Sabroso Restaurant

Anyone wishing to experience a state of culinary euphoria should savor the fusion of fabulous flavors of World Latin Cuisine (Latino Mundo) at Sabroso Restaurant in Rhinebeck, New York. Sabroso simply means tasty, pleasing, savory, wonderful and delicious. Opened a little more than a year ago, Sabroso has quickly become a local darling. Quietly tucked away on beautiful Garden Street away from the loud crowd scene of the main town boulevard, the restaurant draws diners from the outer neighborhoods as well as sophisticated foodies in the know from all parts, as well as nobility, film stars and political luminaries looking for great eats while preferring exclusivity and privacy. On any given night one is bound to see someone of established local, national or international importance dining there. The three gracious and talented owners—Chris Long, and the two chefs, Marcia Miller and Erica Mahlkuch—wanted to create a stylish restaurant specializing in a cuisine not common in Dutchess County. World Latin cooking is not a culinary subject that most people in the valley may be familiar with or really understand.



Chef Marcia is quick to point out the anthropological world connections of some of their dishes. Mahlkuch, formerly of the Samba Room in Florida and well-traveled as well, is inspired and versed too with the many spices, ingredients, techniques and flavors of South America and the Caribbean. She brings a heightened, fresh and experimental approach to World Latin cooking. In a reflective mood and thinking as a chef she says, “The earth provides us with such a variety and bounty of foods that it’s actually fun to create new and exciting dishes.” It is evident that the two chefs, Erica and Marcia, share a joyous comfort in their future endeavors.



When you enter the restaurant you come upon a nicely lit bar showcasing a venerable selection of good liquor and beverages. This small cozy area features a beautiful polished one-piece African mahogany bar top with handsome and comfortable seats. It’s a place for laid back conversation under charming Barcelona-style lighting. It draws a regular cadre of locals who appreciate the strong, raw Cuba Libres, Original Cuban Daiquiris, Great Cosmopolitans and a classic killer Martini. Bartender Hilary Arehart, a young, knowledgable and gracious host, is quite skilled with the favorite as well as the more exotic concoctions. Adjoining the bar are two small tables to sit at and enjoy some excellent quality tapas with good libation such as a Cuban Mojito, the best I’ve tasted in the Hudson Valley, or sip a good Mexican Margarita, a Brazilian Caipirinha, or some excellent domestic or imported beer like Corona, Hacher Shorr, Pale Corsendonk or a Hatuey, or just have some excellent wine by the glass.



The enticing plates of tapas like the Cuba Yuca Frita—a taro root vegetable—fried and clean tasting (not greasy or soggy) is nicely seasoned and delicious. It is accompanied by a tangy tomato mojo sauce. It’s well worth it. Or try the classic Cuban Sandwich served with boniato chips that is outstanding. Sabroso makes a superb sangria, a house specialty made from a secret recipe. It is a great accompaniment to just about any tapas or entrée on the menu. Other tapas include two different tasty croquettes—a Spanish seafood one consisting of shrimp, lobster or cod, or the Spinach and Manchego one. Both are savory eats. Or try the Cuban Manjua fish, a seasonal favorite: it’s an anchovy-like crispy fried delight served with lettuce and a spicy Habanero sauce. You can also order a small plate of chorizo (a Spanish sausage of beef, pork, garlic and paprika) in a red Rioja wine sauce that is a small flavorful treat. The fresh Sepia (cuttlefish) griddled Hearts of Palm salad or crispy calamari are also great treats. Or if you would like something more exotic then dig into a great tasting Venezuela Trio of Arepas. Each arepa is stuffed differently: one with ropa vieja(jerked beef), one with Portobello mushrooms and the other with avocado. These wonderful, succulent small plates from the World Latin regions are truly amusing on the palate. Abandon yourself to a lavish table of fabulous tapas before going on to dinner.

The restaurant also has a healthy selection of salads reflective of these world regions. The two chefs are committed to experimentation and forays into Asian, African and Basque flavors, and their menu includes couscous, guindilla, piquillo, ginger and some curries, which make sense when applied to dishes prepared at Sabroso, and are not about being au courant.



