There are only two desserts, one of which is a torta fluida (molten chocolate cake, $4.95) that must be ordered 15 minutes ahead. Given that it is 100 percent Venezuelan dark chocolate, some of the original chocolate on the planet, it might be worth the wait, if you didn’t wait in line. The quesillo (flan, $4.25) was granular but good. Decaf coffee is available, but it’s only fair.
Service at Orinoco is wildly enthusiastic, as it should be in a restaurant that jams up even on weeknights. One of our servers was a student from Mexico, another an American guy, both very knowledgeable and fired up about the food and drink. The crowd is young but smart.
The restaurant has quite a lot of fun décor for such a small room. One wall, for instance, features old family photos from Venezuela. Plus, there are folk-art dolls with long faces, hammocks, mugs, a partial tin ceiling, and devil masks from Carnival. It’s crowded and loud, but in an entertaining way. And if you can’t get in, you won’t go hungry at Matt Murphy’s or Pomodoro, or at nearby Minsok or several other small restaurants in Brookline Village.
Robert Nadeau can be reached atRobtNadeau@aol.com.
