Sabor, Timonium

Chorizo Empanadas

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED

Sabor is located in a quiet strip mall in Northern Baltimore County.  Their menu is seasonal (this review is for their Spring menu, currently being offered) and inventive with Spanish influences.  Dan and I went for a pleasant Sunday evening dinner, but the meal itself left something to be desired. 

We started with the Empanadas de Chorizo ($9) turnovers filled with ground beef, chorizo, raisins, chopped egg, golden fried served with tapenade.  We both thought these were spectacular.  I loved the flakiness of the dough, the sweetness of the meat and the saltiness of the tapenade. Outstanding.

 

Plantain and Chorizo Crusted Grouper

 

For my entree, I ordered the Plantain and Chorizo Crusted Grouper ($27) - sautéed sesame flavored spinach, coconut lemongrass broth. This was a pretty and sizable dish, but I didn't think the fish was crusted with plantains and chorizo, more like topped.  Although the meal didn't blow me away like the empanadas, I did enjoy the combination of flavors.

House Made Parmesan Gnocchi

Dan chose the House Made Parmesan Gnocchi ($22) with shrimp (add $7) which was finished with brown butter sage sauce. Do you see the picture above?  That is what Dan's dish looked like when it came out of the kitchen - completely void of color, swimming in the most butter I've ever seen, and topped with 4 tiny little shrimp that cost $7.  

The gnocchi themselves were doughy and soft, but there was just SO MUCH BUTTER that it overwhelmed anything positive about the rest of the dish.  I took a couple of bites and I couldn't eat anymore I was so put off by the unhealthiness of it all.  Dan was also not pleased, and neither was his stomach.  

Although our meal ended poorly, there are some positives that deserve noting!  Our server was great,  the complimentary basket of cornbread was DELIGHTFUL and our empanadas were YUM.  I would like to think that perhaps we ordered wrong and that maybe we should have gone for more meat dishes like the Grilled Churrasco Steak ($27) or the Curry and Turnip Lamb Stew ($25), but I'm not sure we'll be returning any time soon to find out. 

Coffee with T-- Stevenson, Maryland

Well my first review is about Coffee with T, a tiny little cafe in Stevenson, Maryland. Although really, can we just be honest here and admit that it's Reisterstown? But anyway, it's in this kinda crazy Twilight Zone-ish center that is eerily quiet and quaint. I am not setting this place up well, but honestly it's a strange sort of location. The cafe itself really spoke to me because (as it says on its website) it is committed to the environment. They are involved with a CSA and much of their food is made with local produce.
So I was excited to check it out!
Well first of all, it's tiny. Do not come here with a big group. There were three tables with two chairs each. Luckily for us, however, only one other couple was in there so we managed to get a seat. I ordered the Summer salad for $9.99 which had blueberries, strawberries, candied pecans and goat cheese on lettuce with a pomegranate-blueberry dressing. It was awesome, definitely...but not really worth its price. Dan ordered the applewood smoked ham with cheddar cheese on a pretzel roll for $7.49. Also, not worth its price. In fact, we felt somewhat cheated that a small sandwich with a handful of fritos on the side would cost that much.
They did serve a delicious sweet tea made with lemon and mint-- wonderfully refreshing!

Overall, I am glad that I went since the place had piqued my curiosity, but I know I won't go back because of the price and the randomness of the place. If you happen to find yourself in Stevenson, or if you want to film a Twilight Zone episode for Film School-- this is your place.

Coffee With T
10423 Stevenson Road, Stevenson, Maryland 21153
410-580-1886
http://www.coffeewitht.com