I love living in New York City for many reasons, one of which happens to be the endless amounts of culinary adventures one can take. Areppas, which is a fast-casual Venezuelan eatery, celebrated its 1-year anniversary earlier this week by showcasing some new items on their menu that were nothing short of absolutely delicious.
Fast-casual has become a major trend here in NYC, but we aren’t just talking about your basic type of places that serve those run-of-the-mill sandwiches and soups that you can get in anywhere, USA.
Manhattanites are smarter than that. If we are going to spend $10 to $15 for our lunch or dinner on the go, we want what we are eating to have quality to it when it comes to the ingredients inside each dish. Areppas is a fabulous example of that and a place that I will go back to over and over again.
Their spot on 3rd avenue between 57th and 58th street shut down for a press only event on Monday night, where we were treated to what’s new on their menu. For those who are unfamiliar with what an “areppas” is, it’s described as a daily bread from Venezuela that has a cornmeal base to it. It’s then grilled or baked and split open, where you can fill it with an assortment of items such as pulled pork or Grilled Chicken.
I opted to try one of their bowl items, as for some reason it was calling my name that night. The odd thing about Areppas is that the combination of flavors that I put in my bowl aren’t ones that would mesh normally, but they all blended together to make one heck of a meal.
I had their yellow rice as the base of the bowl (super yummy) and paired that with the pulled pork and grilled chicken alongside a ton of plantains, de mano cheese and some spicy sauce on top. So. Freaking. Amazing. My taste buds are still watering thinking about it.
They are committed to giving back by feeding a hungry child in Latin America with every meal sold at Areppas through the UNA X UNA nonprofit. As a result of the initiative, over 40,000 kids have received meals thus far.
For more information on Areppas, please check out their official website.