One very enjoyable concoction with a zesty fusion of flavors was the Baby Arugula with Toasted Pumpkin Seed, Pyrenean Goat Cheese and Ancho Vinaigrette salad. Another is the Asturian style Tomato and Cabrales Cheese with Avocado and Red Onions in a Blood Orange Vinaigrette. It’s a wonderfully fresh and tasty salad. The soups at Sabroso are also a copious triumph of ethnic cuisine: A Basque-style Lobster bisque is a flavorful creamy and superb concoction right to the point. The Cuban Black Bean Soup is marvelously prepared with hints of cumin, green pepper and other spices and is topped with a dollop of sour cream. It all comes together as a very savory delight. And the Sopita de Tamales is a hearty delicious soup of fresh corn and pork and spices garnished with julienned tortilla chips. One other exciting palate pleaser is the Yellow Carrot and Potato Soup with Sunflower Seed and White Sour Cream. Wunderbar!



Sabroso’s full dining area is painted in a soothing San Sebastian yellow. It is a medium size L-shaped dining room which seats about fifty people. There is a small assemblage of very beautiful and colorful folk art paintings of food and agriculture and small Meso-American masks and Mexican mirrors adorning the soft yellow painted walls. The overhanging square lighting fixtures reflect a more casual but elegant Spanish Mediterranean look. This mix of decorative and architectural details create a romantic and very stylish atmosphere. And the rosado upholstered dining chairs and the white cloth table tops contrast beautifully with this overall artistic grouping.



In the main dining room the entrées served are as wonderful and succulent as the tapas. They include:



The Havana Red Snapper: This is a good size whole fish extravaganza of tender and juicy white flesh cooked to perfection. It’s a work of cuisine art, a delectable entrée, and one of the restaurant’s signature dishes. The seated fish, nicely crusted and adorned with standing fried plantain chips is stuffed (top filled) with a flavorful coconut/cilantro rice, and finished with a fresh and very tasty tomato and mango sauce. It’s a delicious eating experience This dish paired very well with the Lusco Albarino: an engaging crispy and citrusy white wine from Galicia, Spain.



The Rib Eye: A hefty and deeply marbled prime cut of beef cooked properly—slighty caramelized on the outside while keeping a pinkish medium rare interior. It is a tender, delicious, mouthwatering juicy steak. It is served with green asparagus and a garlic potato or boniato mash in a Valdeon sauce. This entrée paired nicely with a classy Spanish Lorinon Red Reserva. Or try it with the Casa Silva Carmenere Reserve from Chile.

The Espana Paella: There are 15 regions in Spain, and all have a distinct way of preparing and cooking paella—a soulful and hearty dish of seafood, chicken, vegetables and chorizo. Sabroso’s version of this classic Spanish dish presented in a traditional iron paellera reflects more a southern Spanish Seville style of cooking where fresh tomato, strong spices and condiments give it a more regional flavor of cities like Seville, Malaga or Algeciras. Theirs is a great paella with all the succulent ingredients that make it such. The fresh lobster, shrimp, mussels, scallops, peas and chorizo enhance the great aroma of a garlic-tomato sofrito-infused saffron rice, giving the meal a powerful authentic Spanish flavor. This dish will pair successfully with a Reboreda Blanco or Albarino from Spain or a Casa Silva Sauvignon Blanc Reserva from Chile. Or if you feel more experimental try the Txacoli.



The Breast of Duck: This dish consists of tender and slender cuts of peking or mallard or muscovy breast served with a sweet potato mash and figs wrapped in Serrano ham, and accompanied by a Manchego Cheese and Creamy Torta. It is a well orchestrated assortment of delicious food layers, flavors and textures harmoniously blending with the gaminess of the juicy duck breasts. This dish is really delightful if paired with the Faustino V Reserva from Spain, which is a full-bodied, spicy and well-structured wine with hints of black currant, oak and plum, and a refined finish.



At the end of the dining room a Spanish-style patio door leads to al fresco dining. In fair weather the patio is a very comfortable place to sit at a table under a light green umbrella to enjoy good tapas, cold beer and Cava sparkling wine and listen to live Latin music performed in a lovely garden setting. It is also a place to enjoy dessert, like an Orange Flan or a Mango Tres Leche, or a Trio of Sherbet, and have a good-tasting Cuban Coffee that’s a house specialty made in the traditional style with milk, crème de cacao, espresso and whipped cream. The patio has occupancy for about twenty-five people. At special times throughout the spring, summer and fall the three owners will host a cheese and tapas pairing with beer and wine.



