Pollo, where your arepa selections are simply meat or cheese, Pica Pica offers ten options to choose from, all of which come in one size: huge. While the menu appears to offer common Venezuelan dishes, the food is California's take on this traditional cuisine. Unfortunately, it's not just the interior that has been Americanized. With such a clear brand image, I was shocked to discover that Pica Pica only had a sister restaurant in Napa and wasn't part of a larger chain. The branding is most apparent on the menu itself, which is clearly tailored to its American audience, coming complete with a glossary of definitions for all of the menu selections with Spanish names (arepa or empanada for example). In his SF Weekly article, Kauffman nailed it when he compared Pica Pica's feel to that of a South American Chipotle. The block scheme that characterizes the restaurants design - color blocks of lime green, orange, and red that cover the walls, the use of block art collages in the signage - seemed like some sort of corporate branding designed to seem friendly and approachable to consumers. Pollo makes it seem a bit rough around the edges, the brightly-colored interior of Pica Pica Maize drips in commercialization. These differences become obvious as soon as you step inside. Pollo to Pica Pica is like comparing McDonald's to In&Out - the menu selection may be similar, but the quality of food is radically different. Although Kauffman was rather critical of many of Pica Pica Maize's menu selections, his description of his arepa led me to believe that I would have a similarly satisfying arepa experience. Following Jonathan Kauffman's footsteps, my quest to find San Francisco's best arepa led me to Pica Pica Maize, a relatively new Mission eatery located at 15th and Valencia.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |