The arepas you get from stands dotting the festival grounds at Bonnaroo — slightly sweet cornmeal pucks fried ’til they’re just firm and slathered in melted mozzarella — are delectable, and at six bones each, they constitute one of the best deals in festival food. But for the same price, Ivonne and Fidel Vasquez’s Venezuelan eatery has a helluva sandwich for you, based on their excellent arepas. They split the cornmeal patty and stuff it to the brim with black beans, chicken, beef, chorizo or their most popular meat option: tender roast pork, sliced with the fat on, and tossed in salsa negra, then topped with shredded Gouda cheese, tomato and salsa rosada (ketchup blended with mayonnaise). For an extra two bucks, wash it down with mango juice, papelon (water, sugarcane and lemon juice) or chicha, a cinnamon-dusted refreshment made from boiled rice and sweetened milk that’s so thick you can barely sip it through a straw.
The only downside to Caracasville is that you have to catch it whenever you can. Currently, the only fixed location is the Grow Local Kitchen at the Nashville Farmers’ Market, where they appear on the third Saturday and Sunday of every month. (Facebook updates can tell you where else they’ll be.) But the Vasquezes tell the Scene they’re in the process of building out a food truck, so with luck, it won’t be long before they’ll be rolling up to a corner near you.
