Great Mexican Food, Finally

Sabores

http://sabores-hoboken.com

518 Washington St

Hoboken, NJ 07030

One half of Garden State Grubber was born and raised in New Jersey and the other half bred in the Golden State of California. Last summer we took a trip to California and the latter half was able to illustrate the differences between east and west coast interpretations of Mexican cuisine. As most of you may know, Mexican food is to California what Italian food is to New Jersey and New York. Since being back, we have tried numerous Mexican restaurants in New Jersey, and each one has unfortunately ended in disappointment. Instead of giving up, we looked online for a new Mexican place to try and found a review saying that Sabores was not very good because "the tacos did not have lettuce, tomatoes, rice, or cheese in them". Yes, we made our decision to go here based on a poor review, only because we know that a Mexican restaurant that omits these ingredients in a taco, understands the true identity of this classic. 

Upon arriving, one is greeted by an extrememly vibrant restaurant. The pink walls and the changing light in the background gives Sabores a chic feel without the arrogance of an upscale restaurant or the corny elements of some dive Mexican joints. Since it is BYO, we brought our own wine. We were pleased to see that they had fresh fruit and mix available to turn our wine into delicious sangria. What better way to start than with guacamole? Eager to try it, we unfortunately forgot to take a picture before we devoured it. It was fresh and had perfect notes of jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and lime. 

We then ordered the trio of tamales. The first was pork in a tomatillo sauce, which was our personal favorite. The pork was tender, and both of us always enjoy tomatillo sauce. The chicken mole tamale was our least favorite, but only because we wanted a little more of the chicken filling. The Rajas tamale was simple and delectable. The luscious cheese oozed out, while the jalapeño, tomato, and onion each complimented the masa extremely well. The corn masa was sweet and cooked perfectly, and when it comes down to executing the perfect tamale it truly starts and ends with the consistency and taste of the masa or maize. 

We decided to split a couple items instead of ordering two large entrees. The Quesadilla Tinga was our first choice. It was filled with chicken, tomato, onion, and chipotle, and was served with sliced tomato, avocado, and of course Mexican crema. The handmade corn tortillas were perfectly crunchy and the flavor that came from the chicken made us feel relieved, as though we had finally found the Mexican food haven we were looking for. The carne asada taco's were double wrapped in handmade corn tortillas, which is always a good sign that you're at a quality Mexican restaurant. The carne asada laid in the corn tortillas uncomplicated by the addition of all the accoutrements that people feel are needed in a taco. The carne asada was marinated and cooked to perfection, served with a simple side of cilantro and diced onion. 

All of the dishes we ordered were simple and perfect. They were executed with tradition in mind. The attention to heritage and true flavors came through with every bite. We will be coming back in the near future. We finally have a California-grade Mexican restaurant to call our own.