Sophia's serves up sangria and salsa dancing

If you're counting down the days until you can go abroad and find a little Latin flavor, you may not have to wait so long. Head over to the Fenway area to Sophia's on Bolyston Street for a little Latin dancing, Latin food, Latin liquor, and if you're lucky, some Latin lovin'.

Sophia's is surrounded by sketchy post-ballgame sports bars, and its outside d?©cor looks unassuming and quiet. Inside, however, the music pounds and the atmosphere is that of an elegant house party. It's more authentic Latin than anything Enrique Iglesias ever sang.

With four floors and five bars, you can run, you can hide, but you can't escape the dancing. Start off on the first floor, which hosts the dining area, the largest bar, and a live band on some nights. The menu offers authentic Spanish tapas, which by our translation means medium-priced but tiny selections of food. The grilled stuffed pork tenderloin was lip-smacking good _ one of the most tender loins we've ever tasted. Also excellent was the tortilla Espanola, an omelet-like wedge of eggs, potatoes, and onions. The rest of the menu had great variety, but we opted to save our money for sangria.

No matter what time of night you arrive at Sophia's, be sure to sit down for dessert. The panqueque de dulce de leche, a thin crepe-like dessert filled with rich caramel syrup, was nothing short of orgasmic. The chefs should be credited for creating desserts that are scrumptious yet not so rich and heavy as to prevent you from working your hips on the dance floor.

But really, let's get back to the sangria. So what if a pitcher costs $26; you'll be feeling so good when you finish drinking it that you won't quite be able to make out the numbers on the bill. This luscious light-bodied liquid goes down like a girlie drink but tastes like fruit, not a pixie stick.

Speaking of dancing, you're not pressed for choices in this sprawling joint. The bottom floor, dubbed the [no sex in the] Champagne Lounge, is the most chill of the floors but still offers a large dance floor and DJ. The second floor is truly the salsa spot. The party gets started there around 11 p.m., and with bars on either end of the room, you won't have trouble staying limber.

The jewel in this Latin crown, however, is the open-air roof top with a view of Fenway and central Boston that rivals the top of the library roof. Don't start making out yet though, because you will be kept company by about 200 other people. On a crisp autumn night, the roof top is a nice place to talk, cool off from the salsa inferno, and sit in a swingy chair whispering sweet Latin nadas in the ear of your date. And, of course, the roof top has its own bar.

Though Sophia's was a cut above an evening in Davis Square, it might be more formal than what the average Jumbo is used to. There's a $10 cover charge after 9:30. Don't count on getting in wearing your Levi's, and to add insult to injury, no baseball caps are allowed. But luckily for the ladies (ha), there is no rule about showing too much cleavage _ at this place, it might get you a discount, or at least a great dance partner.

Sophia's is surrounded by sketchy sports bars and a neighborhood that is not active at night. Don't plan to meet people there, as you won't want to walk the four blocks from the Kenmore T stop alone. But do plan on dropping mucho dinero and drinking hard alcohol all night. The first floor bar is the only one with beers on tap, and the bottled selection is smaller than J-Lo's vocal range.

If you don't think your salsa-dancing skills are up to par, head to Sophia's on a Wednesday or Friday night for Latin heartthrob 101. Sophia's instructors will teach you all the steps you need to feel like a pro on the dance floor _ and if that doesn't work, another pitcher of sangria can might do the job.

The classy atmosphere of Sophia's makes it a great place to bring a date you want to impress or your significant other for a special occasion. But don't hesitate to go there with a large party of your friends, as Sophia's offers something for everyone and is known for its sexy singles scene. The crowd is slightly older and more sophisticated than those who haunt The Burren, but it is by no means a mid-life crisis support group.

With four floors, five bars, and a seemingly never-ending supply of sangria, Sophia's is a classy place to kick off your shoes and say "bailamos." ?Viva la salsa