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Sherry Cardoso, who reached the finals of Season 23 of Top Chef, has returned to New York with Cynthia, a compact West Village tasting-menu restaurant that blends New American technique with Brazilian flavors and a clear focus on sustainability. The six-course menu—$165, with a seven-course option at $200—offers thoughtfully sourced plates and small theatrical moments that make it worth watching for food-minded diners.
The dining room is airy and pared-back, with cushioned seating and a soundtrack heavy on 1990s tracks. Small design flourishes—like a sink hewn to look like a slab of stone—lend the room personality without distracting from the food. Service is attentive and matter-of-fact; guests receive a printed menu to take home outlining the evening’s progression and the seasonal produce used.
How the menu reads
Cardoso’s tasting menu leans on seasonal produce and uses trims and peels where it can, a recurring theme across courses. Flavors often nod to Brazil—coconut, shrimp, and elements inspired by Amazonian sweets—while the plating and technical execution remain rooted in contemporary New American practice.
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- Opening bites: A yellow masa tostada topped with delicate fluke in a creamy, nut-forward vatapá, finished with shrimp and a sheet of nori—an opening that balances texture and umami.
- Corn and squash course: A three-part play on corn: sorbet with slivered squash, a layered corn custard crowned with caviar, and roasted summer squash with corn kernels and a chunky XO-style sauce built from vegetable trimmings.
- Lobster: A showpiece topped at the table with shaved truffles from a leather satchel; the lobster comes alongside a tomato curry and a charred lobster-and-tomato taco.
- Brisket ravioli: A handmade pasta parcel filled with tender brisket—both visually striking and rich in flavor.
- Dessert: A restrained Amazonian brigadeiro and other petit fours close the meal on a subtly sweet note.
What to drink
Cynthia’s cocktail list includes inventive, spirit-forward options. The Tomato ‘Tini combines tomato eau-de-vie, amontillado sherry and a green tomato vermouth ($26), presented with a pepper-dusted cherry tomato on a toothpick. House-made batikh (watermelon with arak) and rotating tepaches—fermented pineapple or strawberry beverages—are also offered and pair well with the menu’s brighter, fermented flavors.
Standout details
There are a few small theatrical touches that linger: the truffle service beside the lobster, the handwritten seasonal note placed with the meal, and the way the kitchen repurposes vegetable trims into a flavorful XO-style sauce. These decisions underline the menu’s intent to be resourceful as well as refined.
Practical info & tips
- Price: $165 for six courses; $200 for seven.
- Address: 32 Jones Street, West Village, New York, NY 10014.
- Best spot: Small two-person booths along the window—curtained for privacy—offer a close view of the dining room and open kitchen.
- Takeaway: There’s no menu at the start of the meal, but diners receive a printed menu and notes to bring home afterward.
Cynthia is a compact, chef-forward addition to Manhattan’s tasting-menu scene: a place where the celebrity of a Top Chef finalist meets a careful, season-forward culinary approach. For diners interested in sustainability-minded plates with Brazilian inflections, it’s a restaurant worth booking in advance.
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