Underwhelming Hallacas — expected more

I was looking forward to Hallacas here based on the reputation. The reality was disappointing. The hearty and comforting character that makes this dish special was muted — either from shortcuts with Queso de mano fresh cheese or from scaling up production at the expense of quality.

the arepa is Venezuela's daily bread — eaten at all meals in countless configurations. The a Venezuelan diaspora restaurant abroad setting I was hoping for wasn't quite there either. chicha de arroz was available but not suggested appropriately. I've had much better versions elsewhere. Two stars because the dish concept is sound; the execution let it down.