Loreto and the surrounding area is blessed with an
impressive number and variety of restaurants, due in part to the large ex-pat
community and the growing numbers of visitors who come here. One of the unique new additions this Season
is Sabor! Restaurant, which I have enjoyed on several occasions, and thought
would make an interesting subject for this week's Blog.
I first heard of Sabor (which means flavor in Spanish) last
Season when they appeared on social media introducing a new Bakery specializing
in North American and Mexican deserts. Although
I was intrigued I never got around to visiting their business last year for a
number of reasons; first of all the directions to their location just outside
of the town of Loreto were a bit vague and confusing, secondly they only baked
to order and they needed a day's notice to pick up a desert, and finally living
alone a whole pie or cake would be more than I could (or should) consume. However, this Fall they launched a restaurant
under the same name, and so I resolved to satisfy my earlier curiosity (and
appetite) and meet the challenge of figuring out where they were located, and
finally making a visit.
Just south of the main Highway bridge as you are leaving the
town of Loreto I had seen their modest sign off the side of the road and the
beginning of a primitive road heading east into some low hills towards the Sea
of Cortez. But with the ongoing roadwork
that begins at the bridge and is widening the Highway south of town, there has
been no defined "exit" from the road onto the dirt shoulder where
their sign is posted and the apparent roadway to the restaurant starts. However, once I made it off the Highway and
onto their road, I found my way through several twists and turns and up and
down a couple of rolling dunes about a hundred yards to where I arrived at the
corner of an sturdily walled compound with another "Sabor!" sign at
the open gateway. I had found it!
The gate opened onto a large gravel parking area with a big
5th Wheel trailer along one wall and a
low concrete building with a thatched roof viewing tower and palapa covered
patio stretching along the far side of the compound. After parking the car I followed a neat
pathway through a natural desert garden to the main building where I was met by
Chris, the Owner/Host of Sabor!, a big friendly "gringo" who by all
appearances enjoyed good food!
The patio area held 7 or 8 tables for four, mostly under the
shade of the thatched roof palapa, with a small pool and fountain at one
end. Up a flight of stairs there were
more tables on the patio of the tower with a panoramic view of the Sea of
Cortez to the east and the Sierra de la Giganta mountains to the west. Tucked in the corner between the garden and
the pool was a compact outdoor kitchen with a wood burning grill separating the
patio from the parking lot. My first
impression of this unusual set-up was that it didn't look like any other
restaurant I had been to before - here or anywhere - and in spite of the
outdoor ambiance (which is not uncommon here), things were meticulously tidy
and spotlessly clean. 
I sat down with Chris and began by asking him his
"Loreto Story". He had worked
in the US for over 20 years overseeing the development of Golf Courses all over
the country. While he enjoyed the work,
it kept him apart from his Mexican born wife Mari for more than half the year
and so about 7 years ago he started thinking about doing some small scale
residential development somewhere they both wanted to live. In 2005, on the advice of a friend, Chris and
his family saw Loreto for the first time and they thought this might be the
place they were looking for.
Eventually Chris purchased a parcel of land just south of
town, between the Highway and the Ocean and started making plans for developing
a cluster of homes there. Using the many
construction skills he had from his previous experience, he started by building
a compound where the family started living in their 5th Wheel RV. Next he started building a house to
accommodate his growing family.
However, a few years later, as they were getting comfortably
established and ready to start the small housing development he had planned for
the adjacent property, the world had changed and the market for the type of new
homes he was planning was no more. So
Chris refocused and decided to apply his carpentry skills as a cabinet maker
and he started a woodworking business in Loreto. This kept him busy for the next few years,
during which time the home compound continued to be developed with expanded
buildings and an in-ground pool.
Meanwhile Chris and his wife Mari had often talked about the
idea of taking advantage of her well deserved reputation as an excellent cook
and baker and start some sort of food related business. This had its beginnings in last year's Bakery
business, which met with enough success that over last summer that they decided to expand into a full menu
restaurant in the beautiful patio of their home.
True to the namesake, Sabor! specializes in fresh wholesome
foods and flavors in the
Southwestern/Mexican style, using the best ingredients
available and many family recipes from Mari's home in Jalisco, combined with
fresh baked breads and decadent deserts, including North American favorites -
this is truly Home-cooking in the best sense!
While Mari (with assistance from some local hired helpers) prepares most
of the varied menu items from the regular kitchen in the house, Chris' friendly
personality welcomes their Guests and he also doubles and the Grill Chef
working over fragrant Acacia wood fires from his outdoor BBQs, while Ashley,
their eldest daughter, provides the charming and attentive table service that
is the finishing touch to a memorable meal.
While youngest daughter Dani does not have a Sabor! job yet - given the
family involvement, it's can only be a matter of time!
(Speaking of the finishing touch, here is a bit of advice
(based on my own experience with the generous helpings of the main plates on
the menu) if there's no room for desert after you have finished your meal don't
pass up Mari's deserts - get it to go for a late night snack or a treat for
another day - yumm!)
In many ways Chris' story (and finding his Restaurant) is an
analogy for much of what appeals to me about Loreto - an uncertain, if
optimistic beginning, with some ups and downs and twists and turns along the
way, before finding yourself in an unexpectedly beautiful place meeting
friendly interesting people - topped off in this case with a delicious meal! Meeting new friends and learning their story
while enjoying great food in stunning surroundings is it any wonder why I'm
"Living Loreto"!
(Sabor! open Wednesday through
Sunday, 11:30 - 9:00 pm, see menu and details: www.saborloreto.com)
