Food Therapy: Caracas Arepas Bar

I've passed Caracas Arepas Bar (93 E 7th St (b/w 1st Ave & Ave A), NY, NY) numerous times but the long wait was off putting.  I finally went with some friends to try it out. I will most definitely be going back!  Not only is the food yummy and the prices excellent, but the drinks are superb!!  This is what we had:

• Cocada:  Coconut Shake (condensed milk, coconut shavings, coconut milk and ice) with a touch of cinnamon - if I had to imagine my perfect coconut shake, this would be it.  I have a feeling that this will be my icy drink for the summer!

• Tinto De Verana:  A light, sparking red-wine that tastes like sangria mixed with Sprite.

• Mimosa De Parchita:  Passion fruit mimosa - if you're a fan of passion fruit, you will love this drink.  (Sorry... no pix for this one!)
• Guacamole with Chips:  The guacamole is ridiculously tasty, as are the chips (which seem to be made from plaintains?).  Unlike many guac-serving restaurants in the city, Caracas actually serves  a nicely seasoned guac.  Sometimes, I feel like restaurants are too lazy to make good guac and just serve plain-ol' semi-mashed avocado as guac.  We couldn't stop eating the guac and the chips.

• Tajadas:  Fried sweet plaintains with aged cheese - this was good but I would have like it better if the plaintains were softer and sweeter.  The aged cheese is crumbly and adds a nice touch of saltiness to the fried plaintains.

• Cachapa:  Corn pancake turnover filled with guayanes cheese and shredded beef.  This is a sweet and savory dish that I am now officially hooked on.  The shredded beef is braised/cooked in a sweet tomato-based sauce (I think).  It's super tender and very flavorful.  The cheese adds a melted gooey goodness to the dish.  It's only a tiny bit salty and rather bland.  I think it adds more texture than taste.

• Arepa Special: arepa (bread made from corn meal; looks kinda like a large english muffin) filled with braised short ribs and guacamole.  This came with a spicy sauce.  It was good but I sooo want to try an arepa filled with melted cheese!!  Next time!