Brasa!

http://www.brasa.us/

To begin this post, I must say:

GET YOUR SHOES ON AND GO HERE NOW.

Pat and I visited the Brasa located in Northeast Minneapolis this week, and it was AWESOME.

Brasa is a place that serves homestyle latin american food with barbqued meats. You can order individual plates, or larger portions served family style.

You have your choice of five different meats and a variety of excellent side dishes. I chose an individual plate with the pulled chicken, with fried plantains and a corn and cheese cake. NOM! The chicken was tnder and juicy and delicious, with a light sauce that didn't overpower, but just added a nice zing to the chicken. The fried plantains were a surprise. These were sweeter than other plantains I have had, closer to a banana. However, they are served with a green sauce that is sort of salty/creamy/vinergarey/herby that cuts the sweetness and gives a great tangy flavor. I could eat about 10 pounds of these! The corn-cheese cake is a flat corn disk that is covered with cheese, a hot sauce, and fresh cilantro. Very nice. I like the crunchy with the smoothness of the cheese.

Pat had the pulled pork and red beans & rice. The pulled pork was smoky with a citrus-chili marinade to enhance it. The beans and rice were also both perfectly cooked, but a tad bland.

Go here for food, but not atmosphere. This is not a place to go for a fancy dinner. Its a place to go for stick-to-your-ribs food that will leave you more than satisfied. Its a community style place that is great for people watching as well.

Finally, one of the best things about this is that they try to cook as much local food as they can. Its a way to enjoy great tasting nosh and to support local businesses as well. Everybody wins.