Chef brings taste of Oaxaca to Henderson

By Richard N. Velotta

Friday, Jan. 22, 2010 | 3 a.m.

Scott Sousa thinks he has the right recipe for opening an upscale restaurant in a down economy — give customers flavors they’ve probably never tasted before.

Sousa is executive chef and co-owner of Sabor Restaurant and Bar in Henderson, which had its grand opening last week after a soft opening.

Sousa calls it California cuisine with Oaxacan flavors, and the 150-seat upscale restaurant brings dishes from the southern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Oaxaca (pronounced “wa-HA-ka”) is a Mexican state.

His challenge is to educate Southern Nevadans about Oaxacan food.

“Europeans and Canadians have already discovered it and have become big fans of the cuisine,” said Sousa, who owns Sabor — Spanish for “flavor” — with his wife, Sara, who manages the restaurant.

Oaxacan food is characterized by the use of fresh fish and vegetables and complex mole sauces that are sharp, thick and sweet with a hint of smoke and a touch of clove, citrus and dried-chili heat. Sousa plans to change the menu every three to four months to keep up with trends while keeping favorites in place.

Sousa is undaunted by opening his doors in a recession.

“Some of the nation’s best restaurants opened during the recession,” he said. “My wife and I have done a lot of the preparation. My goal now is to step back and watch the machine work.”

Sousa has 18 on staff and plans to be open daily. He plans to train his staff to operate the restaurant so that he can spend time keeping up with new trends in Oaxacan cuisine, and his wife develops plans for private parties, banquets and starting “salsa night” events at the restaurant.

The couple almost didn’t wind up in Southern Nevada.

After operating the Seis Palmas Restaurant in Oaxaca’s Puerto Escondido area, the couple sold the business for a profit and planned to develop a restaurant in San

Francisco, where Sousa received his professional training at the California Culinary Academy. But he was persuaded to look at an opportunity in Henderson and hasn’t regretted it.

Four chain restaurants were looking at the facility at 594 N. Stephanie St., near Sunset Road, the former home of El Jefe’s Mexican Restaurant, which moved to South Eastern Avenue.

After he and his wife crunched numbers, he developed a business plan that made sense. Sousa applauded Henderson officials and local businesspeople who helped him through the permit process. After 3 1/2 months of preparation, Sousa was ready to open the doors.

Sabor’s menu includes a generous mix of steaks and poultry and seafood entrees. Main dishes run from $15 to $29 a plate. Shrimp Sousa, a large sautéed shrimp flambé with tequila in a smoked tomato sauce with caramelized onion and fresh basil, served over linguine is one of his top recommendations ($23) as is the blackened Arrachera, a brined flank steak blackened and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes ($22).

Sabor’s bar offers domestic and imported beer by bottle or on tap with several signature cocktails and an extensive wine list.

The restaurant is open daily from 5-11 p.m., with the bar and lounge operating from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. The bar has a happy hour from 4-6 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, with $2 domestic drafts and two-for-one well cocktails.