249140 Sun Apr 02 04:24:03 -0700 2006 20 19 Outer Boroughs 0 1324642 ok so i finally made it out to roosevelt and 79th tonight to find the ever-elusive "sainted arepa lady" of chowhound lore. got there around 11:30pm and looked for an old latina woman with a food cart on the northwest corner. sure enough, i saw someone fitting that description near (but not exactly on) that corner--on the north side of roosevelt, about 30 feet west of 79th street and in front of a skin care store. initially excited that i'd found her, i began to have doubts when i saw that she was selling shish kebabs and sausages-on-a-stick as well--would the great arepa lady do such a thing? after all, i was under the impression that she only sold her namesake corncakes, nothing more. nevertheless, i had to give them a try--after all, i'd schlepped all the way out to jackson heights just for this reason. i looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else in the area who fit the description of the arepa lady, as i wasn't convinced that this was her. but since no one else was around i figured i'd give her food a shot. she had several arepas already sizzling on the griddle, so i decided to order 4 (2 for me, 2 for the ball-and-chain back home). while she diddled with the cakes, slathered them in margarine, and poured crumbly white cheese on top, i took a good look at her so i could accurately describe her to you guys and see if in fact i'd found this mythical arepa lady. for those in the know, please tell me if the following accurately describes THE sainted arepa lady that everyone raves about: -she was short and somewhat dark-skinned. -she's fairly old (but not THAT old, like i'd imagined), with curly dark brown (or maybe black) hair that's gray around the ears. -she was wearing a white tag with her name (maria cano, i think) and some other information, presumably required by the city to prove that she's a licensed street cart vendor. -she spoke pretty decent english, or at least enough to completely understand and communicate with me; i didn't speak with her extensively enough to deduce the extent of her english skills. -when i asked her about her hours of operation, she said she's at that spot on fridays and saturdays around that time (11:30pm). -as mentioned earlier, she was also selling shish kebabs and sausages-on-a-stick. why am i asking all of this? because honestly, the arepas weren't as transcendentally amazing as everyone had said. granted, they were pretty tasty--good flavor, slightly sweet, nice and buttery. my main gripe is that they weren't as crispy on the outside as i'd imagined; perhaps this is the way they're supposed to be? (forgive my ignorance, as i'm the farthest thing from an arepa expert.) in any event, i certainly didn't expect the arepas to be mushy, as mine were. well, that's not entirely fair; the bottom was ever-so-slightly crispy, but the top was decidedly mushy. texture aside, i still wouldn't put these arepas in the "so-amazing-i-must-go-out-of-my-way-on-a-saturday-night" category. that's why i need you guys to confirm if i found the right lady, or just an impostor. because if this really WAS the sainted arepa lady, i definitely caught her on an off-night. Sun Apr 02 04:24:03 -0700 2006 0 james 1 1324644 The Sainted Arepa Lady of Jackson Heights' name is Piedad, not Maria. Sun Apr 02 09:17:32 -0700 2006 1324642 0 Lambretta76 2 1324647 so there's another impostor arepa lady who sometimes operates on that corner? Sun Apr 02 09:45:57 -0700 2006 1324644 0 james 3 1324652 We should start some sort of text-message chain, dedicated solely to The Arepa Lady. If someone spots Piedad actually working her corner, one poster can alert everyone else that it's worth the late-night trip to queens. I suspect Jim Leff would frown upon this as dilluting the sense of adventure in the hunt, but if I'm gonna schlep from Hoboke to Jackson Heights at 2a, I'd like a little more certainty... Sun Apr 02 11:59:23 -0700 2006 1324647 0 xavier 4 1324654 LOL xavier, that's a great idea...sign me up!!! Sun Apr 02 12:13:43 -0700 2006 1324652 0 james 5 1324655 Anyone have ideas of a simple and cheap way of doing this?? I guess we could set up a simple yahoo group for it. Can ppl generally use SMS/text messaging to send-receive short emails (My sprint phone can). We'd need free listserv of some sort that members could not only receive messages on their cell phones but also send a text message from from their cell phones to the rest of the list. It would have to be low-traffic, limited to one purpose: Arepa Lady Sighting, including time. I'll poke around the flashmob world for ideas. Sun Apr 02 12:49:55 -0700 2006 1324654 0 xavier 6 1324656 Please post an email address and ask posters to contact you offline, so we can keep this board focused on chow. Thanks! Sun Apr 02 12:57:33 -0700 2006 1324655 2 The Chowhound Team 7 1324659 I'm game. I'll need some test subjects to play around with a list. Contact me and let's discuss, get a reflector. Sun Apr 02 13:45:10 -0700 2006 1324656 0 higgins 8 1324676 if you ever happen to find yourself in JH at 245am, seek the arepa lady you would do well to. if in hoboken you live, apreciated it would be if you'd sniff out local the local delights for others that might pass your way. Sun Apr 02 21:34:21 -0700 2006 1324659 0 gastronaut 9 1324716 i think someone mentioned her name is maria piedad cano (i might've butchered her last name). the time that i went, she was parked right outside a bar, if that's of any help. she also had a few stragglers standing around and sitting beside her. she's an older lady, but by no means an elderly one; i'd say about 50-60 y/o. she does have short curly hair, colored brownish. she gives off a genuinely nice vibe. as for her food selection, i've gotten the arepa (the one that's slightly crisp on the outside and flat), another dish she makes that's also some sort of cheese and flour dish but squishy, dry and greasy at the same time, which i didn't like, and her sausage on a stick. i didn't think i'd make a trip after my first time, as i wasn't impressed right away. however, i found myself thinking about her arepa long after i tasted it and realized that it was actually pretty good. i think the 2nd dish i got ruined the pure arepa experience. i