After competing and becoming a finalist in the 23rd season of Top Chef in the Carolinas, Sherry Cardoso (who had been an opening chef at Olmsted, among other positions) came back to New York to debut her tasting menu at Cynthia, her West Village restaurant, with co-founder and business partner Claire DuBois.
It’s named after DuBois’s aunt, Cynthia Peck, who had co-run Fullerton, California restaurants Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante. The $165 six-course menu reflects Cardoso: New American dishes with plenty of Brazilian aspects — and an eye on sustainability, using ends, peels, and trimmings. (There’s a seven-course option for $200.) Each meal is preceded by a cute card describing the seasonal significance and produce in poetic language.
I started with the Tomato ‘Tini, a martini made with tomato eau de vie, amontillado sherry, and a green tomato vermouth ($26), served with a little cherry tomato that’s dusted with black pepper in its own little holder with a toothpick. I adored that they served batikh, a watermelon and arak beverage, as well as house-made tepaches in flavors like strawberry and pineapple.
The Amazonian brigadeiro is not too sweet; that, along with the other petit fours, made for a lovely finish.
While you don’t get a menu at the beginning, you’re given a take-home menu detailing the dishes, plus some condiments used in the meal.