I am not a soup savant. Although I could talk about sushi, cheeseburgers and gelato until I'm in a food coma, soup knowledge is not my forte. I just know that I'm a South Floridian, and I am cold. Soup warms my insides.
Everyone's version of cold differs. Personally, anything below 68 degrees is cold. Furthermore, any time I can't wear flip flops, it's automatically freezing. On Monday I talked about staying warm with jambalaya. Alas, the longest cold front of my life is still here (according to my 10-day forecast, it will be for awhile), and exploring my soup options is on the radar. I may not have an advanced knowledge of soup, but I do know where to find some of the best soup selections my taste buds can take.
1. Matzoh Ball Soup - This is, above and beyond, my favorite soup ever. While my Jewish grandmother isn't here to make it on a daily basis, TooJay's is. It's like a Jewish haven. Get a black-and-white cookie while you're there.
2. Spicy Mexican Chicken with Rice - Hailing from the Cheesecake Factory
as the Thursday soup. I used to chow down on this at the Las Olas
location in between classes during my last year at FAU. With a mix of
chicken, cheese, corn, and black beans, it makes me melt. This is the
only soup I will eat at the Cheesecake Factory because their other food
is too good to ignore.
3. Lobster Bisque - I used to work in a restaurant that served the best lobster bisque I've ever had. Ever. That restaurant has since shut down, but you can find a delicious close second at J Byrd's Muddy Waters Restaurant and Raw Bar in Deerfield Beach.
4. Wonton Soup
- This is my feel-good soup, the one I eat when I'm sick. With the
drastic climate change, I've been under the weather more than ever.
It's kind of difficult for Chinese restaurants to screw this up, but I
pick up it up by the pint at Crazy Wok in Coral Springs.
5. New England Clam Chowder - Please don't be that guy who tells me that it's "chowder," not soup. We're in South Florida,
where we label subs as hoagies and pop as soda. Down here, chowder
serves the same purpose as soup. Over at 15th Street Fisheries in Fort Lauderdale, I had it just the way Northeasterners like it: full of clams, potatoes, and smoked bacon.
