Orinoco Restaurant, Boston, MA

By now, you may have realized Diego and I live in the Boston area. So, if you know anything about the culinary world around here you might be wondering how can we have a brunch blog and never blogged about any South End spots....

We did most of that area before starting the blog and, trying not to repeat places, we hadn't been back in a while.

That changed this weekend, when we brunched at Orinoco, a cozy Venezuelan restaurant located in Boston's South End, with great atmosphere, delicious passion fruit -panchita- juices and filling arepas.

The menu is mostly comprised of small plates; empanadas, fried sweet plantains, bacon-wrapped dates, seven different types of savory arepas, and two sweet arepas (banana and berries). There are also bigger plates, like salads -although we didn't try them, so I don't know how "big" they actually are- a pork sandwich and several breakfast plates.

I ordered just an arepa (a grilled corn pocket sandwich) with stewed

shredded beef, called arepa Mechada. First, let me say that the sauce was absolutely delicious; tomato-based and slightly sweet, complemented the tender meat perfectly. Second, the arepas come as they are -no garnishes or side

dishes; a 3in. corn dough with about four tablespoons of filling. Ex-post, I know that would have been enough for me (a petite woman), but ex-ante, I had to order something else for the meal to feel complete. I went with the fried green plantains, one of my all-time favorite caribbean dishes and a great option at Orinoco; without sugar added and at the right point exactly before getting crispy.

Diego, also thinking that one arepa would not be enough went even further and ordered the Resuelto breakfast plate. It was basically a "deconstructed" Mechada (meat on the plate and arepa on the side), with tomato and fried onion scrambled eggs, and black beans. A powerful dish aimed to feed any Latin macho. As such, Diego finished it all helped with many cups of coffee and a passion fruit juice.

I also had a passion fruit-based beverage: a passion fruit mimosa that arrived at the table at the same time we were finishing the meal(!), as if it were an aperitif, rather than an actual drink. But it was so amazingly delicious that I didn't say zilch and I zipped it as dessert.

All in all, Orinoco was a great discovery. It felt very authentic and the food tasted and looked really homemade. In addition, we got there exactly before the place started getting crowded. There were three of us (Pablo, the third bruncher had the berries sweet arepas) and we could choose between a small table and a booth. A couple of minutes later it would have been no longer the case. However, I was checking the waiting line the whole time and I don't think anyone waited for more than 10 minutes (there are not that many tables; just enough to fit the crowd) a clear plus when looking for a relaxed place to brunch.