Dish & Spoone visit our block and find a Warhol Superstar ready to recommend a neighborhood eatery.
That afternoon we were loitering near the Chelsea Hotel, reminiscing about our nights at Warhol's Factory, when a former superstar, looking much the worse for wear, emerged from the lobby. After exchanging air-kisses, we asked her the buzz on lunch in the neighborhood. She cadged a cigarette and whispered, "El Cocotero. Get the arepas." El Cocotero´s cool blue walls, terracotta floors and potted palms created an oasis of elegant calm. Luis, the gregarious owner, related tales of his childhood in Venezuela and plied us with samples of a tangy molasses-flavored limeade.
Arepas, which look like small round sandwiches, are thick corn-flour cakes stuffed with every conceivable filling. El Cocotero grinds its own corn flour and offers arepas in artful combinations. Luis recommended one with chicken, avocado, and cilantro, and one with roasted pork and green pepper mojo sauce.
The simple ingredients, so deftly prepared, absolutely shone. We loved the aquacate salad, in which creamily ripe avocado, tomatoes and field greens were dressed with a dazzlingly zesty lime vinaigrette. Bill: $19.25.
El Cocotero
228 West 18th Street
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