Pabellon y camarones al ajillo

I don't generally do restaurant reviews, but I do want to mention an outstanding meal that we had this evening. La Taguara is a small Venezuelan eatery on Washington Avenue, in an unpretentious building and with simple, homey decor. The staff was very friendly and immediately helpful when we told them we had not been there before. It's the kind of place where you order at the counter, but they bring your huge portions out on real plates.
 

I had the Venezuelan national dish, pabellon, consisting of black beans, white cheese, shredded beef, rice and deep fried sweet plantain with an arepa, the doughy bread of the region. It often comes topped with a sunny-side up egg, but I took mine plain. Tom had sauteed garlic shrimp. We were both delighted and barely able to finish. (We, or at least I, should have asked for a small take-home box, but I just kept eating.)

I have been pushing for us to try new places, and this one, while not too prepossessing from the outside, was well worth the trip. Next time we go I will try something different, perhaps one of the appetizer samplers just to get a nibble of a variety of things. 

The staff was wearing blue tee shirts that said Viva Venezuela on the back. ¡Viva La Taguara!