True to its roots
By LIZ BOMZE | October 18, 2006
You don’t head to a place like Sabor Latino for the nachos, for the same reason you don’t head to Chinatown for beef and broccoli. Bastardized versions of ethnic dishes are available at practically every eatery across the country (Applebee’s, for example, promises “England Fish and Chips” and a “Santa Fe Chicken Salad”). So if you’re fortunate enough to stumble into a place that stays relatively true to its origins — this one fuses Mexican and Salvadoran dishes — it’s often best to take your chances with less familiar offerings.
With that in mind, orders of tamal de elote ($2.50) and tacos dorados ($4.50) landed on our table. Fluffy and tender as cake, the wedge-shaped masa corn tamale boasted fresh corn flavor and paired brilliantly with a slightly salty slab of queso fresco and a dollop of sour cream. Fried-spring-roll-like beef tacos, meanwhile, improved with a dip into the tomato-y hot sauce, as the charred wrappers lost some of their bitterness.
A huge rice-and-vegetable-stuffed vegetarian burrito ($4), while a bargain for empty stomachs, didn’t compare to the smoky spirals of grilled shrimp — a/k/a camarones a la plancha ($12) — bolstered by traditional platos tipicos accompaniments: rice, salad, and a pool of tasty refried beans. And though dessert options include flan ($2.50), tres leches cake ($2.50), and either strawberry or pineapple cake ($2.50), our stomachs were sated after draining the vase-like schooners of refreshing pineapple and melon smoothies ($3.50).
Sabor Latino, 254 Brighton Avenue, Allston | open daily, 7 am - 10 pm | 617.779.0022.
Related:
The Blarney Stone, Trio, Governor Francis Inn, More 
- The Blarney Stone
What’s the unlikeliest restaurant transformation?
- Trio
Trio began to serve customers on Monday, May 19, and we broke our cardinal rule of waiting three months to review a spot by walking in two days later.
- Governor Francis Inn
The cynical among us assume that any restaurant name that includes the word “Inn” signifies an old-folks’ hangout.
- Hose Company No. 06
As its name suggests, Hose Company No. 6 was once a working fire station, complete with horses and hose wagons.
- Gracie’s
Our friend Jerry gave the best summary of our supper at Gracie’s: “There’s really an art to reading a menu.”
- CAV
What would we do without the place? With no apologies to H.P. Lovecraft, CAV is Providence.
- White Horse Tavern
A recent lunch date at the White Horse reminded us of the differences between traditions old and new, good and not-so-good.
- Zoe’s Gourmet Chinese Cuisine (Brookline)
There were extreme reactions to the news that Zoe’s, which has another location in Somerville, was taking over Shalom Beijing (formerly Shalom Hunan).
- Old South Tomolives
If you’re one of those people who really just orders a Bloody Mary for the olives, you might want to reconsider.
- The Sevens
If you’re looking for Godiva martinis and lobster mashed potatoes, you’ve hit up the wrong tap.
- 9 Tastes
If the crowd of eager diners spilling into every open crevice of 9 Tastes’s foyer was any indication of a promising meal, we had come to the right place.
- Less
Topics:
On The Cheap
, Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Foods, More
, Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Foods, Fruits and Vegetables, Ethnic Cuisines, Mexican Food and Cooking, Asian Food and Cooking, Chinese Food and Cooking, Less
