Chef Richard Ortega’s food is an homage to his small hometown in Venezuela, where the grandmothers have been cooking everything the same way for centuries, over charcoal and firewood. Ground by hand and formed into perfectly crispy, chewy pockets filled with all manner of juicy meats, fish, cheese and sauces, Maiz Project’s heirloom corn flour arepas revive forgotten techniques and elevate the traditional dishes of Ortega’s native countryside.
The menu aims to introduce Venezuelan cuisine to the masses with simple, quality ingredients enhanced by the kiss of an open flame. Expect more traditional combinations like steak, grilled white cheese and chimichurri; chicken, avocado and muenster; and shrimp, avocado and garlic butter. Additional highlights include open-faced corn toasts heaped with fresh seafood ceviche, a daily selection of empanadas and elote, plus house-made juices like passion fruit and papelón con limón, a traditional Latin American raw sugar cane juice with lemon.
