Las Brasas Peruvian Roasters

The long awaited Peruvian cheekan joint is finally opened after months or years of waiting... The cheekan they slinged at the old little shack was amazing because they literally just came out of the rotisserie all hot and bothered and squirting it's juices all over my face... I'm totally ok with this kinda facial. Now, they have a real space that can accommodate scores of diners inside with booze to pair with that dericious cheekan. I don't know why it took so long to open because the space was a resto before... Not that the BBQ at Burnt Fork was good but they did had the kitchen setup already. But hopefully, the cheekan will be worth the wait... They're playing with a smaller menu for now which is smart. If they get their shit together with this limited menu in the beginning, the future should produce more dishes for the pouch to store them in. I can't wait to get those chicken legs behind each ear and start eating that motherclucker out... Squirt.

Corazon, grass-fed beef heart grilled over hardwood charcoal. The grilled hearts were a bit tough and chewy but had a nice flavor to it. The key to eating this is slicing them thinly which made it a lot more approachable unlike me stuffing an entire piece into my facehole and chewing for 5 minzies. The purple Peruvian potato were tasty but the herby minty huacatay sauce needed a bit more lime juice or even a splash of vinegar for a little extra kick... A little more seasoning doesn't hurt, either.

Cebiche Mixto, flounder fillet, Spanish octopus, calamari, and tiger shrimp. A nice little setup even though the main attraction was hidden under that mound of sliced red onions. Use the lettuce leaves as a delivery vehicle to pipe that seafood mix into your face gash kinda like how a cement truck pours cement into a hole. I liked this cebiche, it was pretty good. The acid bath marinade time was just right. The sweet taters were kinda bland but those little fried corn nuts were addictive.

Quinoa Salad, choclo, tomato, olives, cilantro, and quail egg with cucumber vinaigrette. So not what I was expecting... Are they trying to make this vegan creasture look like a steak tartare with those silly sulfurized quail eggs? This was quite boring and kinda tasteless. Skip it.

Pollo ala Brasa, huacatay sauce. This half portion size wasn't too shabby for $9. It had a nice looking roasted skin with great color... But the chicken had been sitting in a hot box, obviously. The skin was getting to that point of sogginess with bits of wrinkle. While the skin was a minor letdown, the tepid flesh was tender and moist... But it was missing something. The herb and spices needed to be more pronounced, you want all the crusty flavor bits on the skin, that's what makes it great. And as with the huacatay sauce, the chicken marinade also needed more acid like lime/lemon juice, a squirt of vinegar or even perhaps a few shots of soy sauce to bring out the Asian flavor that have influenced Peruvian cuisine for generations. This chicken could be a lot better than it is now.

I'm glad they have reopened to a bigger space but the cheekan was just decent and not really craveworthy like it used to be. Higher volumes usually hits the quality factor a bit. You just don't get that just right outta the oven chicken where it's piping steaming hot with a fine shellac skin that is just the perfect balance of texture to the pull of the skin and meat like when they were operating in that tiny ass shack. They have some more work to do on the food (especially, your main attraction- the chicken) and the staff training needs to be updated... You can not have the staff eating in the dining room or at the bar when there are still customers eating in there. Especially, when food or drinks are waiting to be delivered to the table... That's priority, not finishing up your 3rd bite of cebiche at the bar while a customer is staring and waiting for his drink at the bar. The timing of the food needs to be worked on as well... Don't send every single dish out at the same time because I don't want shit that's ready to be sitting there waiting to get cold or soggy. You need to pace the dishes out, isn't that food 101?
Like I said, if you get your shit together in the beginning, things will run smoother going forward only if you put these rules and routines into effect on the first day. You can't untrain bad habits.
I still believe in them, though... Get that chicken back up to spec like how it was in the old days and everything else will fall into place. But until then, you can find me at Popeyes.

614 Church St.
Decatur, GA
404-377-9121
http://www.lasbrasasdecatur.com/