Restaurant Review: Thanksgiving special, GOBBLE IT ALL!!
Thanksgiving is legit one of my favorite holidays. Each year I make plans to visit various places, bring wine, my grateful cheer and EAT. Turkey Day leftovers are always a bonus to this time spent with family and friends. I get to savor those morsels of goodness long after Thanksgiving Day is done. So when I heard about PuyeroVenezuelan Flavor (524 S 4th St) filling their Venezuelan arepas with tons of tasty Thanksgiving leftovers I was like “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I neeeeeed this in my life RIGHT NOW!”
Near 4th and South Street I discovered Puyero marked by a big beautiful yellow sign (pic above) shining like the sun. It’s sky blue exterior with wooden doors make it cozy and inviting. You can’t miss it!
Walking into Puyero the vibe is super chill and welcoming. The smell of deliciousness hits your nose the moment you step inside. Latin music lightly serenades you. The interior is bright and colorful with a really cool wall mural with various sayings in both Spanish and English (top pic). It’s a dine-in/take-out joint. Simply grab a clipboard menu off the wall, (bottom pic) place your order at the counter and have a seat. They serve their delicious food at the table or you can also carry-out. Simon, one of the owners of Puyero took my order. He and everyone working had a beautiful friendly energy about them that was authentic to the cultural vibe of the space.
The Thanksgiving Special Menu (bottom pic) was very easy to follow. I was “hungrier than a tick on a teddybear.” (pic above)
Puyero has three types of drink offerings. I tried the freshly made“Papelón con Limón”($3 top pic) a rock cane sugar mix with water and lemon. From the looks of it I thought it was going to be like ice tea but it has more like apple cider tea. Bold and crisp in flavor. This was the perfect drink to go along with the Thanksgiving Special. The other drink “Cilantro Lemonade” ($3 bottom pic) packed a lemony punch with the cilantro as a surprising back kick. At moments, it was a little too acidic for me but overall very refreshing. It wouldn’t be my first choice to go with the Thanksgiving Special. My perfect combo of the house drinks would be 1-part “Cilantro Lemonade” to 3-parts “Papelón con Limón”. A sublime combination—I could drink it for days.
Each table had Puyero’s homemade red and green sauce. I’m huge fan of the homemade sauces and like to put them on everything. The green sauce (left pic) reminded of a tartar sauce bathed in savory herbs—very earthy and creamy. It would pair well with the seafood or cheesy regular menu options. The red sauce (right pic) was my jam! It carried a sweet smoky chipotle spicy bite that was out of this world. I wanted to drink it, make bloody mary’s with it, bottle it up and carry it with me always. Though the sauces were great on their own, I’m so glad I tasted them before I had my Thanksgiving Leftover Mouth Party because they wouldn’t go well with this Thanksgiving Special.
Gobble-Gobble Arepa $9 – Sweet potato stuffed with turkey and gravy, brussel sprouts, and side of cranberry sauce
Where do I even begin with this rustic, hearty, stick to your insides, in all the right places deliciousness?! This arepa (pictured above) is smiling at me with gravy dripping goodness. The turkey is sooo moist drenched in that gravy. The turkey pieces are just the right size for this pocket of joy. That graaaaaavy! That gravy is what your abuela gives you to warm your soul when you think the world has turned its back on you. The brussel sprouts (which are one my favorite veggies by the way) the way in which they just sat in the bottom of that arepa like footed comfy pajamas on a cold day is real. I enjoyed a few bites without the cranberry sauce then I smothered that tangy joy all up in it. That took it up a whole notch. Listen this Gobble Gobble Arepa is what you order when you need some warmth in your being. It’s hearty rustic deliciousness. #thanksgivingleftoverlunchordinner
Turkey Day Cachapa $9– Sweet corn pancake with turkey and gravy, mozzarella and a side of cranberry sauce
Ohhhh Turkey Day Cachapa you have captured by heart. This is what leftover Thanksgiving breakfast/brunch food should taste like. This is like a microscope into the Thanksgiving cosmos. This Turkey Day Cachapa is what my leftover dreams are made of. Let’s talk about the size of this beautiful creation. It’s enough for two people, so I’m glad I had someone to share it. It can also be enjoyed solo in all its complex glory. At first this can look real unassuming (top pic) but then you open it up ( left pic) and its messy goodness. Listen if you’re trying to be cute while eating this good luck. You just have to put your elbows on the table strap your seat belt and travel into the Turkey Day Cachapa galaxy. The sweet corn pancake is a fluffy pillow that houses the insides perfectly. We’ve already talked about the moist turkey and gravy combo above, but somehow this combo is enhanced by the thick slices of mozzarella inside. After you drizzle the cranberry goodness all over its insides, added by the secret surprise of the sour creamy cloud of goodness (middle pic), you are transported (right pic) into another dimension of food bliss. I wanted to lick the insides of the paper, that’s how good it was. But I didn’t because I was in public and would have completely embarrassed my dinner companion. If you want to experience your leftover Thanksgiving dreams-come-true for $9 the Turkey Day Cachapa is the real MVP! #thanksgivingleftovermvp
Thanksgiving Chocolate Arepas $4.50 – 3 chocolate mini arepas stuffed with apple and cinnamon topped with whip cream.
The Thanksgiving Chocolate Arepas are really adorable (pic above). A bite of the chocolate arepa alone was a bit chewy and dense, but when dipped inside the apple cinnamon topped with whipped cream it was a perfect harmonic mix. I broke my chocolate mini arepas into smaller bites, and baptized them in the pool of apple cinnamon sauce. The whipped cream alone is airy and satisfying and would be worth topping off the Andes Style Hot Chocolate.
Andes Style Hot Chocolate $3 – Thick hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon
Andes Style Hot Chocolate, you my love are in a lane all your own. This isn’t you regular box, local café, or even Starbucks hot chocolate. #noshade This, right here, is rich chocolatey decadence in a cup. Have you ever had a homemade chocolate pie made with pudding filling just before it sets up in the refridgerator? Take that gooey filling and warm it up, adding a touch of cinnamon and you may be close to the Andes Style Hot Chocolate (pic above). The consistency was a surprise—thick in the best way possible. After you taste this, you’ll wonder why you ever settled for the other hot chocolates. It’s what sipping on sweet substance is made for. Is it a drink? Is it a dessert? Is it both? Andes Style Hot Chocolate represents the sweetest memories of Thanksgiving. Take your dessert up a notch by dipping the mini chocolate arepa inside the Andes Style Hot Chocolate. #mindblowingcombo
Puyero Venezuelan FlavorThanksgiving Special is from now until Sunday, November 26. Pueryo will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and re-open on Black Friday at 5:00pm. Puyero will be open regular hours all other days around Thanksgiving. That’s like a good seven days to experience this deliciousness. So whether you grab this Thanksgiving Special on the go, dining solo, or with family or friends, I’m sure you’ll end up like I did with a “full belly, happy heart.” (pic above)
Get your order on!!
For more information, call Pueryo (267) 928-4584 or visit http://www.puyeroflavor.com/
Reply to this review and tell me how you enjoyed your Puyero Venezuelan FlavorThanksgiving Special experience. Until next time, this has been #blackmzfrizzleonthamove!!
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