Sofrito is a fiesta! This sophisticated, fifteen-month-old Puerto Rican-Caribbean restaurant is a warm, modern, noisy Latino spot with catchy Island music in the air, gargantuan portions, moderate prices, and excellent food. Its spacious, handsome interior features a back-lighted bar that silhouettes its bottles in ever-changing colors. The spirit of diners and the bilingual staff alike is consistently upbeat and festive.

Every dish at Sofrito (named for an aromatic mix of Puerto Rican herbs and spices) is formidable and fashionable. Diners begin with a dish of warm fried bread. A starter of four melt-in-the-mouth, sauced barbecue pork ribs come leaning on a mammoth mound of rich, creamy potato salad. A plateful of tiny fried shrimp, with two tangy dipping sauces , are tender, crisp, and crunchy, and a broad shouldered white bean and vegetable soup, dense with plantains, pork chunks, potatoes, veggies, and more arrives in an iron pot with enough for four hearty eaters. Only a rather tired chopped salad missed the mark.

A hefty, moderately spicy Puerto Rican lobster gumbo, filled with generous pieces of shellfish, also came in a large, heavy pot. It was messy to eat but worth the effort. Shrimp in a delicious, garlic-infused white wine sauce would do the fanciest of French restaurants proud.

Entrees were plated with worthwhile accompaniments like that great potato salad, savory sauteed spinach replete with garlic, and slightly dry green pigeon pea rice. Every entree arrives with a side dish and a choice of diverse sauces. A bountiful stack of pork chops was tasty and tender. Be sure to order them medium rare to retain most of their moisture. A delicate, fresh, pan-roasted filet of grouper was as good as that dish gets. So was the smooth, velvety cheese flan dessert. The commendable, traditional tres leches was, as the menu promised, a "moist sponge cake bathed in three types of milk." The numero uno sweet was the sinfully intense ramekin of chocolate bread pudding, with its caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream plate mates.

Prices at this increasingly popular Puerto Rican, rollicking spot are considerably lower than those at typical upscale Manhattan eating places. The stomach-filling lobster gumbo cost $17; the white bean and vegetable soup goes for $5, as do all side dishes and desserts. The shrimp, pork chop, and grouper main courses all were in the $14 to $16 range. Every one of them is a remarkable bargain in a city studded with restaurants that often charge stratospheric prices.

From Friday to Monday, there is also a live Latin band to further spice up Sofrito's vibrant atmosphere.

400 E. 57th St. at First Ave., 212-754-5999; www.sofritony.com

Richard Jay Scholem was a restaurant critic for the New York Times' Long Island section for 14 years. His A La Carte column appeared from 1990 to 2004. For more "Taste of the Town" reviews, click here.