Wine Reviews / Wine Travel

Date Night at Sabor, Edmonton

When I found out that Sabor was closed for a Covid cleaning on my birthday last year, I cried for three hours. That is not an exaggeration, as Brody can attest. That’s how much I love this restaurant (and how desperate I was to get out of the house).

So you can image how excited I was to FINALLY get the chance to go back, this time for a belated Valentine’s Day dinner. We even booked ourselves a room at the nearby Delta Hotel so we didn’t have to worry about driving (be safe, folks!)

This would be my third time there (and if you know me, you know I love trying new restaurants so the fact that I keep wanting to go back is a big deal).

The first time I actually went by myself. I was on a course nearby and googled “Edmonton Wine Bars”. Each night I tried a different one as I worked my way through wines for a challenge I was doing that year. Sabor was definitely my best experience. My server was extremely helpful and friendly, and I knew I’d have to remember to bring Brody back there one day.

But then I forgot! And Brody beat me to the punch. He made reservations there for date night one night and as soon as I walked in the door I remembered where I was.

That evening was also fantastic – our server was extremely knowledgable and recommended a fantastic wine for us. Our food was so delicious we couldn’t stop eating until every last bite was gone. That was when I decided I needed to have my birthday there.

But alas, the fates were not on my side, and I spent my birthday eating self-pity-mcnuggets instead.

Now, though, I am happy to report that they are back open for dine-in and I can’t wait to share this experience with you, because it was just as wonderful as I’d remembered.

THE SETTING

Sabor is a Portugese/Spanish tapas restaurant in the heart of downtown Edmonton, at 10220 103 Street.

There are two levels, each with their own vibe. The first time I went, I sat at one of the smaller tables on the main level and had a great view of the busy street. It had a more casual-cool vibe. For both of our date nights, however, we have been sat on the upper level with has a distinctly more “fine dining” vibe to it. There is also a separate room for large reservations that I fully intend to book someday when we are allowed gatherings again.

THE SERVICE

Every server that I have had at Sabor has been extremely courteous, prompt, and excellent with the wine list recommendations. They really know their stuff, which I appreciate.

As much fun as it is to sift through a wine list, sometimes I prefer to get a recommendation I might not have considered and try something new. The staff at Sabor have never steered me wrong in this department.

THE FOOD

We started the evening off with a few of these tapas selections, which all sound delicious by the way. It was hard to choose, but we landed on the bruschetta (a classic staple) and serrano ham and cheese croquettes with honey mustard mayo.

Both were amazing, but the croquettes definitely stole the show. The soft, creamy interior contasted by the crunchy (but not hard) exterior was absolutely mouthwatering. I think I could eat a whole meal of just the tapas selections.

For the main course, Brody knew was he was ordering well in advance. It was the same thing he had last time, and I think he may have been dreaming about it ever since. It was the three boars dinner: grilled Iberico pork, roasted pork belly, and braised boar cheeks, with mushroom-truffle risotto. It was so much food, but he devoured it! No leftovers for him.

Me, on the other hand, I like to mix things up. I was that kid growing up that only ever ordered chicken fingers and fries, so now I have to make up for it!

On my last visit, I’d had the piri piri chicken, which was divine, but I wanted to try something different. This time I went with the chicken and chorizo paella, and it was just as fantastic.

Unlike Brody, I definitely kept some for leftovers and man, did it ever make a great lunch the next day too.

We thought about tagging some dessert on their, but I think we would have needed to roll back to the hotel if we had tried. There’s always next time 😉

THE WINE

Another reason we didn’t have room for dessert is because we actually managed to down two full bottles of wine! We don’t usually go that hard, but hey, it was a special night.

Lucky for us, we arrived on a night when they were changing over their wine selection, and so they had a pretty sizable list of “bin ends”.

If you’re not familiar with bin ends, this is when they sell off the remaining bottles that will no longer be on the list at a discounted price. We made sure to take advantage!

We considered going with the Lan Reserva Rioja, but since we tend to drink a fair bit of Rioja, we decided to go with a slightly different, but still Spanish wine instead. We settled on the Dominio de Punctum Tempranillo/Petite Verdot blend (which was only $33 on the bin ends list!)

This wine was both organic and biodynamic, so I was excited to try it as I haven’t really dug into wines in that vein yet. We both agreed that it was very easy to drink and paired very well with everything we ordered. We actually downed it so fast that that was a deciding factor in the need to order a second bottle.

When it came time to pick a second bottle though, we hemmed and hawed over getting another of the same, or trying something different. My curiosity won the battle and we decided to opt for something off their main wine list.

Our second choice was the Adega de Vila Real 2016 Douro Reserva. We tried to pick a favourite between the two but it was quite difficult. If memory serves me, I think this one won by a tiny bit, but I would drink both again in a heart beat (just maybe not all in the same night next time).

It’s a good thing we walked there! And an extra good thing that the walk wasn’t far. We strolled our way back to the Delta and enjoyed the luxury of our King Suite for the end to a perfect night.

I am already looking forward to going back again. It occurred to me while writing this post that I have yet to try any of their seafood, which is their specialty! All the more reason to go back sooner rather than later.

I hope that you have the opportunity to check this amazing place out and show them your support. And if you live in Edmonton, you also have the option of getting takeout if you’re not quite ready for a dine-in experience. I promise, it’s worth it!