interesting food, good experience for lunch. what an interesting, and delicious, experience. we chose to go with a bowl approach with white rice, meat, & toppings, with sauces and an arepa on the side rather than the "pocket sandwich" approach.
the arepa is like a corn pancake with a pocket - in fact, it very much reminds me of the fried cornbread "fritters" my mother used to make - makes an ol' southern boy tearup a little, but i digress. the corn taste is prevalent, so i'd rather not have it encompass the entire mixture on every bite, but add it a little at atime- add to the bowl as a side for $1.
both the pork and the spicy, shredded beef were excellent - full of flavor and very tender. the toppings were all fresh tasting - pico de gallo, white cheese, black beans, carmalized onions (i very highly recommend these bad boys), plantains, guacamole, and more. the combination of flavors is amazing, and then you add sauces - cilantro, mustard, and the red spicy one (great on the shredded beef) - it just gets better. the white rice (i passed on the brown rice - i rarely try to eat the healthy stuff at lunch) is loaded with peas and corn - so cool.
the folks here are as friendly and helpful as i encountered in a while - i asked, they answered. the place is in a multi-use center off lake boone trail, and a little difficult to find at first, and parking is simply a mess at peak times - but it is worth it. the restaurant is basically a modern, but rather spartan, setup - plastic plates and utensils - semi-cafeteria setup - chairs that encourage quick meals - but it is worth it - a fun trip, good food, nice folks.
when i go back to raleigh, and i will, this will be one of the reasons.