Soho Sushi Bar & Deli Brings Eclectic Concept to Cedar Falls

Darin Beck’s Newest Venture Offers Something for Everyone

Cedar Falls – It’s a California-style sushi bar. It’s a New York-style deli. It’s a full-service espresso bar. Not to mention a bakery, bagel shop, ice cream parlor and a place to get an imported beer or a nice glass of wine. It’s Soho Sushi Bar & Deli, and it’s bringing the Cedar Valley a whole new dining experience.

“I have been looking forward to Soho for a very long time,” says Darin Beck, owner of Soho and president of Barmuda Corp. “The concept is three years in the making and I’m proud to be bringing our community a true New York deli and California Sushi experience.”

Soho opened on Monday, July 11, at 119 Main Street in the former location of Biemann’s Black Hawk restaurant. The restaurant is connected to the Blackhawk Hotel and has its own storefront on Main Street. “The cultural district of the Parkade, combined with the history of the Blackhawk Hotel, make for the perfect setting for such an eclectic restaurant,” Beck says.

Leading the Soho team are Matt Smiley, Barmuda’s director of restaurant operations, and Tara Smiley, Soho’s general manager. Tara, a former manager at Beck’s and a 15-year veteran of the restaurant industry, is very excited about introducing Soho. “We have so many different things to offer,” she says. “We’re like two restaurants in one, but it even goes beyond that.”

At the forefront of the staff she’s assembled is executive chef Matt Pearson. Pearson’s culinary training began at Des Moines Area Community College’s culinary program and proceeded to the Culinary Institute in New York, where he received his Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts. Since then, he has worked at renowned restaurants like Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in New York and Danielle in West Des Moines. Beck and Pearson have created

Soho’s sushi menu to satisfy aficionados and novices alike.

“It’s not your typical sushi menu,” Pearson says. “It has your standards, like California Rolls and Spider Rolls, but it also has creative vegetarian selections and specialty rolls.”

Soho’s extensive deli menu features more than 30 varieties of sandwiches, served on eight different home-baked breads. In the morning, Soho serves a variety of breakfast sandwiches, homemade muffins, cinnamon rolls and more. A full-service espresso bar offers a variety of coffee and espresso drinks. Homemade desserts include Chef Matt’s own to-die-for Tiramisu, and of course, creamy New York Cheesecake. Add ice cream and a full beer, wine and sake list, and there’s something for everyone at Soho.

Guests who’ve never tasted sushi need not fear – Chef Matt and his team will guide you through your sushi experience and create your meal to order before your eyes at Soho’s sushi bar. And no matter how many times you’ve eaten a sandwich, you’ve never had one quite like Soho’s, at least not around here!

The whole Soho experience is enhanced by contemporary decor with warm wood tones, comfortable custom-made booths and commissioned artwork by Paco Rosic, representing scenes of Tokyo and New York City. “Soho is casual, but it definitely has a very metropolitan atmosphere,” Beck says.

Complete menus, photos, contact information and general information are available online at www.barmuda.com/soho.