look forward to going back - but i have to admit, i'm not sure i can say it's worth the trip for people beyond queens... Mon Apr 03 14:29:27 -0700 2006 1324676 0 Linda 6 1324779 perhaps the dodgeball.com people could help - they could maybe add her as a location and if people "check in" as having seen her they could tell you if you queried the location. Tue Apr 04 11:34:01 -0700 2006 1324655 0 kazhound 7 1324933 Dodgeball is what you want. If you (and all these other peeps) sign up and add each other as friends you can send a shout indicating that the Arepa Lady is or is not in and this message will be relayed to all your friends. Thu Apr 06 13:00:34 -0700 2006 1324779 0 harryh 1 1324657 From everything you describe, except for the name, I think you did visit the arepa lady. And she does sell the kababs on sticks (chuzos, I think they're called), which are also very good. While they do have a crisp outer layer, her arepas tend to be soft in the center. I wouldn't call it mushy. But maybe yours were. Not everyone will fall in love with these arepas. And as others have criticized, they're just arepas. So if you are looking for a transcendental experience, well yeah, you might be disappointed. Sun Apr 02 13:03:06 -0700 2006 1324642 0 Eric Eto 2 1324658 A few quick thoughts.... 1. as I remarked in another thread: "I note with amusement and pride that there is not one single morsel of food in the entire country that has a 100% positive history on Chowhound. If Jesus Christ descended from heaven to make hummous (for some reason, that's the dish I visualize Him making), there'd be someone saying "Feh, I had better in Vancouver". 2. I've brought an awful lot of people (I mean personally) to the Arepa Lady. Many clearly had peak experiences. A few just shrugged. This is normal. Not every morsel of chow floats all boats equally. 3. I don't subscribe to the notion that a given dish can only be so good. First, I think it's simply wrong, and, second, I think it stems from snobbery (I'd never ever call you a snob, Eric...I'm just commenting here!). Yes, they're "just arepas". But you don't hear people saying of expensive Bordeaux that "it's just wine", nor do you hear people say "it's just foie gras", etc. I devoutly believe (though others may certainly disagree) that deliciousness is deliciousness, and anything has the possibility of transcending if made with sufficient skill and love. And I don't know anyone in the world who cooks with more skill and love than the Arepa Lady. While the vast majority of Chowhound users over the years have seemed to agree, there will always be dissent...and I wouldn't have it any other way! ciao Sun Apr 02 13:30:36 -0700 2006 1324657 0 Jim Leff 3 1324667 Just to clarify, I'm just repeating some things I've heard from others as they shrugged. I think I'm pretty much in agreement with your points. But I would like to add that I believe it takes some amount of preparation to appreciate the arepas fully. For arepa novices, while yes, they might be good, I'm not sure they will really, truly appreciate the delicacy of the dish, unless they've had good, bad, and mediocre ones to establish a reference point. That said, I do believe these are the best version of arepas I've tasted. But maybe one day I'll have one that's better. And while I do tend to agree that "deliciousness is deliciousness", there are too many individual variables that go into that statement, as I may not be able to prove to someone who's never had it or who may be offended by it, that certain types of natto is really really delicious. That's all I was trying to convey. And by the way, I don't mind being called a snob. Sun Apr 02 17:50:16 -0700 2006 1324658 0 Eric Eto 4 1324669 Well, you should mind being called a snob, 'cuz you're patently not! I'm so in agreement on the "give it time" aspect. 3 or 4 of my all time faves (difara's, sripraphai, and Bo spring to mind) left me relatively non-awed on my first few visits. For some reason, I kept coming back...and, in all these cases, finally got it. I"m not sure why some places hit you over the head and other things take time, but part of chowhounding is learning when to invest more visits and when to cut and run. I get the feeling james (the original poster) has a good feel for this. He seems in it for the long haul. Real chowhoundish. Good to see. ciao Sun Apr 02 18:02:57 -0700 2006 1324667 0 Jim Leff 5 1324801 why do most of the best record you love always seem to leave you flat the first few time you listen to them? I think the many of the best things in life take a little while to "grok" in their fullness..althought the first time i ate at srip, i loved it. and still do. Tue Apr 04 16:23:35 -0700 2006 1324669 0 jason carey 5 1324802 why do most of the best record you love always seem to leave you flat the first few time you listen to them? I think the many of the best things in life take a little while to "grok" in their fullness..althought the first time i ate at srip, i loved it. and still do. Tue Apr 04 16:23:41 -0700 2006 1324669 0 jason carey 2 1324662 thanks for the reply, eric-- (btw i enjoy reading all of your and jim leff's posts) based on what brian s. said, i'm guessing that this WAS the sainted arepa lady. if so, i didn't absolutely love her arepas, but they WERE pretty good. again, my main issue with them was their texture--definitely too mushy on top. i understand that this is due in part to the crumbly white cheese that she sprinkles on them, but perhaps due to my sky-high expectations i was expecting a little bit more. or perhaps these arepas are normally crispier, but i happened to get a mushy batch (hey, i totally allow for the fact that anyone's food can be uneven, esp. a sole food operator working late at night). by no means have i given up on her arepas, tho. if this is, in fact, the arepa lady that everyone loves, then i'll have to give them at least a few more tries before coming to a final conclusion. it's just that on my first and only visit thus far, they were merely good, not amazing. thx again dude! Sun Apr 02 14:46:27 -0700 2006 1324657 0 james 1 1324660 That's her name. Maria Piedad Cano. Sun Apr 02 14:10:53 -0700 2006 1324642 0 Brian S 2 1324661 ah, makes sense. thanks dude! Sun Apr 02 14:35:10 -0700 2006 1324660 0 james