If it weren't for Igor and Beckie Panasewicz, Denver would barely know what Venezuelan arepas are, much less how good they can be when made right. From their small squad of food trucks to one of the anchor eateries at Avanti Food & Beverage, Igor and Beckie have captured our attention with tasty cornmeal cakes grilled and bursting with fresh and bold flavors. The single-minded focus of Quiero Arepas results in just a handful — a serious handful — of options, from the bulging Pabellon, filled with shredded pork, black beans, avocado, cheese and fried plantain, to more demure but still filling numbers, some of them vegetarian and all of them gluten-free. We're delighted that the national street food of Venezuela will soon have a brick-and-mortar home on Old South Pearl.
Readers' Choice: Leña