Sabor of Spain opened in December 2003 at 1303 Fourth Street in San Rafael as a wine shop showcasing the increasingly sophisticated and moderately priced wines of Spain, the country that surprisingly produces more wine than any other in the world after France. In addition to over 160 wines, the store carries Castilian foodstuffs, including olives and olive oil; quince, fig and apricot pastes; Spanish cheeses; sausages and Serrano ham; as well as a selection of paella pans and pretty Spanish ceramics and tableware. Sabor holds wine and cheese tastings and promotional events on a regular basis; and the staff is friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic in its mission to educate California palates about Spanish viticulture and cuisine. In May the group took the next step in its quest to bring Spanish culture to California: a vinoteca, a wine and tapas bar in the corner space next door formerly occupied by a copy shop. With an archway connecting the store to the restaurant, the newly remodeled room is sleek and simple; dark fruitwood floors and wooden chairs; black-topped tables and a sweeping golden granite bar; a wall of windows to the street and one of wines behind the bar. A quartet of stunning painted light fixtures illuminates the opposite wall, which is painted in celery. Angular white ceramic plates and white napery complete the scene. Twenty-five wines and sherries are offered by the glass, in 2-ounce tastes or flights of three tastes. Over 60 bottles are available, predominated by reds. The most expensive bottle, a 2002 Artadi Pagos Viejos Rioja from north central Spain, is $97. The majority fall within the $22-$45 range. The wine list includes some educational information from wine director Adam Savin about the various wine-growing regions in Spain.
Having called ahead to be told that Sabor Vinoteca only takes reservations for groups of six or more but that it was a relatively quiet evening, we were disappointed that there were no tables available upon our arrival. I realize that it's much less complicated for restaurants not to reserve, but on busy nights this practice does demand that hungry patrons spend an extra half-hour or more waiting, and presumably drinking. The young hostess gracefully diffused my irritation at the policy, and offered to call us on our cell phone if we wanted to stroll down the street until a table became available.
Our first stop, however, was Sabor's wine shop next door, where the staff was just finishing up a tasting and generously offered to let us sample the last of the wines they had been pouring. This definitely put us in better frames of mind for our stroll, and it didn't seem long until we got the call that our table was ready.
We couldn't resist glasses of sangria ($5), the traditional Spanish red wine punch flavored with citrus and spice. There was nothing wrong with Sabor's version, but we quickly realized that we preferred wine without the additional sweetness and frills. I graduated to a taste of elegant Marqu s de Arienzo Gran Reserva 1995 ($6). A quietly efficient bus person brought a basket of bread, cruet of fruity olive oil for dipping and a crock of small olives, with an additional empty vessel to hold olive pits.
The salad and tapas menu was so irresistible that we wanted to order everything on it, and were actually relieved to hear that a few choices were unavailable. We settled on La Vinoteca ($7.50), the chef's special salad of spring greens, shaved pickled fennel with rosettes of succulent Serrano ham and a grating of Garrotxa cheese. The salad was light and refreshing, but I'd have preferred a less sweet vinaigrette. Our greens tasted as though they had been drizzled with balsamic syrup.
We loved the fresh tomato, garlic and leek coulis that set off a circlet of gambas Vinoteca ($9.50), although the tasty prawns, which were described on the menu as giant, were considerably smaller than that.
Tour de Espa--a ($7), an architecturally constructed tapas plate of raw tuna topping a molded tower of Bacalao flan over ground pistachios and almonds scented with mint and orange pepper sauce, was stunning to look at, but the flavors were muddled. The mound of nuts was dry and crumbly; the cod custard was at once fishy and oddly sweet; and, although the tuna tartare tasted fine, the whole plate cried out for something tart or acidic to bind the disparate elements together.
Albondigas ($7) was much better: a miniature entr e of tender grass-fed Angus beef meatballs in a rich tomato-wine sauce puddled in a drift of mashed potatoes set off by spoonfuls of tiny diced green and yellow summer squash. It was much easier to eat, too, than the tower, which we had to carefully topple in order to sink in our forks.
Our final small plate was another that wanted more tartness and punch. Pil-pil ($8), two fillets of cod layered over chopped green tomatoes and a sprinkling of the aforementioned ground nuts, needed a little salt and a lot more pizazz. I experimented with dousing a forkful of the bland fish in the sauce from the prawns, and thought it much improved.
Many Spanish restaurants offer small plates plus very large, elaborate entr es, obliging patrons to choose either, but not a selection of both. Sabor solves this problem by downsizing the entr es in price and portion, making it possible to split a few tapas and then move on to an entr e plate. We were glad about that, because our favorite dish of the evening was the entr e we elected to share, solomillo del monte ($15), two generous skewers of marinated beef tenderloin grilled with chewy slices of wild mushroom and baby artichoke hearts, then topped with a Manchego gratin. The meat was tender, juicy and flavorful; the vegetables wonderfully seasoned, and the pooled juices rich and lush.
With our entree we sampled glasses of two more of the reds: a 1991 Rioja Conde de Valdemar Reserva ($8), a clear and pretty wine that tasted of red berries, and a more complex and oaky 2002 Yecla Solanera ($7.50).
We ended our evening with a shared slice of apple tart ($5) from the brief dessert menu. Garnished with fresh berries and not too sweet in the Spanish style, this fruit, custard and pastry confection was a clean, satisfying end to our meal.
I found the Spanish wines at Sabor so entrancing that I made a detour back to the wine shop to buy a few bottles to take home, along with a packet of sliced Serrano ham. In the Vinoteca, I saw several great-looking plates delivered to other tables that I'd go back to try, while sampling more of those great wines. With a few forgivable lapses, the service was excellent; our server was upbeat and attentive, and the guy who backed her up was simply stellar, appearing frequently to refill water glasses, remove empty plates and attend to any other needs. One jarring note is the din: Even with acoustical tile ceilings, Sabor is a noisy place, and the sometimes manic Spanish music in the background only accentuates the sense of clamor. Some soft, quiet classical guitar might be more soothing. Sabor caters parties and other functions. Check the Web site, Saborofspain.com, for details.
