Sapori Italian & Latin Cuisine: "a new restaurant with an identity crisis" Mechanicsville Restaurant Tip by b1bob

From the outside, and even on the inside, Sapori seemed to me like a really classy restaurant. Like I always do, I test out restaurants like these at lunch time. If it's bad I'm not out much. The decor looked more Oriental than Latin or Italian. That is a curious combination that is not really congruent. The service was prompt and spot-on.

Favorite Dish: I really liked the complimentary bread and dipping sauce. The bread was so good, it actually didn't need the sauce. I ordered chicken arepas. Arepas are grilled cornmeal cakes onto which you can put almost any kind of food. If it was just chicken and maybe lettuce, tomato, and cotija cheese, that would be all right. It didn't say on the menu that there would be a creamy mayonnaisey sauce on it. So, I had the empanadas instead. I've had empanadas in Ecuador. They invented them in the Andes region, so I know how they are supposed to taste. The exterior was a crispy critter (evidently fried way too long) and the beef was drier than British humor. I am familiar with arepas and they don't usually come with a bizarre sauce and I know empanadas aren't supposed to be crunchy. I think Sapori loses the good flavours of the food they are trying to serve in an attempt to put it upmarket. Me, I like exotic food, but I like it unfooled around with. I'll order something else to get a better handle on this place, but it gets a substandard rating for right now.

Address: 7154 Mechanicsville Tpk., Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Comparison: about average
Directions: FROM I-295: Take exit 37A to merge onto US-360 E/Mechanicsville Turnpike toward Tappahannock. Make a U-turn at Brandy Run Dr. It's on the right.
Phone: (804) 332-2403
Price: US$11-20
Rating: 2
Theme: Other