Sabroso carries a superlative assortment of excellent wines that are equally as memorable as the delicious food that is served there. You’ll find some very good light-, medium-, to full-bodied reds and whites from Spain, Chile, Portugal and the Basque country. The restaurant also stocks some excellent Spanish Sherries like Gitana and Grahams Port wine. One outstanding wine of this stellar selection that is unique to the Hudson Valley is the Txacolina. Txacoli wine, produced in the Basque Country, is a zippy white. Winemakers have to fight the elements of salty sea air, chilly temperature and Atlantic winds to make this wonderful wine. Txacoli is nearly all white, made with the unusual Hondarrabi white grape. The red varietal is made with the Honrarribi Beltza grape. Txacoli is considered a “Vino de Agujo,” meaning there is a fizz to it. This wine is exceptionally successful with seafood and salads. You can choose either the Xarmant or the Txomin Etxaniz. Another excellent wine is the Faustino V or VII Reserva, a full-bodied red with strong oak and fruit flavors, a spicy structure and a strong finish. This wine is de rigueur with game or a juicy porterhouse steak. And another wine worth mentioning is the Quinta de Roriz from Portugal: it goes well with beef, chicken, rabbit or Catalonian fideos and or canalones on the menu. Owner Chris Long talks about the ” Mediterranean Wine Arena”and Chile as Latin World wines complementing Latin dishes. He is attuned to keeping top wines for a cognizant clientele that require it in his restaurant. He is also stocking wines from smaller vineyards of the “Arena” that produce a good and affordale selection of vintages but are little known in the Hudson Valley.

Born in New York, Chris Long has been in the restaurant business over twenty-five years. He is really enthusiastic about Sabroso’s future because of the high standards he has set and the warm appreciative public that he has befriended. Honestly, Sabroso has a kind of universality that is catchy. According to Mr. Long, “Food is language. It speaks volume about culture and hospitality.” Maybe there is a special language embodied in a good restaurant that gives it sandunga, or über geistlich, that spiritual spark, if you will. Or maybe it’s the owners, the chefs or the friendly high voltage staff, or the music one encounters there, or the people that come to eat there; it’s the wine and food for sure. Sabroso has culinary synergy, it has what I call “sidereal shine,” because of what it offers to a knowledgeable clientele. A great many things work well at this World Latin eatery for those of us who love Latino food. Just imagine an ideal good eats exotic San Sebastian or Havana fine restaurant and plant it in the manicured affluent town of Rhinebeck and you’ll be amazed by Sabroso’s elegance, charming and sophisticated style. Unique and gratifying is the occasion when we dine out that the eating experience is keenly enhanced by the restaurant’s cheerful décor, warm hospitality, good service and a deliciously prepared artistry of food. Sabroso has an aura of exclusivity that makes for memorable feasting, a place you can say its numero uno in its characteristic field of World Latin food.



Thanks to owners Chris Long, Marcia Miller and Erica Mahlkuch’s wholehearted guidance, meticulous attention to dining details and intelligent, novel techniques in cooking, Sabroso has secured a fabulous reputation. It has great food, great libation and a knowledgeable staff. Chris, Marcia and Erica have created a unique and exciting food experience; a gastronomic heaven in Rhinebeck and the Hudson Valley—a sheer eating pleasure for those of us willing to be seduced by a high caliber, inventive and exotic cuisine. One only needs to savor the fine food, beer and wines at Sabroso to experience the joys of civilized eating at its best.



Sabroso is located at 22 Garden Street in Rhinebeck. They are open every day, except Tuesday, for dinner starting at 5:30 pm. They are open for lunch in the spring, summer and fall. For more information, please call 845 876 8688 or visit www.sabrosoplatos.com.



Baron Corso de Palenzuela is an international food, wine, beer and chocolate critic, a chef and connoisseur who has written extensively on international wine and cuisine. He publishes his own food column, “The Gourmet Baron.” He travels both abroad and in the U.S. as writer for other publications. He resides in New York, Virginia and Spain. He can be reached at gourmetbaron@aol.com or at 845 706 1244.

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