Boston,MA~Viva Mi Arepa

On my last stint in Boston in March, I decided to venture off into a small suburb in Massachusetts to check out a Venezuelan hole-in-the-wall restaurant. When I happen to have some spare time to venture off, I usually search for eating places on Yelp.com.  I stumbled across Viva Mi Arepa, read the reviews and decided to check it out. 

The counter staff was really friendly and helped me make my selections.  I knew that I wanted an arepa (which could be ordered grilled or fried).  I asked if the grilled or fried arepa was better and the lady responded with, "They both have a unique flavor, but fried is good."
 "Fried it is!"
While I waited for my order a couple of people stopped in and ordered beans and rice.  I contemplated purchasing a plate of beans and rice, but thought it would be wasteful to order all that food.

The arepa does not look like much, but it was made to order and was delicious! An arepa is basically a deep-fried corn cake that can be sliced in half and filled with a meat, cheese, fruit, or vegetable filling.  The outside of the arepa is like a crunchy corn bread/shell with a hint of sweetness.

See all that chicken filling? Yum! The arepa came with this garlic cilantro sauce was just the right mix of bright green notes and creaminess.  I did not finish the arepa in one sitting and even 45 minutes later-the arepa still still tasted good!
Unfortunately, I now have arepas stuck in my head and have been trying to seek out restaurants in Dallas that serve arepas, gorditas, sopes, or pupusas. (Yes, I know, those foods are all not the same even though Wikipedia classifies these fried corn/masa products in the same category).   I haven't been able to find a restaurant that comes close to what I ate in Massachusetts and I've checked out a few.  I'm afraid that Mike thinks that I have become obsessed with these arepas!

Cheese empanada-Deep-fried sweet corn dough surrounding cheese.  This was delicious too, but not as good as the arepa that I am constantly thinking about.

Viva Mi Arepa
5197 Washington St
West Roxbury, MA 02132
(617) 323-7844