Those unfamiliar with the cooking of Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil may have to look up some terms when dining at Brasas Grill, though plenty of local diners who have ventured into the Middle Tennessee Boulevard space suggest going in and simply diving into the cuisine of South America.
For those unaccustomed: first of all, an arepa—one of the items served at the restaurant that is becoming somewhat more common in Tennessee—is a fried flatbread made from finely ground corn meal. Brasas serves small versions of these as accompaniments to dishes, a hush-puppy kind of thing. Or, cooks will slice larger arepas down the middle and fill them with meats, cheeses and veggies, sandwich style.
A Bandeja Paisa (“Paisa platter,” named for the Paisa region of Columbia) usually consists of meats, like a combination of beef and pork (ground beef or steak along with pork belly or chicharrón/pork rinds), beans, white rice, fried egg, sweet plantains, chorizo (sausage), arepas and avocado.
Order “mojarra” and you will receive a whole fried tilapia; “chimichurri” refers to a vibrantly tasty sauce made from herbs, spices, garlic, oil and vinegar. “Papelon” is a sweet beverage made from sugarcane, with perhaps other fruits and flavorings, and “tequeños” consist of sticks of cheese wrapped in dough and fried, a sort of cheesestick.
Try it all.
“Every time I get a cachapa with steak and pork, tequeños or arepas entree, and papelon con limon juice,” pleased customer Fernando Romero said. “5-star food, for real . . . Love the place.”
Brasas Grill seems to do a decent amount of business, the smell of smoked meats often greeting those arriving at the establishment.
“It smells so good when you walk in. The food tastes even better than it smells,” Leslie Blackburn posted in a review. “And the portion size of the meat plates are generous.”
Brasas recently renovated the restaurant space in the end of the building near MTSU that also contains Cup Pop and University Liquor, behind the former Boro Bar & Grill and sharing a parking lot with the building that houses the Smoothie King and the Middle Tennessee Market. It looks nice in there.
Latino beats play while the large TV currently displays World Cup action, and diners of various ages, languages and countries of origin mingle and enjoy their food.
Brasas means “embers” en español, a cooking reference to the glowing coals used for grilling or smoking meat.
Do not be intimidated by any unfamiliarity or language barrier—just think smoked meats and corn cakes.
The arepas, delightfully fried little cakes of corn, display a fantastic crisp exterior texture. They may need some sauce on them—the arepas taste a little plain on their own—but make a great base to pair with the meats, beans, sauces and avocado.
And the sauces are fire!
From the bursting-with-flavor chimichurri to a yellow-colored (mild) hot sauce to a rockin’ creamy garlic sauce served with the tequeños, all of the Brasas Grill sauces are loaded with flavor.
“Best Venezuelan food in the Middle Tennessee area. If you’re looking for a good steak or a rotisserie chicken this is the right place,” according to diner Paulo Loyo. “And don’t forget to try the fried pork (chicharron)!”
Although it costs $27, the Bandeja Paisa includes a solid pile of meat, along with the sweet plantains, four small arepas, rice, beans, egg and avocado—it really is a large amount of really good food.
It features neatly chopped, bite-sized slices of steak, cooked about medium, as well as half a link of chorizo and a serving of pork belly. There’s a lot to explore here.
As gently cooked as the steak is, the egg is fried quite hard. And the exterior of some of the bits of pork belly can be a little overly crisp and hard to bite into for some, but for the most part it is an excellent plate.
Really, this single plate could suffice for two people, especially with a small appetizer or extra side.
Brasas has a similar platter with its steak served with chopped pieces of pork ribs; there’s also a steak and grilled chicken combo.
“There are multiple delicious salsas, but you don’t need any of them, truly. The food is so absolutely delicious. The steak? Perfectly cooked and seasoned. The fried mojarra was ridiculously perfect. The tequeños were good, but that garlic sauce kicked them over the edge. The beans. Perfection. The coleslaw? Crisp, refreshing, and not too creamy. The boiled yuca? Awesome,” local diner Mandy Johnson posted in her review. “Even the dang avocado on our Bandeja Paisa was perfectly green. Everything was wonderful.”
She reported the cost for a group of three, plus tip, approached $120, but that everyone left with more than enough food for at least one additional meal.
Also find on the menu plantain and steak baskets—not just a basket filled with these items, but fried plantains actually formed into small cups and filled with steak pieces.
The cheesy fried tequeños, in their light, fluffy wrappers, served with the delicious creamy garlic sauce, are a hit with the cheesestick fans.
The place has some really good, crispy French fries, as well, perhaps dipped in some light batter before being fried.
Although a server compared the papelon to sweet tea, it has a very distinct profile, with a hard-to-pinpoint fruity taste, almost like prunes.
The prices at Brasas Grill may cause hesitation for some, but many report the portions are quite generous and the taste of the food is incredible.
“Really nice experience here,” Justin White said. “The price might feel a little high, but for what you get, it’s definitely worth it. We ordered the meal for two. It was enough to feed four.”
Overall, the Brasas Grill fare is a little on the greasy, salty and fatty side. There may be some confusion over menu items or a language barrier, and it’s not everyone’s thing.
“I’ve eaten there a few times, and each time it gets more expensive,” Helmer Murcia said. “I ordered some super expensive tostones, and they sent me squashed ripe plantains covered in oil, and the price was like they were made of gold. I don’t recommend it. Sorry, but we have to be fair when we run a business. Please be honest. It would have been better if they had said they didn’t have any than to go and fry ripe plantains and squash them.”
But, this writer really really enjoys sweet plantains and big piles of meat, based on a first experience there.
For some fantastically smoked steak, ribs, pork belly and chorizo, flavorful sauces and crispy corn cakes, give it a try.
“Blown away by the flavor,” Benjamin LeTourneau said. “Best smoked meat-related restaurant in Murfreesboro.”
Brasas Grill
2830 Middle Tennessee Blvd.
Sun.–Fri.: 9 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sat.: 9 a.m.–11 p.m.
615-624-7495
Bandeja Paisa for one: $26.99; Arepa with steak, pork belly or grilled chicken: $11.99; Cachapa with cheese: $17.99; Tequeños (3): $8; Beef, cheese or chicken empanada: $6.99; Fried mojarra platter: $21.99; Steak plantain baskets (4): $20
