Shame on me for sleeping on arepa this long.

Seeing as you may have been snoozing as well, allow me to briefly describe this Venezuelan street-food staple: It’s a round, flat, thick(ish) corn cake, most often served as a wrap for sandwiches, with fillings that run a wide gamut: shredded beef, shredded chicken, roast pork, black beans, cheeses, eggs for breakfast versions, and plenty more.

Prior to this week’s FFF, I’d never heard of arepa, let alone eaten it. That added a sense of discovery to our outings. We chose two small Venezuelan restaurants. The first was 11 Chicks Yummy Creations on the northern edge of downtown St. Pete. When we turned up at Alma Llanera Venezuelan Food in Pinellas Park at 5:30 Wednesday, a hand-written sign on the door read “Closed due to plumbing problems.” That required a course correction, so we hit 1Chick 1Bro Cafe Bistro in Gulfport the following afternoon.

11 CHICKS YUMMY CREATIONS

We arrived at this cute place on the corner of MLK Street and 2nd Avenue North at 1:15 Tuesday with the sun shining through puffy clouds. It was about 80 degrees, still a bit too warm and bright to eat al fresco. Inside the small space, we sat at a two-top — one of a half-dozen — next to the open front door.

A man working the counter handed us each a laminated menu. A woman hustled in the kitchen. We ordered two arepas: Asada (shredded beef, cheese, bacon, etc., $12.76) and Bao (Asian-style pork, spinach, $11.70) and I got a house-made Mango Juice ($4.95).

The wait for the food — about a half-hour according to the time stamps on my photos — started to test my patience.

Appearance

The arepas arrived in Styrofoam containers, with the arepa itself split and stuffed to bursting. Both looked tantalizing, but the Bao was prettier, with its spinach leaves peaking out. The sandwiches were foil-wrapped in keeping with street-food tradition.

Taste and Texture

Yep, these were some yummy creations.

Let’s start with the arepa itself. I became an instant fan. The corn cake’s gentle crust gave way to the doughy innards, but it didn’t crumble. The corn flavor was present but not overpowering.

As far as fillings, the Asada had more going on. The shredded beef, generously portioned, was chewy but not tough, and fell halfway between dry and moist. (This was not a drippy sandwich.) The shredded cheese vanished quickly, some in my mouth, some in front of me (but not, thankfully, in my lap). I didn’t taste bacon, but I’ll take the restaurant’s word for it.

The Bao featured pork chunks that were impressively tender. I didn’t catch much in the way of Asian flavor, but that was okay. The spinach proved an ideal partner.

The mango juice came in a standard Styrofoam cup. Enhanced by cane sugar, the drink was thick and lovely.

On suggestion: Beef up the napkins. The small, thin paper ones didn’t make the grade with sandwiches that are inherently messy.

1Chick 1Bro Cafe Bistro

Basking in the first legit cool front of the season, we arrived at 1 Chick 1 Bro at 1:15 Thursday under azure skies, with dry air about 75 degrees. Ahhhhh. The restaurant occupies a funky, standalone building on a weathered stretch of 49th Street on the eastern fringe of Gulfport.

Xiomaira, who owns the place with her brother Henry, was behind the counter. She was gracious and chatty, and gladly answered our questions, including a tutorial on how to pronounce her name: See-yo-My-Da (I hope I got it right). We ordered the trio of Mini Arepas (two chicken, one pork, $12.50) and a full-sized Pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, plantains, cheese and avocado, $13.99). I ordered a Mango fruit drink ($4.50) for comparison’s sake.

I wasn’t surprised to discover that 1Chick 1 Bro has a familial relationship with 11Chicks — one that involves siblings and is a bit too complicated to break down here.

Appearance

Just like the menu described — the three little ones on a plate, the Pabellon in foil inside a Styrofoam container. The meals reached our table in a few minutes.

Taste and Texture

The arepa itself was nearly identical to the version at 11 Chicks — expected, given the family connection — but with a smidge less corn flavor.

Pabellon: The beef was moist and easy to chew; the black beans and avocado added welcome flavor and textural dimensions. If you put a plate of plantains in front of me, I’d push it away, but I liked it when nestled inside this arepa. It added a dose of sweetness. The arepa broke apart after a bit, which led to a messy affair. I was too busy mmmmm‘ing to care.

The mini-arepas made for more tidy consumption, and they traded the complexity found in the Pabellon for elegant simplicity. The chicken (Bonnie’s fave) was juicy and scrumptuous; the pork (my favorite) was similarly juicy, but had crispy ends. Now that’s kitchen finesse.

The mango juice was thicker than that of 11 Chicks. The napkins were too skimpy.

And the Winner of the Arepa Altercation Is …

1Chick 1 Bro Cafe Bistro.

I tried to avoid doing a Food Fight featuring restaurants with family ties, but with Alma Llanera closed, and with one day before publication, I was left little choice. So I manned up and made my decision.

As we’re wont to say here at HQ, there are no losers in Friday Food Fight.

I’d gladly eat again at both places, and probably will.