Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to be wowed by anything put in front of me at a restaurant dining table. We eat out nearly every meal. and we have had a lot of great food. I expect to have great food when I go out. We often go to nice places and pay top dollar. Usually it all blends, and I never again think about what I have had after I leave someplace.
And just when I worry that I have become truly jaded and can no longer be impressed, something slaps me in the face. I am wowed. The last time this happened was Twelfth Night at Arnaud’s, and the time before that was at Brasa Churrasqueria on Metairie Road.
Brasa is in the space formerly occupied by Chateau du Lac, in the little restaurant row near Bonnabel. Chateau du Lac was a lovely little place, but Brasa has that wow factor. It’s an accomplishment for such a handsome steakhouse vibe to be crammed into this tiny space. It’s quite glamorous! We were seated near the tiniest wine cellar near the big round booth in the back of the restaurant. The footprint of the place remained the same, but it is hardly recognizable from all previous inhabitants.
The menu isn’t large but I wanted everything on it. We started with the shrimp remoulade and crabcakes as appetizers. For an entree, we got the evening’s special Short Rib, and for sides, we ordered Potatas Bravas, the potatoes Al Gratin, and the Coliflor.
It was immediately apparent from the first bit of the shrimp remoulade that this was going to be a special evening of dining. The flavors were downright exciting. Yes, the large shrimp stack covered in remoulade dressing looked like the regular dish, but the vinaigrette on the lettuces and sliced cucumbers beneath it clashed in a way that sort of danced in your mouth. This was delicious.
The crabcakes evoked the same feelings. Two large crabcakes made solely of crab and pan-seared with a nice crust came alongside another vinaigrette salad, The creamy dressing beneath the crabcakes was offset by the vinaigrette, combining into one really delicious mouthful. The crabcakes themselves were held together by such a delicate binder that only the crab was in the forefront.
A single beef rib was the entree, I felt a bit cheated, but I love beef ribs whenever I see them and I had to try this here. It was everything I expected from this place, tender with a great flavor. I would have eaten a lot more of this.
Potatas Bravas is the Latin version of our Brabant potatoes, but they are larger, much more irregular, and spiced way more, and differently. I love Potatas Bravas, and I always love the aioli that comes with them. This aioli was spiced with smoked paprika, and fried herbs dusted the pile of fried potatoes. Although there were some larger pieces that were a tad underdone, this was divine, just like the rest of the meal.
As we so often do in steakhouses, at least one other order of potatoes is essential. We also got the Al Gratin, made cheesy with a combination of Gruyere and White Cheddar, and sprinkled abundantly with chives. This was as good as it sounds, so good when the waitress came to get the empty dish, I delayed her long enough to lift the melted cheese ring off for a last bite. Superb!
But the star dish of the evening turned out to be one that dazzled everyone when it arrived on the scene at Domenica around 2015 but now elicits a yawn from me: the big roasted bulb of cauliflower. This one was clearly different, catching my eye each time it went to another table. It did not disappoint.
It was so spiced it was roasted red, and covered with spiced almonds. It sat in a lake of feta cheese crema and was finished with pesto. The combination of the crema and pesto was sublime. This was a spectacular version of what I now consider to be a tired dish, though seemingly still popular.
We couldn't eat anymore but I immediately determined to return again soon to have more of this food. We went for Happy Hour, but it turned out there is no food at Happy Hour. When I mentioned that the website had a menu there, they offered to honor it. Good call. I have often said smart business people have to understand that the few nickels saved by generating bad will never ends well.
We had four appetizers: the grilled Avocado Asado that used to be topped with crabmeat, but tonite had more shrimp remoulade. We got the Parmesano Fries, empanada, and Chori-pan, a piece of bread stuffed with chorizo and some peppers, and topped with cheese. We split the Entraña, a skirt steak, and got a side of Grilled Carrots.
I was underwhelmed by the empanada, and I never met one I didn’t like. The filling of this one reminded me more of a Cornish Pasty, and I felt the crust was too thick. It was tidy and pretty and came with sauce Criolla, which reminded me of a Chimichurri Sauce. I think Chimichurri Sauce is pretty delectable generally, as this was.
The grilled Avocado Asado with four large shrimp in Remoulade Sauce was served over thin slices of cucumber, with small pieces of escarole. I loved the Shrimp Remoulade we got last time, and this was exactly like it. The avocado was the only difference.
The Parmesano fries were cut in-house, fried golden brown, and dusted with Parmesan cheese. Except there was no cheese, and I wonder why a server takes things like that to a table. Surely they have seen the proper presentation. Why take a substandard version to a table? When I asked for the Parmesan cheese, she took it back to the kitchen and it came out properly. These were very good. It came with a Peruvian dipping sauce, which reminded me of Avocado crema.
The most interesting thing of the evening was the Chori-pan, a sensationally tasty piece of bread stuffed with sliced chorizo and vegetable slivers, and covered in cheese. The cheese seemed to be Manchego, or it could have been the strong flavor of the chorizo, but this dish packed a taste wallop. So rich! This is definitely something to share.
We ordered a skirt steak, which came on a nearly bare plate with an oil slick underneath and a whole pepper as garnish. This was intensely marinated and grilled. It was surprisingly tender and filling. We didn’t even finish it.
The grilled carrots came stacked in a latticed pile, sitting atop a generous goat cheese untado, drizzled with chive oil and chili oil, making for a melded puddle of oily deliciousness. These were tender and sweet, but the flavor was offset and made more complex by the goat cheese and chili oil. 
I love these flavors! I find them exciting. I want more of this food, and more places to have food that makes me feel like this.
