Day or night, it’s always the right time to visit Chica, an energetic restaurant with Latin vibes. Venezuelan-born chef Lorena Garcia, in conjunction with the 50 Eggs Hospitality Group, opened Chica in 2017, bringing the flavors and dishes of many Latin and South American countries to prominence on the Strip. Since then, Garcia and 50 Eggs have opened a Miami Chica and one in Aspen, and earlier this year gave the restaurant a makeover, changing up the dining area and bringing a garden-esque, Miami vibe to the bar area. In the rear of the restaurant, the large grill still dominates.
The menu got a makeover at the same time, keeping some of Garcia’s most popular dishes while adding plenty of new ones. The restaurant is open daily for both brunch and dinner, so planning a return visit on your trip is a great option.
If you are in for brunch, there are some amazing dishes to consider, like the guava cornflake French toast; the fried chicken and waffle, with crispy Yucatan-style chicken and a hot honey sauce; the eggs Benedict cazuela, with poached eggs and chorizo on a cheese arepa (the arepa is that delicious little cake that Chica is known for); a 10-ounce prime skirt steak with eggs; avocado toast with pomegranate, pumpkin seeds and Fresno chile on a wonderful multigrain bread, definitely in the upper echelon of the avocado toast realm; and the ember-roasted cauliflower, served with a coco-cauliflower purée (that smoky flavor is lovely).
For dinner, make sure you get a basket of Lorena’s arepas (they come in beet, cilantro, black bean, and cheese) or the asado negro arepas with braised short rib, as you indulge in a cocktail like the Chica classic, the Chica-rita, with blanco tequila pineapple, lime, agave, and bitters. Chica also has a variety of hot and cold dishes that act a lot like a tapas menu—Peruvian ceviche, crispy tuna tacos, wood-fired mushroom barbacoa and wood oven-roasted Peruvian ceviche are some of the offerings. The guacamole comes with crispy plantain chips that you’ll find yourself munching on throughout the meal; they are absolutely fabulous.
For your entrée, consider the cowboy steak, a 30-day dry-aged ribeye or grilled sea bass, both cooked over an open fire grill, or the massive tomahawk, served as a special many nights. A pepita-crusted lamb rack comes via the wood oven, as does spit-roasted Peruvian chicken.
Order roasted street corn, fire-roasted Brussels sprouts or huancaina mashed potatoes for sides with extreme flavor. Huancaina is a Peruvian sauce of chilis, onions and queso fresco, an excellent accompaniment to the potatoes.
For your dessert, you’ll have a hard time choosing, but ordering several for the group will solve your dilemma.: The Corn is strawberry flan cheesecake with raspberry Tajin—and it really looks like an ear of corn. But the most impressive is the flaming skull, a chocolate concoction that is poured over with flame, melting the skull and revealing warm lava cake, horchata ice cream, and fruit and corn marshmallows (yes, made of corn)! This is the most show-stopping presentation, and you’ll want to film it for posterity.
The Venetian, 866.659.9643
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