Sabores Latin House: A Poetic Combination of Flavors

There’s been an explosion of Latin restaurants in farthest North Dallas lately, with the newest edition, Sabores Latin House, opening this past November at the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway and Trinity Mills.

Sabores is a Latin fusion spot whose website boasts “one thousand flavors in one place,” and true to its word, no single cuisine dominates here. They attempt to bring together the foods and flavors of several Latin American countries: Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia, Peru and Mexico, focusing on the commonalities and individual differences between them all.
The interior is bright and cozy, with rattan lanterns dangling from the ceiling and a meticulously staged bar that would make a Hollywood set designer proud. A well-designed stylized logo further draws the eye along the back wall, adding a bit of relaxed elegance.
Our server was helpful in answering our many questions about the menu as we waited for our cocktail to arrive. It was a frozen Margarita Volcanica prepared with 100% blue agave tequila, lime, Triple Sec and a choice of mango, strawberry, passion fruit or blackberry syrup. We went with straight-up lime, and its presentation and flavors were above average.

Other drink choices include wine and beer, over a dozen scotch, tequila and whiskey options and several varieties of vodkas, rums and gins.
We selected the mandoca pops from the small and sharable portion of the menu. They're crispy plantain mandocas filled with Oaxaca cheese and dressed with aromatic panela syrup. These Venezuelan treats are usually made of deep-fried cornmeal, but plantains are used as the base in this case. These were sweet but not too sweet and still worked as a great beginning.

Tequeños, yucas, ceviche several ways, empanadas and quesabirrias are just some of the other shareable plates offered.

The mains are divided into selections from the garden, the sea or the turf. We ordered two from the sea: pulpo Nikkei and arroz poblano.
The grilled octopus in the pulpo comes with a yucca and cauliflower puree in a Nikkei style (a Japanese and Peruvian fusion of ingredients and flavors), chulpe corn powder and grilled broccolini, garnished with microgreens and raw red onions. Everything worked on the plate; the octopus had the perfect texture and was well-sauced. There was a welcome crunch from the onions and a wonderfully creamy puree lightly dusted with the corn powder.

Arroz poblano arrived in a huge plate filled with poblano rice and heirloom corn, topped with grilled al pastor shrimp and garnished with micro greens and a blend of Mexican cheeses. The rice was creamy and almost resembled a risotto, and the large, tender pieces of corn were very similar in size and texture to hominy.
Other mains include mussels, Nikkei salmon, skirt steak chimichurri, rib-eye, New York strip, short rib, baby back ribs, a hamburger, and three salad options.

We finished the meal with a dessert of tres leches con leche de maracuyà, a delicious and ample slice of cinnamon tres leches cake topped with passion fruit cream and whipped cream, then garnished with a banana chip. This was good, not overly sweet and a fitting end to an above-average meal.

The multiple flavors and cultures represented in Sabores’ menu back up another bold statement on its website: “Fusion that makes everyone feel at home.” We’d gladly return to try more of the other thousand flavors promised.