La Brasa

          I've been dying to try La Brasa since I heard it's the more casual Latin inspired concept from a former L'Espalier Chef. I went in with the BF this past Sunday, not knowing much else.

          The huge open space has an industrial feel, with what appears to be a tiny market in the back. If you go before 5:30-6PM on Sunday you can enjoy live Jazz music while you eat. We went around 5PM and caught the tail end of it.

          The menu is tapas style, designed for sharing and multiple small courses. There are plenty of vegetarian, meat, and seafood options available. Once we ordered our server brought over jar of utensils including forks, knives, and spoons in different sizes and even a pair of chopsticks!

         We started with a cheese plate with Manchego, creamy goat cheese, and creamy cows milk cheese served with rhubarb spread, chestnut honey, and crispy bread. My favorite was the Manchego paired with the honey.

          Next was the Swiss chard pie with Colorado chile, soft poached farm egg, Spanish ham, and piperade. This was one of the most creative dishes I've tried in a long time, and unlike any dish I've ever had.The crust was flaky like spinach pie, and it was filled with warm Swiss chard and eggplant. Breaking the egg yolk over the top created the perfect sauce.

          The fried chicken with escargot brown butter vinaigrette, parsley, fresh horseradish, and slaw was my favorite. The chicken was only lightly fried, which was nice because you got the flavors of the chicken and sauce rather than just a heavy batter. The seasonings were a little spicy, which was the perfect contrast with the salty bits of escargot. I would never have thought to pair escargot with chicken, but somehow this just worked.

          The lamb kebobs with bok choy and cashews were charred perfectly, and the cool salad was a nice contrast.

          For dessert we shared the affogato with salted caramel ice cream and bourbon butterscotch pudding with whipped cream and rice crispies. They were the perfect size and just the right way to end our meal - ending on something sweet without walking out feeling uncomfortably full.

          I enjoyed the meal at La Brasa and would definitely come back. I wish I'd come hungrier or with a larger group because the entire menu looked amazing!