tuesday night dinner was arepas with mozzarela, cooked
according to this recipe. I teared up at the taste. Eating in my living room isn't as entertaining as
Coney Island munching, but my tastebuds liked the arepa better. So much better, in fact, that I woke up Wednesday with the hunger still inside me. What else could I fill an arepa with? Who should I look to for inspiration?
The answer exists at 7th St. and 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, in the New York-living-room-sized Caracas Arepa Bar.To the best of my knowledge, it is the only arepa-specializing-eatery in the city. The space barely squeezes fifteen guests at a time, but they all leave with full bellies, adoring tongues, and (surprisingly) thick wallets. I ate their last night, and each arepa was less than $3-$6, a price not far from the humble $2.50 mozzarepa.
My companion tried a meat empanada and the "la Gato," arepa stuffed to the brim with plantains, avocado and cheese (pictured); I ordered a "domino" (black beans and cheese) and "los muchacos" (chorizo, cheese and jalapenos). The cook fried the arepas to protection, sliced them open, and emptied them of their golden innards for the filling. Not unlike a mini corn
pita. All three absolutely floored the both of us. The arepa alone was delicious, but the fillings upped the ante. The final bill was mere icing on the cake: with two beers at a paltry $4 each, we each barely spent $15--a miracle in this city.
Next time I hop the south bound F train, I'll be sure vary my routine. Fried boardwalk food might seem trashy, but it all had its beginnings elsewhere. I lucked out and found a real treasure, as affordable and far more delectable. (Erich Kuersten was the "companion" mentioned, but this bit of arepa reminiscence comes to you courtesy Yukari Rymar.)
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6-22-2006 @9:08PM Hawk said... Oh. My. God.
I'm gonna eat one of those. Or many of those. Or a billion!
I can't eat wheat. There is no wheat in it. It looks good. mmmmmmmmmmm.
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6-22-2006 @9:20PM christine said... Loved your article-- so much fun! And to continue your arepa obsession, you may want to try http://www.florskitchen.com They serve very delicious things, including arepas.
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6-22-2006 @9:31PM Guillermo said... Wow, I eat arepas almost every day and I never thought of eating them with mozarella... I usually eat them with white cheeses (paisa, telita or queso de mano) or with some shredded gouda.
And thanks for the tip on Caracas Arepa Bar; now I know where to eat the next time I'm in NY and feeling nostalgic. Too bad they don't sell Polar beer, though.
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6-22-2006 @10:26PM ils said... ive heard of the venezuelan arepas and have been planning to try out caracas arepa bar. but you have barely scratched the surface. I'm an arepa novice at best and i've already tried colombian arepas and puerto rican arepas. Im sure most latin american countries have their versions. The puerto rican version has no cheese and is a lot more like a biscuit than a corn pancake. all were good. we got a lot more to learn about this savory cake people!
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6-22-2006 @11:15PM chonguey said... Ahhhh, arepas.
I lived in Venezuela for two years and I usually ate them every day in the homes of the common citizen. And in my mind there is only one "true" arepa, the one that the common man eats:
A deep fried arepa with milk and sugar in the mix to give it a touch of sweetness, cut in half and stuffed with a fried egg, the cheapest of the cheap ham and cheez whiz. Nothing hits the spot better than that grease bomb. It's a thing of beauty.
I've made them with higher quality ingredients before like shredded beef, lettuce and tomato, but they lack that "authentic touch" that the above combination has.
Oh, man. Now I need to get some Harina P.A.N. from the local hispanic market and make one.
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6-23-2006 @12:23AM drea said... Oh wow, that sounds so amazing. I saw that picture and I knew I wanted to eat whatever it was.. I think it was the huge chunks of avocado that drew me.
I've got to dig around in my city for this! Next time I'm in NY I'll definitely try to remember to go to this place.
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6-23-2006 @4:46AM Joly said... thanks for this information!
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6-23-2006 @7:05AM Boutros said... I visited Caracas Arepas Bar last November and it blew my mind. I had a beef and black bean arepa, w/ cheese stuffed fried plantains as an appetizer. I can't wait to go back. I don't know why these have not swept the nation. A hundred times better than a taco or quesadilla.
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6-23-2006 @8:23AM nika said... Colombian Arepas de Huevos - pure heaven on earth.
Had it on a street corner in Bogota.. a hand-sized arepa was patted out (made with yellow harina.. I dont know about venesuelan arepas), deep fried and stored for the next customer. When you walk up, the street chef splits the edge of the large semi-cooked arepa (still a bit soft inside and piping hot) and a raw egg is plopped inside and the edge is crimped back shut. Then this is quickly dropped into the huge cauldron of boiling fat and removed as soon as the egg is set up.
We munched on these (with plenty of napkins) on the street. Was divine - tasted good and we knew that it had been sterilized by the hot fat.. what more could you ask for?!
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6-23-2006 @9:37AM Vanessa said... Erich – I’m sooooo with you! I can’t get enough of these tasty things and they are really really easy to make at home. You’ve got to use “masa harina” sometimes called “instant corn masa mix.” You can get it in the flour area of your grocery or a Mexican specialty store. You can see my last arepa adventure here – Arepas with Pink Beans and Habanero Sofrito. But to make the magical mozzarepas you can make the arepas as described, but make your dough ball in the shape of a dough-mozz-dough sandwich before you fry it up. Using butter instead of the olive oil I described would make it even more sinful. Mmmmmm mozzarepalicous!
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6-23-2006 @10:03AM Luis said... If you like arepas you should try their cousins from El Salvador: pupusas. Thick corn tortillas filled with beef or beans or cheese or pork rinds or a combination of these, topped with tangy cabbage and a spicy red sauce. Delicious. Last time I was in New York (about 6 years ago) there were several great pupusa places on the northernmost tip of Manhattan and, when I went, it was about $1 for a pupusa. Great food with a great name.
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6-23-2006 @1:56PM frodo said... I am frantically searching on google for anywhere in the Seattle area that may serve these. They look heavenly.
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6-24-2006 @9:24AM Victoria said... Hi,
I am an arepa lover Venezuelan living in NYC. There are 3 places to eat arepas in Manhattan:
Caracas Arepa Bar
Flor’s Kitchen, (in two locations: 149 First Avenue and 170 Waverly Place)
El cocotero (228 W 18th St)
....ahhh and in my home!
Enjoy!!
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7-24-2006 @11:02PM liz said... I'm from Venezuela, and the reason I think arepas haven't become as popular as tacos or quesadillas is because mexicans have been in this country much, much longer than us. Venezuelan immigration to the U.S. is only now starting to increase in large numbers. For those arepa lovers out there, I recommend getting an AREPERA. The first time i saw one i just laughed. It looks like a sandwich maker, but it actually makes some pretty good arepas caraceñas. The caraceñas tend to have a smaller circumference and are usually so stuffed that they look like they're ready to pop. Good luck finding an arepa maker, I haven't searched too hard for one, but i was able to find one from Oster. The only down side is that it makes six at a time, a little too many for me. I'll stick to the old-school grill for now, the way my grandma taught me how to make them.
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