Pica Pica Maize Kitchen
August 10, 2010 A couple of weeks ago I was invited to try the menu at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. Known for their popular Venezuelan arepas and maize'wiches, this is the second location that recently opened in the Mission district. The passion for bringing Venezuelan street food to the local masses is palpable in co-founder Adriana López Vermut's eyes. This California Arepera is also a mecca for celiacs as everything is wheat and gluten-free. They even serve gluten-free beer.
Pica Pica's veggie arepa (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).
Our hearty arepas, or grilled corn flour flatbread, were filled with Pepeada chicken salad and Pernil pulled pork fillings. These were delicious, but my personal favorite was the cachapa. The yellow corn pancake lent a sweet contrast to the classic ham and cheese filling - super yummy. The crispy, airy yuca (cassava) fries are also quite addictive. They go well with the six dipping sauces; I especially enjoyed the tamarind, garlic aioli and spiced ketchup.
Cachapa Pabellon (Credit: Pica Pica Maize Kitchen).
Dessert doesn't dissapoint either. Their delightful dulce de leche alfajores are made with yuca flour, making it a tasty gluten-free cookie. They're so good the entire table gobbled them within seconds. Get a few bags on the way out, or nibble on some with their El Rey hot chocolate. They're supposed to launch new passionfruit and guava flavors right now, so be sure to check them out. They also have an amazing coconut lemonade and you can get their Picaro 2005 house cabernet by the glass (bottles sold at Napa location).
Dulce de leche alfajores (Credit: Giovanni Nakpil).
For more Latin fun, Pica Pica has a live salsa night at their Napa Oxbow Market location every first Friday of the month. They also plan to hold more special events, such as the holiday tamale festival sometime in December.
Yuca fries and sweet plantains (Credit: Pica Pica).
To see the menu: picapicakitchen.com
For editorial consideration, a press visit was arranged for this review.
Reader Comments (1)
Oh, those look SO good.