date: 1/15/08
location: minneapolis
grade: b

brasa. fast casual concept, dine in or eat out, using high-end, local (both the chicken, and the other protein choice, pork, were sourced locally on the menu), organic products.

does it work? pretty much. it is a bit spendier than a lot of other fast-casual places, but not overly so. the food generally tastes better... the chicken tastes like chicken, for instance, and not saline solution. that's worth the bit of extra money.

for dinner (they also do a takeout business) you can get one or both proteins on a plate, and i think they do have a vegetarian plate with 3 or 4 side choices. the sides change now and then, it seems. as for extra money, the plates with one protein choice run about $11.50, if i recall correctly. (the menu online is mostly correct, except for lower prices on that one... oops.) that's about what you'd pay for the same amount of food at many lesser restaurants.

was it the best chicken i've ever tasted? no, but it was quite good. not great, but better than most. the skin could've been a crisper on my piece, and someone else's piece was a bit dry. i ended up with the dark meat. not sure if you get to choose or not, but i liked the randomness of not choosing. maybe i should've asked for sauce with mine or something (made in house, of course). apparently the pork is univerally noted for it's tasty goodness, so if you're a pork eater, that's less risky choice. they roast it for at least 12 hours, apparently.

we each opted for getting a plate with two sides on it, with variations. the sides are more interesting that you'd find anywhere else, too. not regular coleslaw, mashed potatoes, or the like. one person got the very tasty garnet yams with andouille sausage and fried sweet plantains, which were nice, but i think we both expected something else happening with the plantains. not sure what. someone else also got the platains (one of their favorites) and the yellow rice with black beans (the vegetarian version of that, you can also get it with red beans). again, pretty good.

if you go with a group of, what was it, 4 or 6 or more- can't recall the exact number- you have to order off the menu by the pound of pork or quarters of chicken, plus the sides a la carte. so be warned.

i think i got the best sides... the rustic style cheese grits, which was nice on a day like today (freezingass). those would be super tasty as a breakfast food, too. the creamed spinach with jalapeno was interesting in a good way (i did somewhat discreetly slurp up the leftover liquid when the cornbread didn't do such a good sop job... a spoon would've been nice for that, but hey... i coped), i don't think i've ever had it done with fresh spinach and cream before. and it was not that spicy, at least i didn't think so. the creamed cornbread (it was extra, not with the meal) wasn't worth it, i think.

the warm chocolate-banana bread pudding was a grown-up version, with darker chocolate and it wasn't so very sweet, and i mean that in a good way. the lemon-meringue tart with sour cherries was actually a bit sweet for me... i prefer my lemon desserts a bit more sour, and i would've liked it a bit less straight from the fridge. it was nice not to get a heap of meringue on it, there was a reasonable amount.

the wine and beer list is small, but the prices are reasonable- $28 per bottle for all wines, $7 per glass from cava to shiraz. and hey, bonus points for free refills on house-made lemonade. beer was... i think $3.50 or $4 per bottle, with things like red stripe to choose from.

service was quite good, and that's with high expectations walking in (yes, it's not alma, but it's still owned by alex roberts, seen walking in and out of brasa with boxes and catering-sized pans of food all evening there). as for the room, it's one of those light-wood places with silver touches. i can see how the space is packed in summer, even with a patio. it's a nice neighborhood place to hang out, and eat tasty food.