Mil Jugos: Decent Arepas, Excellent Guasacaca Sauce in Santa Ana

I always like to have a good arepa and I recently got a chance to have one at a Venezuelan joint in Santa Ana called Mil Jugos, literally translating to a million juices. The arepas were a bit thicker than I like them but the meat filling was ok. I had the carne mechada, which is similar to carne machaca that is one of my favorite torta fillings. It's shredded meat with garlic, tomatoes, onions and red bell peppers. The only thing was I wished it were a bit spicier.

We also had the cheese empanadas, which were fried and filled with queso fresco. They were a bit greasy and the cheese wasn't exactly melted in an oozing kind of way. But they were a good side dish for the meaty arepa.

The sauces were the best part of the meal. There were two of them: one was guasacaca sauce, a bright green one containing avocado, fresh parsley and coriander, green bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, oil and vinegar. Some like to add chiles for kick. It also had a less creamy sauce that was similar to chimichurri sauce but more finely ground, with the usual suspects of parsley, garlic and some kick.

I also had the tequeños, cheese-filled deep fried finger food often served in cocktail parties. They were ok -- again, I like the stringy cheese that's been melted but the cheese here was more like queso fresco and therefore not oozy like the way I like it.

Still, I'd like to return to try its cachapas and other arepas. But since it's far, in the meant time, I'll continue going to Coupa Cafe nearby for my arepa fix.