by Ed Vermillion » Sun Dec 04, 2016 6:51 pm
Cindy & I were fortunate enough to see "Spirited Away" at Noon over at Tinseltown Cinema. Afterwards we decided to keep a gray day in the background and head over to Middletown to check out Nahyla's Restaurant. When you enter you see a long, wide room with very warm wooden tables and chairs greeting you. We were promptly seated by an extremely friendly lady named Soliana and given two menus to peruse.
Shortly appeared two small bowls of soup with chicken, potato, corn and a dumpling. Served with a slice of lime for that citrus zing it was like a warm welcoming hug to shake of the wet chill of the afternoon.
I was all ready to jump into some arepas stuffed with some different ingredients when my beautiful bride stopped me short with the words Pabellon Criollo, the "National Dish of Venezuela". Not wanting to abandon all hope of arepas, I ordered a single Arepas de Chicharron.
While we waited we chatted with Soliana about the restaurant, Worldfest, travel, Venezuela and the diversity of Louisville. She has a bubbly personality and I wish great things for her, her husband and all the staff.
Things started to appear all at once. First the aromatic, hot arepas dotted with crunchy pig cracklins. Aromatic and succulent at the same time, it reminded me of a thick white grit cake from my childhood. I loved it and will make them the centerpiece of my meal the next time there.
We split the Pabellon Criollo with its shredded beef, black beans, fried eggs and white rice to sop up all the goodness. It too was delicious. We sampled a glass of the cane sugar lemonade and a glass of unsweetened mango iced tea. I mixed the two together for a different version of an Arnold Palmer.
Finished the meal with a superior slice of flan that shone over any imitators. Perfect custard with a muted sweetness. Outstanding in my book.
Great lunch with an extremely talented crew of genuine people happy to serve you a taste of their homeland. We will be back and I hope all of you will join us.
Bienvenidos, indeed!!!!!