1225 S. Fort Apache Road, 702-804-1400, viabrasilsteakhouse.com
A few years back, Brazilian steakhouses were coming on strong with a format that seemed custom-made for buffet-addled Vegas: an unrelenting tableside flurry of meat — lamb, chicken, steak! seared, skewered, sausaged, often bacon-wrapped! — served by men dressed as gauchos. Perhaps the orgiastic carnomania eclipsed more sensible, and subtly adventurous, menu items. Like the acaraje at locally owned Via Brasil. It’s an eminently snackable dish of black-bean croquettes studded with crunchy grilled shrimp, served with a side of spicy coconut peanut sauce. Something elemental going on here in the flavor profile: earthy (black beans), oceanic (shrimp) and sunbathing-in-nothing-but-a-straw-hat (that zingy pool of coconut peanut dip). It’s just one item on their recently unveiled happy hour menu that puts the spotlight on small, shareable plates, so save room and explore what lies behind the Great Wall of Protein.