Assignment 2 Benjamin Hom

For the second activity, I was told to visit this Puerto Rican restaurant in midtown Manhattan. It was called "Sofritos," and it was located on 57th street and 1st avenue. Now I must admit, I was a bit surprised by this. I had no idea there were any Latino type restaurants in midtown New York City, and if I wasn't so sure that this restaurant even existed, I have never even found the place.

I knew the intersection and everything, but once I got there I could still not spot this restaurant. I stood at the corner of 57th for literally five minutes and looked for anything that screamed "Puerto Rican dining," but to no avail. This was a subtle, mixed-use type neighborhood. I really couldn't tell anything apart. I didn't know what building was a restaurant, what building was a business, and what buildings were residences. Only recognizable franchise stores stood out in this area.

Luckily, the person I brought with me spotted the restaurant before I could, and we finally went inside. The restaurant looked more like a club to me. There was even a dress code, which I could understand. This was a really upscale place. It was so full that we had to wait 45 minutes before we could be seated. Sofrito's honestly could have fooled me. While I was waiting, the only thing I found to be Hispanic about this place were the servers and the music. It was more like what an outsider would expect from the Latino culture. The food, however, did not disappoint. This was some of the best Spanish food I have ever eaten.

On the outside, there was nothing defining about Sofritos at all. It blended in with everything else in the area and you would have never been able to tell that it was a Hispanic restaurant. Once on the inside, however, it was a different story. There was music, lights and a whole club scene. Regardless, it didn't feel that much like a Puerto Rican place. The food definitely did but the ambiance didn't. It was one of those places that you have to save up money for weeks to go to. I did really enjoy it, but this place was definitely more about making money than enriching a person with Puerto Rican cuture, like many Hispanic restaurants often do.