A few months ago I was hanging out in the Lower East Side when I came across a new Venezuelan restaurant,
Guayoyo. So this week when I spun the globe to see what tasty cuisine I'd be exploring and it landed on Venezuela, I knew exactly where to go. There are plenty of Venezuelan restaurants in NYC (all offer very similar dishes), but what I like about
Guayoyo is their service.
The staff here is incredibly attentive and they go out of their way to make sure you have an enjoyable experience.
Immediately after I sat down the waiter brought over a plate of plantain chips with a very spicy black bean dip.
I have to be honest I’m not crazy about beans so when I got this I was a bit hesitant to dip the plantain chips in the bean dip, but once I did I couldn’t stop, it was that good.
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| Plantain chips with Black Bean Dip (also Garlic & Jalapeño sauces for Arepa) |
I ordered a
Queso Guayanés & Avocado arepa. Arepas are corn flour patties that are stuffed with all sorts of items from meats, vegetables, etc.
I kept my arepa simple, avocado and cheese. The Queso Guayanés is a white cheese from the Southeastern part of Venezuela; it tastes like mozzarella cheese, just a little saltier.
This arepa doesn’t really have much personality but they serve it with two different sauces, a garlic sauce and a jalapeño sauce.
I prefer the garlic sauce so I added it to my arepa and that gave it all the personality it needs. LOL
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| Avocado & Queso Guayanés Arepa |
For the main entree I asked for a traditional Venezuelan dish, the waiter recommended Asado negro so I decided to go with that one.
This is a beautiful dish, I like when my food looks pretty.
The Asado negro is a Venezuelan roast beef made with garlic, onions, peppers, sugar, soy sauce and some other tasty ingredients.
The beef was super tender and flavorful.
The plantains were sweet, as expected.
I didn’t eat the rice/beans cause I wanted to leave room for dessert.
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| Asado Negro |
The waiter gave me another fabulous recommendation for dessert; he suggested I try the Bienmesabe.
The literal translation of “Bienmesabe” is “It tastes good to me”. It’s a sponge cake with a coconut cream filling, a meringue topping with a little bit of cinnamon. This is a moist cake and it really does taste good, actually it’s REALLY good.
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| Bienmesabe |
My food adventure at Guayoyo was wonderful and very filling.
I hope you indulge in some Venezuelan treats, whether at Guayoyo or at your preferred Venezuelan restaurant.
Buen Provecho!
Guayoyo
67 First Avenue (at 4
th Street)
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212.979.6646
Closest Subway Stop: 2nd Ave (
F)
