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Culture on the Cheap
Conspicuous Consumption: El Gran Sabor
Filed under: 11222, Greenpoint, Greenpoint Brooklyn, Greenpoint Magic
This week was an eventful one for yours truly. In addition to getting props from the Village Voice I met with a local artist regarding redesigning my banner. The latter came to pass at a local watering hole and the Mister, through a series of Keystone copesque machinations, managed to set his hair on fire. You need not worry, dear readers. He is okay. The Mister’s hair will grow back. His dignity, on the other hand, may take longer to restore. It is the sincerest hope of yours truly that this incident will dissuade him from using Brylcreem once and for all. Whenever I see this stuff in our bathroom I feel like I am living in a retirement home. But I digress. It was otherwise a lovely evening with very nice and talented folk. Methinks something very neat will come out of it. Lastly, there were the preparations to be made for Souper Trivia Night 2. While the goodie bags for “Most Creative/Interesting Answer” were a joy to make— and I hope whoever got the one with a dvd of Goldmember and a brand-spanking new Swingline stapler is pleased with his (or her) haul— the circumstances under which they were made were chaotic to say the least. Suffice it to say it was a busy day at the junk shop.
Long story made short, by yesterday evening I was tired. And hungry. VERY HUNGRY. So was the Mister and a good friend of ours, Dale. We decided to give Sabor, the new pan-Latin restaurant on Greenpoint Avenue a try. All in all we were pleased. More importantly, no one got hurt.
The first thing I noticed is they have expanded their menu (which you can see by clicking here). Just as the chef, Perry, assured me last December more vegetarian fare has been added to the menu. This pleased me tremendously. The Mister and his buddy, however, wanted meat— and lots of it. Which brings me to this.
EL GRAN SABOR: one whole chicken, rice, beans, tostones, salchipapa (french fries with hot dogs) and avocado salad. As you can see this $30.00 culinary tour de force purports to feed four people. In ordinary circumstances it probably would. But these were not ordinary circumstances. I had two big and very hungry hombres to feed. STAT. We ordered placed our order without delay and soon enough, out came the kibble.
AVOCADO SALAD
Analysis: the dressing was a wee bit sweet for my taste but the ingredients were fresh. Finding good avocados this time of year in New York City is no small feat. It was devoured.
SALCHIPAPA
Analysis: I didn’t eat the hot dogs (I am a vegetarian), but the french fries paired with what I presume to be aioli was pretty tasty. Once again, the plate was cleaned. Thoroughly.
CHICKEN, RICE & BEANS
Analysis: Obviously I abstained from the chicken as well but am pleased to report it was consumed with much gusto. The rice was very good; the beans were a teensy bit salty for my taste. Still good, though. We did have some of this left over. It was my breakfast this morning. I love rice and beans for breakfast.
VEGETARIAN QUESIDILLA
Analysis: You probably noticed this in the previous picture. While tasty and very reasonably priced (at $6.00), I barely made a dent in it. Simply too much food! This will probably be my dinner tonight accompanied with…
GREEN SAUCE
Analysis: The only other place I have had something like this is La Vuelta in Long Island City. It can best be described in two words: liquid crack. We went through two bowls of this stuff.
TOSTONES
Analysis: by the time this came out I was full. My companions endeavored to persevere— and away it went. After a commodious meal like the previous a normal person would call it a night. Not us. We’re animals. We had dessert.
FLAN, TRES LECHES CAKE & COFFEE
Analysis: I tried all three. The cake was easily the better of the two desserts. Very rich and creamy. The coffee (the Mister’s, which I tasted sparingly— to do otherwise would ensure I’d be up all night) was aromatic and strong.
As I stated previously our overall dining experience was very good. The food was tasty and plentiful and the service very attentive and gracious. If I had to tender any constructive criticism it would be this: I really wished they had sangria. There’s something so perfect about sangria with rice and beans on a cold winter night. Maybe they’ll have it next time? Yes, there will be a next time for yours truly. Sabor has made it onto the rotation for the Chez Shitty household.
