2008 Woodie Awards
Brasa: Ideological Quandary?-Maybe. Good Chicken?-Yes
A look at Carribean and South American food in Northeast Minneapolis
By: Michael Juhasz
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Features
Bring on the global warming; I've had it with the cold. The novelty of subzero temperatures has worn as thin as the soles of my exhausted snow boots. The few solaces for my dampened-then-refrozen spirits include furtive glances cast at my neighbors' vestal hot tub, microwaved suede moccasins, and enthralling indulgences of my cabin feverish delirium, trying to convince myself that it's not winter and I'm not in Minnesota.
Sniffing around an online Minnesota food forum, I spotted potential salvation from the bitterly biting Minnesotan malaise: Brasa: Premium Rotisserie - a recently opened, Caribbean and South American inspired restaurant with (and this really got my mouth watering) an attractive patio for outdoor dining.
I manically raced to Northeast Minneapolis, thrilled by the chance to defy the distasteful weatherman and enjoy my meal en plein air. In my delicious craze, I failed to anticipate that the packed ice covering the patio might disincline the wait staff to serve ardent outdoorsmen. Ah well - I thought, entering the cheerfully lit dining room - the southern feel ought to suffice.
Brasa is unabashedly image conscious. The black-on-yellow theme, boldly displayed on the brightly-lit outdoor sign, continues into the dining room, where black block print and silhouetted birds have been stenciled onto the saffron-colored walls. Brasa's unconventional space, a barely converted garage, retains its former occupants' concrete floors and garage doors, which, in the spring and summer will open onto the desperately appetizing patio.
The designers did well in fully maintaining the thematic consistency. Water is served in paper cups, the exposed kitchen is decked solely in polished steel, the massive maître d' must be a recently retired teamster and the saucier bears a striking resemblance to a brash Macalesterian barista. The dirty steak knives, while stylistically agreeable, were somewhat less appreciated.
Enough with the amuse-bouches.
Sniffing around an online Minnesota food forum, I spotted potential salvation from the bitterly biting Minnesotan malaise: Brasa: Premium Rotisserie - a recently opened, Caribbean and South American inspired restaurant with (and this really got my mouth watering) an attractive patio for outdoor dining.
I manically raced to Northeast Minneapolis, thrilled by the chance to defy the distasteful weatherman and enjoy my meal en plein air. In my delicious craze, I failed to anticipate that the packed ice covering the patio might disincline the wait staff to serve ardent outdoorsmen. Ah well - I thought, entering the cheerfully lit dining room - the southern feel ought to suffice.
Brasa is unabashedly image conscious. The black-on-yellow theme, boldly displayed on the brightly-lit outdoor sign, continues into the dining room, where black block print and silhouetted birds have been stenciled onto the saffron-colored walls. Brasa's unconventional space, a barely converted garage, retains its former occupants' concrete floors and garage doors, which, in the spring and summer will open onto the desperately appetizing patio.
The designers did well in fully maintaining the thematic consistency. Water is served in paper cups, the exposed kitchen is decked solely in polished steel, the massive maître d' must be a recently retired teamster and the saucier bears a striking resemblance to a brash Macalesterian barista. The dirty steak knives, while stylistically agreeable, were somewhat less appreciated.
Enough with the amuse-bouches.
Be the first to comment on this story