A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Orinoco, a Latin kitchen, is located in Brookline Village. A great little spot for Sunday brunch, without the long lines you’ll find at  Zaftigs. We beat the rush on Sunday afternoon, and get a great booth in the back.

My two dining companions are super hungry…so we start with the trio of empanadas. Cod, Domino, and Mechada empanadas with signature mojo…$8.00. The cod is a bit too fishy for my liking, but the other two seem to really enjoy it. The mechada is a wonderful slow cooked beef, really tender…very flavorful.

We also get the taquenos  guayanes cheese wrapped in flaky dough and served with chipotle ketchup…$6.50-the Latin version of mozzarella sticks. How can you go wrong there?

They have a great selection of arepas, which are grilled pocket corn sandwiches. We order the Mechada: Venezuelan-style stewed shredded beef…$6.00, what a great value. The meat is delicious-this is a really hearty breakfast.

Is your mouth watering yet? Pernil Galipan: slow-cooked pork pressed sandwich with spring mix, special salsa and plantain chips…$7.25 has some wonderful bold flavors.

I had the Cachapas: Traditional Venezuelan corn pancake with melted queso de mano…$8.75. The pancake had a little bit of sweetness to it, and the cheese was an excellent addition. This meal tasted really light but filled me up quickly-I couldn’t finish!

The service here was ok. There were times when our server was over frequently followed by times when we couldn’t get our coffee and water refilled. Would have liked to have seen a bit more consistency in the service, but you really can’t complain with the good quality food and the price is certainly right.

 

Orinoco: A Latin Kitchen

22 Harvard Street | Brookline, Massachusetts 02445 | (617) 232-9505

http://www.orinocokitchen.com