Sabor Latino Cuisine
Hours: Sunday – Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m.
Delivery: YES!
159 Greenpoint Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222
(347) 227-8531
Check it out!
Miss Heather
UPDATE, 9:21 p.m.: A fellow Greenpointer I hold in high esteem, rutila, dined at this establishment tonight and was not pleased with her fare. See her comment below.
Comments
11 Comments on Conspicuous Consumption: El Gran Sabor
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d on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 2:20 pm
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missheather on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 2:22 pm
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rowan on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 2:55 pm
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ms nomer on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 6:28 pm
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missheather on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 6:30 pm
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d on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 7:20 pm
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rutila on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 9:10 pm
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missheather on
Fri, 29th Jan 2010 9:15 pm
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d on
Sat, 30th Jan 2010 6:53 pm
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rodmur on
Sun, 31st Jan 2010 11:44 am
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rowan on
Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 6:23 pm
Sounds great but I am disappointed to see no plain bean burrito. Why do so few places have it on the menu? I understand sticking vegetables in a burrito is fashionable but I wish I could find a place that just has a traditional bean option other than Yummy Taco! I know I can ask places for one but everyone just seems so confused and befuddled as to what constitutes a bean burrito.
I think we should start a petition. Otherwise, I think I might have found a place where we can secure such an item! Will tell you about this later.
i took a takeout menu from them a few weeks ago. and am pleased to see that they are open late on friday and saturday nights – with late night delivery, too. will try them very soon, especially after your review. green sauce = yes!
I’m guessing there’s no burrito because they’re trying to balance dishes from countries across Latin America, and they already have quesadillas which are associated with Mexico. (Not that there seems to be a quota or anything.) I love Tex-Mex and Mexican food but I’m personally glad they’re embracing other Latin American cuisines. Having been raised on Puerto Rican-style chicken, maduros, and rice & beans, I can’t wait to taste some cooking that reminds me of my childhood meals, right in Greenpoint.
There is a burrito, ms nomer. Look at the menu I uploaded. It is bereft of beans. That’s the issue! 😉
I’m not complaining about a variety of Latin dishes and this place looks fantastic, it’s just a general gripe that it seems *all* places in the area across the board that offer burritos do not offer a standard bean option and seem confused about it when you ask. I loves me some vegetables but I don’t want a bunch of soggy grilled veggies in a burrito (mixing textures grosses me out). I do want to try this place and ask if they’d still use the “cheeses and house special sauce” but replace the “pepper, mushroom, and carrot” with “beans” or maybe even “beans and rice”. YUM! H, I look forward to hearing about your discovery.
Don’t hold your breath, Rowan. After reading Miss Heather’s review today, I had the hankering for Peruvian chicken and went to Sabor for a quarter chicken (dark meat), yucca fries, and black rice (rice with black beans). It was disappointing to say the least. The green sauce was lumpy, powdery even, and the water-clogged rice was too sticky. The chicken wasn’t bad, and the fries were great, but the good parts didn’t make up for the bad. I’d much rather head to cheaper Señor Pollo (which serves spinach mashed potatoes) in the city than Sabor up the block.
So we have one pro and one con! Thanks for giving your review, rutila. Since— no, make that especially since— I do not eat meat I like to hear feedback from my fellow omnivores with good taste!
I will look forward to trying it. Taste is subjective in many cases; for instance, people rave about Papacito’s and River Barrel but I’ve yet to have a satisfying meal at either of those places and I’ve tried more than once.
I like the Bibimbap at River Barrel, but it’s a special. Not sure how often they serve it.
I’ll keep that in mind, Rutila. Right now, my local go-to place in Greenpoint for that kind of food is Pio Pio Riko. Cheap and quick and sometimes that is all I want. And their green sauce is addictive.
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