Food — Beyond Cornbread

The Pica Pica Maize Kitchen opens in San Francisco’s Mission District this Friday.

At a media preview last week I tasted samples of the Venezuelan kitchen’s three different maize (corn) breads (patrons have 10 fillings to chose from) and sangria (it’s licensed for beer and wine).

Here's the sample platter we ate:

My big winner was the cachapa pabellón — it’s a sweet yellow corn pancake with shredded skirt steak, sweet plantains, black beans and cheese. (I stole the below pabellón image from their menu.)

The “maize’wich,” grilled sweet cornbread, with ham and cheese (Clásica) could be considered a far superior cousin to the grilled cheese. (I also stole the below photo.)

The arepa, the third bread on the menu, wasn't nearly as flavorful as its two sisters. The grilled corn flour flatbread tasted dry and is probably most dependent on a wise filling choice. Of course my inner fat kid tells me it would be best with something spicy or greasy.

Co-owner Adriana Lopéz Vermut said the kitchen was a spin on traditional Venezuelan arepas, 24-hour street food spots that offer arepas (flatbread sandwiches) and beyond. Adriana, her father Leopoldo Lopéz Gil, and Luis Sosa opened the first Pica Pica Maize Kitchen in Napa in January 2008. Below, Adriana (far left) speaks to food samplers at a Pica Pica preview night last week in the Mission.

Adriana told my friend and me that to Americanize the food they offer six different salsas ranging from garlic and olive oil aioli to a signature hot sauce (Pica’Pun).

They remodeled their small corner space in the Mission in a hurry once they found it, Adriana said. Large operable windows should make it a favorable food stop during sunny and warm weather. You can see all the sunlight filling the space in the above photo (many occupants kept their sunglasses on for the event). I'm a huge fan of ample daylighting.

Everything is wheat and gluten free.

Prices range from $7.99 to $8.99 for the filled maize bread. Menu also includes empanadas ($3.99), soups ($3.99-$5.75) and a house salad ($3.99).

The new eatery is located at 401 Valencia Street (at 15th Street). For more info, call (415) 400-5453 or visit http://www.picapicakitchen.com.