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| - Hungry and craving something different, I walked into Sabor not sure what to expect. After all, the Elizabeth neighborhood and authentic Latin American food don't exactly go hand-in-hand. But with all their buzz in the Yelpisphere lately, I thought they must have something going for them. And once again, Yelp has hit the nail on the head.
In one devastating bitch-slap to your taste buds Sabor will render all the chain burrito places, especially that misguided monument to blandness known as Moe's totally irrelevant. From the moment you walk in the door the smells of slow roasting meat, cumin, cilantro and chilies make promises lesser establishments wouldn't dare. This is, after all, not the typical gringo-ized Tex-Mex food drowning in cheddar beside shredded lettuce, sour cream and refried beans. In fact, the best thing about Sabor is that it's NOT a Mexican place, at least not exclusively. As the name suggests, it's an homage to street foods from all across Latin America.
In addition to the stuff you find anywhere: tacos, burritos, quesadillas etc., they also have arepas, pupusas, gorditas and hands down, the best damn empanada I've EVER had! Their arepa, a grilled corn patty filled with shredded chicken, tomatoes, onions and cheese is basically the sandwich to end all sandwiches. My paltry description doesn't begin to do it justice. Put it this way: the flavors will make you froth at the mouth, your body tingle and your eyes dilate. It's almost an insult to even call it a sandwich.
I must admit, I wasn't a fan of the pupusa. Being my first, I don't know if the execution was off or if that's how they're supposed to be. But I found the corn cake to be tough and puck-like. It didn't help that I'd asked for spinach filling and got mixed veggies instead. I'll give it another try. Overall, a small and forgivable downside to an otherwise outstanding new restaurant.
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