One of the perks of living in South Florida is that there's no need to wait for an anniversary celebration to enjoy a fiesta of fabulous food and culture.

At Cancun Grill, a Cinco de Mayo party rocked Miami Lakes with the salsa rhythms of Carlos Oliva y Los Sobrinos del Juez (yes, that's a Cuban dance band in a Mexican restaurant, very Miami). But if you missed it, don't fret.

At the spectacularly renovated 11-year-old Cancun, the dining experience is perennially festive.

Sporting the bright pink, brick-yellow and baby-blue colors of nouveau Mexican decor and an improved menu that keeps getting better, Cancun is a unique neighborhood restaurant, well worth the drive from anywhere in Miami-Dade or Broward (it's right off the Palmetto Expressway's big bend).

Chef-owner Martin Cardenas and his Colombian-born wife Jeanette traveled all over his native Mexico to study trends in style and buy dozens of artifacts to redecorate the 200-seat restaurant in the modern, fluid Barragán style of round angles and columns.

The result is an eclectic mix of traditional and modern -- stained glass scenes, pre-Columbian masks and slick, bright green lamps in the shape of the agave plant from which tequila is made. Don't miss the agave stairwell running along a side wall and the fountain sculpture, María, to be filled with roses for Mother's Day.

``Mexicans are artists at heart. They're not afraid of color,'' Jeanette says of the bold decor, the talk of the town.

Cardenas, a former hotel banquet chef in South Florida and Texas, sold his second location in Broward a year ago to concentrate on the expansion of his original Miami Lakes location. He also has spent time in Mexico studying the secrets of regional kitchens and learning from the best chefs.

He makes all the salsas, marinades, consommés and stock from scratch, as well as the desserts, including his own creation, the ``pasti flan.''

Among the best is the fish ceviche ($6.95), which Martin learned to make in a Puerto Vallarta resort. Marinated in a lime-cilantro fish consommé and served with California avocado and tostada chips, this appetizer stands out for its light texture, flavor, and freshness.

The thin and crispy rolls of taquitos rancheros ($5.95), typical fare of street vendors in the state of Michoacán, are filled with tender chicken chunks and sprinkled with snow-white flakes of Mexican cheese Cotija. Added to the menu in recognition of the large Cuban clientele are plantain nachos ($5.50), a delicious Cuba-Mex combination of flavors -- tostones, fried green plantains topped with chicken chunks, black beans and melted cheese.

Both appetizers are served with sour cream, guacamole and Martin's own delicious, red salsa fresca. Accompany them with a drink from the quaint Tequila Bar inaugurated Saturday. They make one mean mango margarita ($6.25). Coming soon: kiwi margarita.

With so many choices -- from chiles rellenos (stuffed peppers) to flautas and skirt steaks -- it's tough to decide on entrees.

You can't go wrong with the traditional pork pibil ($10.95), a Yucatán-style cochinita, chunks of pork loin marinated in sour orange, garlic, onion, annatto (achiote seed), wrapped in plantain leaves and oven-cooked. Or the shredded beef ($8 with flautas, flour tortillas) prepared a la barbacoa in a special steam pot.

And don't overlook the traditional with Cancun's traditional healthy twist. The spinach and mushroom quesadillas ($6.50) are fresh and light.

Not to be missed is dessert.

Martin's pasti flan ($4.25), half chocolate cake, half custard flan smothered in cajeta, a caramel-like syrup, is destined to become a classic. Martin came up with the recipe by accident when he was fixing a cake and a flan at the same time, got distracted, and mixed the ingredients. He put them in the oven to see what would happen and the rest is Cancun history.

This is the kind of culinary fiesta that mends broken hearts, especially when the mariachis come crooning Cielito lindo. Like the song says, canta y no llores. There's much to celebrate.