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By Susan Elise Campbell
A new restaurant in Clifton Park Center Mall, Sabor Azteca, is offering upscale food and a “taste of the Aztecs” to lovers of authentic Mexican cuisine.
Alejandro Morales and business partner Rafael Escamilla have owned restaurants together since 2004. They opened Pancho’s Restaurant on Central Avenue in Albany and left there to open La Fiesta in Clifton Park.
Sabor Azteca is their third business venture.
“Clifton Park is a big area and has room for another Mexican restaurant, especially one with higher quality ingredients,” Morales said. “Most of these restaurants offer the same food and menu items.”
Morales said Sabor Azteca is distinguishing itself by using “a better grade of meat and seafood, such as hormone-free chicken and gluten-free ingredients. When you use real crab meat instead of imitation, people appreciate that. If they try the dish, they know the difference.”
He is not a culinary school graduate, but Morales said he loves to cook and works with the chef to create a menu “for a different patron” than is typically found at LaFiesta.
“But we have based many menu items on our experience with Pancho’s and LaFiesta,” he said.
Morales said there was no need to look far for a building to set up the new venture.
“The location found us,” he said. “Rafael saw it and said it would be perfect for another Mexican restaurant.”
Working during the pandemic has hurt, as it has with all restaurants.
“Usually critics would have stopped in by now to check out our food,” Morales said. “But we are doing okay and we have very good people working with us.”
Morales said Sabor Azteca has the three main ingredients for success: good location, good parking and good food.
“We are giving people these best we can because they deserve it,” he said. “I have put my daughter through college being in the restaurant business and want to give back to the customers and thank them.”
Visit Sabor Azteca at 20 Maxwell St. in Clifton Park, once the home of Ruby Tuesday’s. For more information and a complete menu, log onto www.saboraztecany.com.