Brasa

04/03/2008 Posted by persnicity

We thought Brasa would live up to expectations. Too bad our expectations were high. We went on a recent Wednesday night. The place was not busy but the service was slooow. Once we did get our food, it was apparent that the kitchen staff was not paying attention to quality or efficiency. Fast food that isn't good is one thing. Slow food that isn't good is disgraceful. The only thing good we could say about Brasa is the decor is pleasing.

Pros: ambience is good

Cons: too bad the food and service aren't

02/13/2008 Posted by winodino

Brasa has been in the game for a while now. They still amaze. Our cocktails, the "roman holiday" and "sitges" were well balanced and inventive. The food was all delicious, from the melt in your mouth pork belly, perfectly dressed and presented pear salad to the tender and cooked just right duck. Everyone in our party was immensely pleased with their meal. The wine list has washington and oregon choices, but encourages your palate to branch out. The rioja suggested was a perfect complement to the food. The service was graceful, friendly and helpful. "French" service was followed almost to a "t" --leaving just the right amount of room to make everyone feel comfortable. We never felt rushed and though the dining room was very busy, there were only relative lulls in service. Overall, fantastic!

Pros: food, service, awesome space

12/23/2007 Posted by cookandeater

The first time I ate at Brasa their signature paella tasted like... salt. A salt lick would have been far less painful on my taste buds. Not to mention, a salt lick would have been FAR cheaper. The second time I ate at Brasa the predominant flavor was... you guessed it, salt. I suppose it's the featured flavor there and for the cost of the meals I would expect them to realize that the function of salt is to enhance the flavors of food, not strangle them with it's dominance. Needless to say, I will not be returning for a third time.

10/02/2007 Posted by relfman

I ate there with my family on 9/30/07 and the service was awful. We waited over 5 minutes to be asked if we'd like a drink, the waitress never poured our wine after the first time, never asked if we'd like more wine, the bread basket sat empty on the table the entire meal, never asked to refill it, the dirty dishes were not cleared until I asked them to be. The food was good but my meal came out 3 minutes after the others. It's expensive and not worth it, a poor dining experience. And the hostess had a long, sour face the entire evening.

Pros: food was good

Cons: poor service and not a friendly place

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/20/2007 Posted by araemma

We had the best overall dining experience at Brasa. We had a private dining area for 20 and the food, service and ambience exceeded everyones expectations. Every guest loved the restaurant and the food was AMAZING. Very few restaurants can pull off good food, great atmosphere AND impecable service--but Brasa does!! If I could give Brasa more stars, I would!! Cheers!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/07/2007 Posted by kc325

Food and service were terrible. Food was literally 2bites for $30 a plate yet the server said it was hearty and generous. The pork in the pork plate was smaller than the half potato in the very salty dish. The duck was like 4strips of meat but the sauce was good. The server did not even bother to check on us until it was time to go. I was still hungry after spending over $80. I feel really stupid. The place is over priced and needless to say i will never return nor will anybody i know. You are better off eating crackers and going to bed

Pros: Nothing worth paying for

Cons: Tiny Portions, Horrible service

03/26/2007 Posted by stevens

We returned to Brasa after a 2 year hiatus and found that the great atmosphere is still there. Try to sit away from the bar, though, or it may be too noisy to converse with your dinner companions. As for the food, it is still good, but now there is an even greater emphasis on dishes with pork and beef. Even the paella and Portuguese stew come with chorizo sausage in it. There were only two appetizers and two entrees that didn't have meat. Since they change their menu often, it is wise to check on the day you plan on visiting to see what will be available that day, if you are among the growing number of diners who prefer not to eat mammals. Their wine selection has always had good breadth, but they have a very high mark-up. Our bottle of Sancerre, for example, was $49 for a bottle that costs less than $15 retail. Although we are not dessert fans, we were pleased to find that their desserts were modest in size and not overly rich and sweet. We shared a small apple tart that was very tasty and not covered with a big dough ball. Service was a little slow, but every table in the place was full. All in all, we would return if their menu becomes more friendly to non-meat eaters.

03/09/2007 Posted by francoiscecile

What a wonderful place to have dinner with friends. We recently celebrated our friend’s birthday party there and had an amazing time. From the moment we stepped into the restaurant to the time that we left, we were greeted smiles and felt taken care of. First of all, it’s a beautiful space and the food is so delicious – using fresh, local ingredients. I love starting with the Yakima asparagus and squid ink risotto, then moving onto the roasted pig, which you can’t find anywhere else in the city – it’s wrapped in a banana leaf and surrounded by chorizo, clams, potatoes and crispy skin (yum!). Their beef tenderloin is cooked to perfection and paella is always delicious. They have great cocktails and my favorite is the Roman Holiday, made of Moscato, vodka and sour. Their wine list complements their tasty food, with a splendid European selection (very nice, reasonably priced Rioja) and some nice Northwest finds, like Domaine Drouin. Their cheese plates are beautiful and are a perfect way to end your dinner. When I have guests visiting from out of town, I always recommend Brasa. I have celebrated birthdays, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and just a night out at Brasa and have never been disappointed.

Pros: Delicious food using fresh, local ingredients. Great service.

03/07/2007 Posted by victoriabestof

Brasa has the best happy hour that lasts until 7 p.m. and includes paella, lamb burgers, and steak! The dining room is great and staff is very courteous and friendly. I love going there for the roasted pig, which is so succulent and delicious. The wine list is extensive and includes very affordable and nice bottles. I keep going back to Brasa because I’m never disappointed.

Pros: Best happy hour, nice staff, dinner is amazing, especially the roasted pig.

Cons: Dessert menu can be updated, especially the frozen lemon mousse.

12/19/2006 Posted by leisure_lif3

On Sunday, I took a friend to Brasa for his birthday. During the 45min wait for our entrees, the server only checked up on us once, but spent disproportionately large amount of time chatting and laughing with a couple sitting at the end of our table. Our server also failed to keep our drinks refilled-- we had to wait around for the other server to pass by and asked them for more water/wine/beer. This happened three times. Afterwards, when I remarked that one of the dessert dishes seemed weird, he turned to my friend and rolled his eyes (I wasn't aware of this until later) instead of trying to explain the dish. The dessert came, but we received no birthday acknowledgments, of which I had specifically asked for beforehand (nor were any explanations offered). When the bill came, I paid and just as we were getting up, he said "are you guys done yet?" I said yes, assuming that he was asking because he wanted to clean the table up and to collect the bill. He made no motion to do either, and just walked away from us. I had heard such good things about Brasa, and was greatly disappointed to realize that this restaurant had some of the worst service I've ever experienced, as well as mediocre food.

Pros: wine list, ambience

Cons: patronizing and slow service, ignored special request