Brazza Steaks on Stakes - Carne en Vara — Restaurant in Sterling

Do you want a meal that is so filling and satisfying that you feel like you could hibernate right after? Just curl up like an exhausted grizzly and forget the world until your belly is no longer full? Then go to Brazza and get ready to bring on blissful exhaustion.

I’ve been here three or four times now and have tried several menu items. Everything comes to the table quickly and perfectly delicious. The meats are tender and flavorful, and the crispy skin on the pork belly chicharrón sings when you scrape it with a fork. The sides are hearty and massive, with the fried plantains being especially delicious bars of golden delight (I recommend the tomato and onion salad as the perfect side with the chicharrón). There are lots of drink options, too: the papelón is the best limeade for a hot day, and the chicha-criolla vaso is like a milkshake delivered directly from heaven.

The absolute star of my heart, though, is the blood sausage. The skin has a delicate snap, the filling is silky in consistency, and the flavor is robust and rich. Add the smallest drop of the hot sauce (ask for it specifically) to change and amplify the flavor into something even more interesting. If you have never tried blood sausage before, Brazza offers an exceptionally palatable way to try it through the homogenous filling, rich spices, and minimal tangy flavor. If you already enjoy blood sausage (I grew up eating boudin), then you should try what I consider the smoothest and most complexly flavored version I’ve ever eaten.

Long review short, go to Brazza if you want amazing meats, refreshing drinks, and delicious food in general, all at an excellent price. And you get Carlos’ warm welcome and big...

The steak was perfectly cooked and fall apart tender, no steak knife needed table knives handled it just fine.

The chicharrons were a fantastic strip of pork belly with a thick crunchy skin. Bewarb their table knives may struggle, but that's why you have incisors in front!

The arepas are glorious little golden discs of fried corny greatness. The plain arepas/arepitas accompany everything else with ease, and they offer them paired with a variety of toppings and fillings.

The black beans are exactly what you want from black beans. Just the slightest bite through the skin and creamy inside.

The fried yucca is among the best I've had, just the right amount of crisp on the outside and soft delicate flesh inside that soaks up whatever sauce you dip them in.

The sauce! their house green sauce, "love sauce" goes great on everything. Even the fried plantains. They also sell bottles of it if you are so motivated to bring it home.

Table service for dine-in was prompt, friendly, and answered all our questions as first time diners before we even thought to ask them. The proprietor, Carlos, is joyously charismatic and even with football going on in the background he was still monitoring the tables.

They were rated as a top-three steakhouse in the area and it is a well...

Very friendly restaurant. As soon as I entered, I was warmly greeted like I was a close friend. One of the first things I noticed is that it was very clean and neat and you could tell attention to detail is paid to the restaurant. Calypso style music was in the background along with Venezuelan decor.

The Brazza steak special was highly recommended, so that’s what I ordered along with two sides. The steak was very flavorful and tender, seasoning was just about perfect and not overdone. The corn was terrific too, charred just enough to bring the great taste out without being burnt. The tomato and onion salad could be mistaken for pico de gallo at first glance, but it had a distinctly different flavor and noticeably more citrusy and acted as a palate cleanser which was awesome.

I will just say that it was so good, I had to order a second order of steak because the whole meal ended a bit too soon for me. What I also liked was the steak came out on a small cutting board which is unique to me and fit the style of the restaurant. I liked the little cutting board so much, I will probably try to find some for home to serve my carved meats on.

Thank you for such a...