The long-vacant former home of the Stout Brothers, 777 N. Water St., now celebrates "a rich and powerful fifth element -- Sabor" with the appearance of the beautifully decorated and meticulously designed Brazilian churrascaria. Sabor, which means flavor, is a fitting name for this unique new establishment with a smorgasbord salad and appetizer buffet and 12 types of spit roasted meats which, according to lore, are served churrasco (barbeque) style, by gauchos (Brazilian cowboys), who carve them tableside to order.

As with anything new, there is a learning curve at Sabor, and some less adventurous diners may find the restaurant's inclusive pricing and distinctive meat carving theme to be a bit intimidating, but the Sabor experience is one everyone should try at least once (Sabor's first course is very vegetarian friendly). The service here is professional and courteous without being obtrusive, and getting the opportunity to sample everything on a restaurant's menu is just plain fun.

On a recent visit, we were led to a table with two small coasters on it, which said, "No, Thank You" and "Yes, Please" on either side. Our server quickly explained that this is how you direct the ordering process for the gauchos and then showed us to the first course which is an enormous compilation of cheeses, salads, hors d'oeuvres, and grilled, pickled and marinated vegetables galore. Once you've completed stuffing yourself on about 20 different options at this king's style buffet, you flip your little disk to "Yes, Please" and the parade of succulent meats begins.

Plates of rolls, mashed potatoes, beans and rice are whisked to your table and the gauchos begins to visit, carving at your request from their selection of one of the 12 offered meats: picanah (sirloin), fraldinha (bottom sirloin), frango (chicken legs and bacon wrapped chicken breasts), filet mignon (tenderloin and tenderloin wrapped in bacon), cordeiro (lamb chops or carved lamb shank), costela de porco (baby back ribs), alcatra (top sirloin), lombo (pork loin) and linguica (pork sausages).

Once we nibbled our way through the menu, we rapidly discovered which selections we preferred, and with a simple mention of our favorites, the gauchos leapt to put those items at the top of our rotation. Every bite of meat we had was perfectly seasoned, and while we liked some options better than others, that is the beauty of Sabor; you build your own dining list.

We found the chicken to be exceptional, and the tenderloin was more tender and delicious than what you will find in many of Milwaukee's high-end steak houses, so those were the items we favored, while a table near us was in love with the pork loin and their gaucho returned repeatedly to artfully carve the lombo.

Pricing at Sabor is fixed rate and you can opt for the first course only (lunch, $14.50, dinner, $32.50) or the full rodizio (lunch, $28.50, dinner, $42.50). We felt that this was more than reasonable, considering other restaurants in Milwaukee with comparable ambience and professional service are commanding single entrée prices in the high 20s to the $40 range.

And dining at Sabor really is an event. We were thoroughly entertained the entire time we were there by the novelty of the churrascaria dining experience, and just by all the interaction that comes with eating here: between ourselves and the gauchos as we selected our meal, between myself and my dining companion, as we discussed what we liked and did not like as much, and between ourselves and our waiter, who served us meticulously and was fun and entertaining and brimming with recommendations.

Sabor Brazilian Churrascaria provides an experience not to be missed, and one that we were looking forward to even as we left, creating the menus in our heads of what we want to sample on our next visit.

14 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by lisak on May 18, 2007 at 1:52 p.m. (report)

Excellent! The food, wine, atmosphere, and service were all great. I recommend going with a group of friends, it gets pretty humorous to watch everyone indulge. Enjoy

Posted by OMCreader on Aug. 13, 2006 at 4:18 p.m. (report)

TR said: The meats were excellent both in taste and variety. They were very accomodating of asking for rare (the house specialty sirloin was my favorite) but the service from our waiter left alot to be desired. He was too busy with the larger tables and we sat about 15 minutes before getting any beverage service. Also had to wait forever for the check after asking for it. The gouchos were great and attentive to if you wanted more. Wine list was nice too. Sadly all it takes is a waiter who is inattentive to really tarnish a good dining experience. Will probably give it one more try. Its on par with the brazilian chain in chicago except the salad bar while it is more unique it is more limited.

Posted by OMCreader on July 24, 2006 at 10:02 p.m. (report)

Lynne Botsford said: Went to Sabor 7-24-06. The bill for four people was $199.00 (drinks, coke). The endless meat was flavorful, but in some instance, tough. I would not go back. Too pricey for what you get.

Posted by OMCreader on July 20, 2006 at 3:33 p.m. (report)

BrianW said: Visited for dinner on Tues. 7/18. They were somewhat understaffed but the staff worked their ------ off and as another poster mentioned the managers were helping out. I have been to two churrascarias in Brazil and Fogo de Chao in Chicago (a chain out of Sao Paulo I believe) - Sabor was better. The meat and preparation were superior to anything I had at the other places. I would have the meat on display as it cooks like they do in some other places (Fogo in Chicago has the rotisseries right in the front window). But beside that, the decor is great. Prices are not cheap but they are in line with the other high end steak houses in Milwaukee. Highly recommended.

Posted by OMCreader on July 17, 2006 at 12:20 p.m. (report)

SaraJ said: Wonderful place! My husband and I have both been to churrascarias in Brazil & Argentina and this was up to par! The salads & appetizers provided for the 1st course were wonderful - we just nibbled on them since we wanted to try most of the meats, but each was tasty. Service overall was good - our waiter needed a bit more training (slow on drinks & check) but the managers and floor captains circulated on a regular basis to check on everything and the busboys/assistants were great. They even went to the kitchen and directed the 'gauchos' our way when we requested another round of certain meats. Price was in line with other local steakhouses such as Yannis, etc but we think it's a better bargain when you consider the variety (and the volume for big eaters!) Great experience not to be missed!