The Cupping Room Cafe (Soho) NYC

After working for so many days in a row without any time off this past month, I thought it'd be a good idea to take few days off and venture out on my own to Manhattan New York. I am very familiar with New York City style of cuisine since I lived in New York years back working as a server at an Italian restaurant.

I learned that New Yorkers love variety.

So therefore for this trip I knew I had no problem finding those hidden gems. 

Though I have lived in New York previously, I had not spent too much time in lower side of Manhattan. I never really had the opportunity to try the restaurants In particularly Soho.

After my arrival in Manhattan, I made plans to meet a friend for dinner in Soho. 

We decided that instead of using the Internet to search for a good restaurant, we'd walk around Soho and pick a place together. We started to head north on Canal towards Broadway where at first you see nothing but clothing stores. As soon as we hit Broadway, we turned right and we noticed this tiny beige doors with steps front of it. There were candles lit on the side of the steps looking up towards the main entrance. As we looked up we saw wooden sign hanging on the upper right side of the entrance doors that said "Cupping Room Cafe" 

Natalia's curiosity led us inside and we were immediately greeted by a very friendly hostess. The first thing I noticed was the Music. "Where is this wonderful jazz is coming from" I asked. 

"It's coming from the back sir"  the hostess responded. 

So I asked her if she can take us to a table that was close to the band that was playing this amazing tune I was hearing. 

We were sat at a table directly across from the band. A guitar player, a drummer and a sax player. 

It was dark in the restaurant. Candles were lit everywhere. And noticed this beautiful black crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling that only enhanced the beauty of this tiny Soho bistro. 

First we asked for cocktails and came to find out that Natalia is a huge fan of Mojitos, so we both ordered the wild berry Mojitos that was made from scratch. Best Mojitos I have ever had. 

As we were sipping our Mojitos we were scrolling down the menu to choose an entree. 

Natalia noticed the duck stuffed ravioli that was steamed in a creamy garlic and white wine sauce. 

I noticed that the entrees came with mixed green salad. Natalia not being that hungry asked if we could split the entree. I agreed and waited for the meal to arrive. Meanwhile, the band was starting to warm up and the tunes were only getting better. I hadn't seen Natalia for several years so this gave us the opportunity to catch up. Minutes passed and our salad arrived followed be the ravioli. The salad was simple but delicious. Served with a side of French passion fruit vinaigrette dressing that was just perfect for this mixed fresh arugula and baby spinach salad topped off with walnuts and grated Gouda cheese.

Next up was the pasta! At this point it was time to order two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc to go with this dish. This ravioli was steamed in the white wine cream sauce and stuffed with duck breast fillet. It was Devine! Best way I have had duck. The cream sauce for this dish was balanced right. Not too garlicky and just perfect! 

It was a delightful experience as we drank wine, enjoyed very serene music and savored an awesome dinner as Natalia and I caught up over a great conversation. Definitely a place you'd want to check out of you're ever in Soho.

Unforgettable experience!