SOFRITO

My friends and I went to an upscale Puerto Rican restaurant in New York this weekend. It's called SOFRITO. For those of you who don't know what sofrito is, it's pretty much the basis of all latin cooking in the islands. It's used by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans mainly, but it's also used in parts of South America. It's a paste made in a blender of herbs, onion, garlic, special peppers. In a typical latin household, the wife would make this up about once a month, put it in a large plastic container, then spoon it out throughout the month into various dishes she was cooking. It's absolutely awesome and, without it, you cannot get an authentic latin caribbean meal. The name of the restaurant says it all.

The food was phenomenal. Having grown up eating sancocho and pernil and maduros and arroz con habichuelas, I can attest that this is the real deal. It was nice having a birthday dinner with my childhood friend, her sister and her cousin because there we were, all grown up now having each become professional women after having come from humble Puerto Rican and Dominican backgrounds. Our group was comprised of a doctor, a speech pathologist and an opera singer/voice teacher. (I didn't ask what her cousin does but she seemed pretty well put together and smart as a whip.) There we were, four girls from "the hood" in a very chic restaurant on third and 53rd reclaiming our roots yet celebrating our accomplishments all at the same time. Actually, we were there to celebrate Mary's 40th Birthday! It was like a coming of age party for us all. The restaurant owner, Jimmy Rodriguez, who has owned several well-known spanish restaurants, has apparently realized that the new latin generation needs a place like this. A place where the next generation can meet and carry forward.

However, because of its east side, New York location, we each assumed the same thing when we got there. This is going to be some watered-down-for-the-gringos experience. We were wrong. We couldn't have been more wrong. The food was completely off the charts good!! Nicely presented, charming, warm service and tasty, tasty, authentic flavor. We were seriously shocked. I ordered sancocho as an appetizer. It came in a small "caldero". That's a small pot, but it's a very typical pot you'll find in most latin kitchens all over New York. It was a nice touch. I dipped my spoon in and could not believe my taste buds. It tasted like my mom's!! It tasted like my godmother's!! It tasted like home and it was gooood. I looked to Mary and Goldy and Soett and I said, "You have to try this. You're not going to believe it." They each did and then we just had to share it. Soett's comment was that it tasted like her grandma made it. Mary said "I'm so sorry dad's not here. He would love this." Seriously, it's comfort food for the Puerto Ricans and Dominicans who have arrived. We also ordered maduros (sweet plaintains) which were heavenly good and sweet, as they should be.

Mary ordered the pernil. You can judge a latin restaurant by it's pernil. If the pernil is good, then they are the real thing. Mary's eyes rolled back in her head. "You have to try this." We all did. Seriously. It was so good I feel a need to scream it out to anyone who might give a $hit. That adobo/garlic flavor that is supposed to be the defining taste in the pernil experience - it was there. I have tried pernil in many places over the past several years and this is by faaaar the best I've ever had. And I don't mean the best I've ever had in a restaurant. I mean, the best I've ever had running neck and neck with my godmother Sofia's, which was good enough to make you weep with joy.

I cannot leave out the drinks. The drinks were completely out of this world too. The mojito is one of the best out there. I've been disappointed by mojito's I've had elsewhere but this is a really, really good mojito. And, if you grew up liking Coquito (even if you didn't but like coconut) then do yourself a favor and order the Cocotini. It will send happy burbujas (bubbles) straight through you.

I give Sofrito 5 stars for flavor, 4 stars for general presentation, 5 stars for service and 4 stars for decor. (The bathroom, I was told, was too small for the place, but the rest of the restaurant is really chic and sleek and nicely done with a kind of nouveau latin flair.) The biggest surprise of the evening was the bill. For four women, including appetizers, drinks and tip amounted to roughly $175. For a New York restaurant, that is an inexpensive night out but there was nothing cheap about the experience.