Casa Brasa at 8111 Preston Road launched Sunday brunch last week — three courses, $65 per person, Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’ve been to Casa Brasa for dinner you already understand the kitchen’s instincts: Japanese raw bar technique alongside Latin American open-fire cooking, charcoal heat, live fire. The brunch menu runs on those same principles and doesn’t dilute them for the weekend crowd.
The first course gives you a few directions to go. The Shogun Roll — shrimp tempura, snow crab, tobiko, avocado, scallion, soy sesame paper, truffle-yuzu habanero sauce — is the kitchen’s Japanese side in full effect. The Salmon Carpaccio with jicama, cucumber, roasted red chile, crispy quinoa, and kalamansi-chiltepin vinaigrette is the lighter, brighter option. Assorted nigiri, chilled market oysters, and a Beef Albóndiga Soup round out the starter choices.
The second course is where it gets interesting. The Smoked Beef Cheek Benedict — poached eggs, chipotle hollandaise, soft herbs — is the dish that earns the $65 on its own. The Steak and Eggs brings a petite Wagyu hanger steak with crispy pimentón-dusted patatas, sliced avocado, fried eggs, and chimichurri. The Brunch Burguesa is a dry-aged beef burger with fried egg, white American cheese, onion marmalade, chile toreado aioli, and dill pickle. Huevos rancheros, chicken rojo enchiladas, shirred eggs, and pork short rib carnitas fill out the rest of the menu.
Dessert rotates — seasonal gelato or sorbet, pâte à choux with dulce de leche gelato and warm chocolate sauce, or a cookie sampler depending on the week.
Reservations at thecasabrasa.com.
