La Latina

It's often the tiniest of places that go unnoticed for months. Then someone stumbles across them, loves them, and spreads the word so much that the little spaces become booming hot spots. That is exactly what happened to La Latina, a "new" areperia on NE Second Avenue, just east of midtown. Cheese and sweet plantain empanadas, pabellon empanadas, and pelua arepas are made with 100 percent gluten-free cornflour and meats that are antibiotic- and hormone-free. It's not to say the place screams Latin health food; it's more of an undertone like, "Hey, we have great food, and it's not bad for you."