When you enter El Sabor de la Isla for a meal, your first big decision is between rice or mashed plantains (mangu, to those familiar with Dominican food). The rice is a deep, rich saffron, fluffy yet firm. Achiote paste, which gives it its distinct yellow color, also brings a fair amount of garlic, oregano, and black pepper along with it. Mangu, on the other hand, has little flavor of its own, but picks up tastes very easily. At El Sabor they add cheese and cream to the mash to lend it a bit of savor. After choosing your starch, the real fun begins. All three of the principle stews that are available on the steam table are deep brown and rich-looking, the gravy thick with spices and intensely fragrant. The pork stew contains generous chunks of meat along with peppers and onions. The beef stew is made with shortribs braised with vegetables in one of several cauldron-sized braising pans with which El Sabor's open-plan kitchen is equipped. And the chicken stew is deep brown and sweet. The secret to both the color and the flavor of the chicken is sugar, which chef Cruz reduces to a caramel in the pan before adding other ingredients. El Sabor also offers two different varieties of roasted meat: pernil (roasted pork) and "baked" chicken.