There are several Cucina & Co in Manhattan. The one we chose was located in the lobby of The Met Life Building. We entered from Grand Central Station. It was easy to find the restaurant by taking the escalator up from the main lobby of the station.
Cucina & Co is bright and clean. The entire wait staff wears crisp orange uniforms. The wood is light and the whole place has a clean, crisp feeling.
We ate slightly after the usual lunch rush hour and there were plenty of tables to pick from. However I can imagine the place being pretty crowded at lunch.
Next-door Cucina & Co has a take-out area. The sandwiches and salads all look fresh and yummy. If I worked in this area, it would be the place I would definitely come for my lunch.
Our waitress was friendly and peppy. She was happy to make some suggestions and we were happy to listen to her.
I ordered a pea soup. It was the most vibrant color of green I had ever seen. It was almost fluorescent. The soup was beyond outstanding. It was probably the best soup I had ever tasted. It was fresh and had a fresh pea taste that was not complicated. I still remember it. I also had a risotto that was very good, however the soup was SO good, I have a hard time remembering much about the risotto.
We followed our server's suggestion and got the hot chocolate cake. We ordered one with four forks and we all got a nice sample. We all dove in and then fought for the very last crumbs. It was out of this world and we each wished we had ordered our own piece!
Cucina & Co is perfect. I know they have an outlet in Macy's as well. This may be a turn off to some people. However if it were half as good as the one in the Met Life Building, I would be a regular customer. The food is fresh, the place is bright and clean, and the wait staff friendly. What more can you ask for?