What’s Good: Burgers and Arepas

By Jennifer Fumiko Cahill jennifer@northcoastjournal.com

A Cherry Burger

You can’t miss the shiny black Cap’s Food Shack truck, partly because it’s covered in neon-style icons that make it look like a rolling bar. It’s also been everywhere, scenting the air at block parties and outdoor markets with hot burgers and fries. Owner Michael Campusano has been showing up to back-to-back events in a blitz that’s won him a fast following.

Campusano says he got his start as a 16-year-old dishwasher at Marie Callender’s, working up to line cook, eventually cooking at Lost Coast Brewery for a few years before striking out on his own. In 2020, he made a pandemic pivot from catering to Cap’s To-Go, which found its final form as the Cap’s Food Shack truck in April of this year with what he describes as “handcrafted pub fare.”

If you’re unsure at the order window, he’ll steer you toward the Smokestack Sliders ($16) topped with fried onion, house-made smoked cream cheese, jalapeño jelly and garlic aioli as an introduction. Fair.

But the fried chicken sandwich ($15) and Cherry Cheddar Burger ($16) are solid contenders. Even Team Dark Meat concedes the pounded chicken breast retains flavor, juiciness and a soft bite, having been pulled from its buttermilk brine, dredged and fried to order. The panko crust is deceptively pale but peppery with a solid crunch. On a shiny brioche bun with mayo, lettuce and pickle, it needs no adornment. Meanwhile, the burger’s patty is fortified with panko, egg and judicious doses of seasoning and bacon fat; it’s not overworked and worth digging out of its toppings for a sample. The burger comes by its name honestly, with cherry pie filling and chipotle blended into the sauce (a trick Campusano learned from a brewery cook). It’s a good match with the cheddar, bacon and aioli. It is worth the inevitable mess.

Cap’s fried pickles ($10) are controversially sliced in planks instead of coins and breaded instead of beer battered — another tip from a fellow cook — which both delivers the same crunch as the chicken and nearly equal joy dipped in the scratch-made ranch dressing. (As I’ve said before, if there is homemade ranch, order it. You will never be sad about it.)

Cap’s has a spate of engagements around the county but will soon be posted up at a regular spot by Crisp Lounge (2929 Broadway, Eureka). “I finally found a home,” says Campusano. He’s picked up picnic tables and umbrellas to set up at the dispensary. You can’t miss it.

Wepa!

Grazibel Nani, owner of Weparepa, stuffs beans and cheese in a cornmeal arepa and explains the use of the Spanish slang word “wepa,” an exclamation of joy in her home country of Venezuela and beyond. Fitting for those who’ve been craving arepas and not found them in Humboldt until recently.

Nani’s arepas are “tie dyed,” hand formed from dollops of masa colored by carrots, kale and beets from her garden. “It looks beautiful and so Humboldt,” she says. “I never go back to the plain arepa unless I run out of dough.” She says you can hear when the steam inside causes them to puff up on the grill, their outsides a little crunchy. “You open them and stuff them with as much filling as you can.”

There are a handful of options, but the Sifrina ($12) is her husband’s favorite — a strong recommendation. It’s the cheese-added version of the traditional Reina Pepiada, which is filled with a simple chicken salad and avocado and named after Miss Venezuela 1955, the first to win the Miss Universe crown. “The names of arepas are very folkloric, it’s part of our culture,” says Nani. And the Sifrina is a real beauty inside and out, particularly with the creamy, tart and herbaceous guasacaca sauce served on the side. The avocado, pepper, garlic, onion and cilantro in the guasacaca complement roasted chicken and barbecue, according to Nani, and there’s no reason to doubt. If you, too, find yourself running your finger in the little sauce cup, consider picking up a bottle ($12) at the Kneeland Glen (6821 Myrtle Ave., Eureka) or Sea Goat (1450 Hiller Road, McKinleyville) farm stands.

Along with events, the Weparepa stand alternates between the two farm stands most weekends, but Nani’s schedule changes, so check @weparepa.ca on Instagram for updates. Take heart if you miss her; she’s working on making frozen arepas that customers can cook at home. Wepa! l

Share your tips about What’s Good with Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her), arts and features editor at the Journal Reach her at 442-1400, extension 320, or jennifer@northcoastjournal.com.

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