VENEZUELA
[UPDATE: CLOSED]
Since I first noticed this small shop on mainly residential 6th Avenue in Sunset Park, I have tried to eat there three times, with only one success. The first time was on a Wednesday, which they happen to be closed on. It turns out they take a three day weekend, Monday through Wednesday. The second time was the successful one, and this past Friday I tried again to sample a couple more items but at lunch time they were inexplicably closed. Two people were inside and one shook the closed sign when I tried to open the door.
I was very excited for Venezuelan cuisine to come to my neighborhood, but after these three trips I might give "Finest" some time to settle in and figure out what it wants to be. Even the meal I was able to have here was a bit off due to the fact that the woman working the counter spent most of her time outside with her boyfriend.
What I did like, was the Venezuelan perro caliente ($4, below), which I crammed down while waiting on a friend to arrive. There is cheese and chips and coleslaw on this beef dog (and yes that is a literal translation of "hot dog"), as well as the ubiquitous pink sauce you find around Venezuelan fast food, a kind of spiced mayo.
Also highly recommended is the papelon ($3, below), a cane sugar drink with a lot of lime. It comes close to being the most refreshing drink of all time, I just wish it did not go down so quickly.
As you can already see, every item served even for dining in is given in a throwaway plastic or aluminum container. I am not a fancy person, I just hate to waste so much and I hope they switch to real plates for customers that take their food in house.
Tequeños ($4, below) are iconic Venezuelan fast food, simple fried sticks of cheese with that aforementioned pink mayo. I would pass on these next time, unfortunately.
They have a decent selection of arepa choices, which would allow variety for the regular customer. We chose de pabellon ($6, below), which has beans and plantains stuffed in with the meat of your choice. I definitely want to try more of the other options.
Irresistable on the menu was the infamous bien me sabe ($5, below), a large heavy brick of coconut cake and a splash of cinnamon. It also seems to have a splash of rum, but despite being tasty was just too dense and rich for me to have more than two or three bites.
I want to like this place more. I will try some other things and hope for the best. Let's just hope they decide to open the next time I try.
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