Put the word “barbecue” before or after any other word, and I will probably want to eat it. From West African suya to Japanese yakiniku, if it’s cooked on a stick, I’m even more game for the meaty adventure. When Brazza Steaks on Stakes opened last month, it was obvious that it would one day be a Meaty Monday to remember. Well, not exactly Monday. That’s the only day of the week that the Sterling restaurant is closed, but it’s worth waiting until Tuesday for a taste of the region’s only Venezuelan barbecue.
Though the word “steak” is in the name, the beef on offer isn’t a dry-aged, medium-rare slab that one might expect. In reality, the dish known as carne en vara (basically “meat on a stick”) in Spanish is slices cut from the butt. They’re cooked over flame on wooden sticks until the meat is tender and imbued with smoke. Lovers of American barbecue brisket will find much to love about the Brazza steak. It’s just as pillowy, with far less excess fat. There’s pork, too, served with skin on. The white meat melts away at first bite, fusing with the hot, fatty crunch of the exterior.
Both plates come with half a pound of meat, a cup of creamy green cilantro dipping sauce, and a choice of two sides. There are 10 Venezuelan classics from which to choose. Of course, Meaty Monday means tasting the pork hallaquitas, or Venezuelan tamales. The mini bundles of steamed cornmeal are stuffed with mild-tasting pork, but lightweights can get them without the extra meat. Venezuelan-style black beans, called caraotas negras, are garlicky and toothsome. Other options include fried yucca, tangy pineapple coleslaw, and fried plantains.
There are other proteins, too, including spicy or mild chorizo and blood sausage, all listed as sides. A side of meat cooked on a stick? Brazza is my kind of place.// 46970 Community Plaza #111-A, Sterling
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