Friday, November 14, 2008
Fall soups and such
Larry Bly
Larry Bly runs an ad agency and does freelance writing in the Roanoke area.
Recent columns
It's that wonderful time of the year again. Fall's rolled around, and restaurants are putting soups back on the menu again. I love a hot soup most any time of the year, but it's especially wonderful when the chill is first in the air.
I've been trying out some soups here and there, and a lot of restaurants are making them from scratch, rather than from mixes. And you can
tell every time. Some places are using fresh items that are still available at the market this time of the year -- so we're getting good number of
squash soups and tomato soups.
I'll just mention a few here -- although there are plenty of other restaurants breaking out the soups and sandwiches about now, as well -- that I've tried recently and completely enjoyed.
Tony Pope's Bistro has just started offering not one, but nearly a dozen freshly concocted soups on a daily basis. I've tried at least two: a wild
mushroom that's creamy and infused with flavor, and a creamy tomato basil. At $5, they're certainly reasonably priced. Other soups being offered the particular day that I visited included a hearty Hungarian goulash, which was enjoyed by a nearby diner who practically licked the bowl clean. The bistro also offered up a crawfish corn chowder, a chicken dumpling soup, a potato broccoli cheddar, a black bean, a Moroccan beef, a southwest chili and a clam chowder. Tony Pope specializes in "fresh" foods and local ingredients always, so these soups are a real treat -- and they warm you right up, too.
I popped into The Cornerstone Bar & Grill down on the historic market one recent cold afternoon and the owner insisted that I try his homemade
seafood gumbo. Apparently the restaurant's owners couldn't get the quality they wanted from a food service, so they decided to do a little research, pulled down some typical recipes, and then combined the best of them. What they have created is a seafood gumbo that's thick, meaty, brimming with all the flavors you might expect from New Orleans fare, that ends with a little bit of heat. Just enough to make you feel the glow. Frankly, I think it's some of the best I've ever had. And not too pricey, either.
Fall brings out a lot of foods you'd only want at this time of the year -- and pumpkins come to mind. I love seeing how restaurants can work them in.
I'm happy to say that, recently, Bobby Amaral of Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine brought to my table a delicious, creamy and unusual pumpkin cheesecake. Bobby makes all of the restaurant's desserts in his very own kitchen right off the lobby where you can watch. While I enjoy pumpkin pie a few times during the holidays, I've never been much for putting it into cookies and goodness knows what else. But Bobby hit a home run with this one. It's probably off the menu by now, but it never hurts to ask.
Alexander's restaurant downtown has slightly revamped its lunch menu for Wednesdays. I tried a salad of fresh spinach with small French cornichons, fresh tomato slices, and a lovely homemade dressing that was perfect. Thankfully, the best of the menu has been kept intact, including the homemade crab bisque, a rather unusual but delicious version that never changes, even a tiny bit, year after year. That, with a piece of baguette, and you're set for a cool fall day.
Another place that comes to mind when I think of soups -- and this one offers hearty soups all year round that are made the day they're served -- is Nico's on Campbell Avenue, just down from the market. The restaurant makes up a fresh soup or two nearly every day and, depending on the chef's mood that day, the soup could be a pasta/bean, tomato, or all manner of cheese combination. Always fresh, always delicious, and always piping hot.
And then there's always a "bowl with" at the Tavern on the Market, but you can get that anytime, year round.
Bly for now.
I've been trying out some soups here and there, and a lot of restaurants are making them from scratch, rather than from mixes. And you can
tell every time. Some places are using fresh items that are still available at the market this time of the year -- so we're getting good number of
squash soups and tomato soups.
I'll just mention a few here -- although there are plenty of other restaurants breaking out the soups and sandwiches about now, as well -- that I've tried recently and completely enjoyed.
Tony Pope's Bistro has just started offering not one, but nearly a dozen freshly concocted soups on a daily basis. I've tried at least two: a wild
mushroom that's creamy and infused with flavor, and a creamy tomato basil. At $5, they're certainly reasonably priced. Other soups being offered the particular day that I visited included a hearty Hungarian goulash, which was enjoyed by a nearby diner who practically licked the bowl clean. The bistro also offered up a crawfish corn chowder, a chicken dumpling soup, a potato broccoli cheddar, a black bean, a Moroccan beef, a southwest chili and a clam chowder. Tony Pope specializes in "fresh" foods and local ingredients always, so these soups are a real treat -- and they warm you right up, too.
I popped into The Cornerstone Bar & Grill down on the historic market one recent cold afternoon and the owner insisted that I try his homemade
seafood gumbo. Apparently the restaurant's owners couldn't get the quality they wanted from a food service, so they decided to do a little research, pulled down some typical recipes, and then combined the best of them. What they have created is a seafood gumbo that's thick, meaty, brimming with all the flavors you might expect from New Orleans fare, that ends with a little bit of heat. Just enough to make you feel the glow. Frankly, I think it's some of the best I've ever had. And not too pricey, either.
Fall brings out a lot of foods you'd only want at this time of the year -- and pumpkins come to mind. I love seeing how restaurants can work them in.
I'm happy to say that, recently, Bobby Amaral of Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine brought to my table a delicious, creamy and unusual pumpkin cheesecake. Bobby makes all of the restaurant's desserts in his very own kitchen right off the lobby where you can watch. While I enjoy pumpkin pie a few times during the holidays, I've never been much for putting it into cookies and goodness knows what else. But Bobby hit a home run with this one. It's probably off the menu by now, but it never hurts to ask.
Alexander's restaurant downtown has slightly revamped its lunch menu for Wednesdays. I tried a salad of fresh spinach with small French cornichons, fresh tomato slices, and a lovely homemade dressing that was perfect. Thankfully, the best of the menu has been kept intact, including the homemade crab bisque, a rather unusual but delicious version that never changes, even a tiny bit, year after year. That, with a piece of baguette, and you're set for a cool fall day.
Another place that comes to mind when I think of soups -- and this one offers hearty soups all year round that are made the day they're served -- is Nico's on Campbell Avenue, just down from the market. The restaurant makes up a fresh soup or two nearly every day and, depending on the chef's mood that day, the soup could be a pasta/bean, tomato, or all manner of cheese combination. Always fresh, always delicious, and always piping hot.
And then there's always a "bowl with" at the Tavern on the Market, but you can get that anytime, year round.
Bly for now.
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