Soup Saunter brings warmth to a chilly day
14 restaurants, shops compete to see who offers the best soup
Saturday morning was miserable: dreary and drizzly, with strong gusts that flipped umbrellas and made being outdoors feel awful. It was, therefore, the perfect day to go on a Soup Saunter in historic downtown Bethlehem, where 14 restaurants and shops competed to see who offered the best soup in the neighborhood by way of popular vote.
The competition was fierce. Registrants for the saunter gathered to kick off the trail at Edge Restaurant, where Donald Flad, the restaurant’s manager, urged people to try their andouille corn chowder.
“We’re using this as a test, and if it works it’ll end up on the menu,” he said.
Nearby, Doris Meehan was slurping her cup of soup — a hearty bowl of bacon, sausage, vegetables and cajun spices — appreciatively.
“It’s the perfect thing to have on a dreary day,” she said.
While Edge was using the saunter as a way to test a menu item, McCarthy’s Red Stag Pub was calling to owner Neville McCarthy’s past with its Shanagary Squash soup, which combined roasted butternut squash, cream and Indian spices.
“This soup came from an old recipe book,” Ivan Alicea, the general manager at McCarthy’s, said. “It’s super delicate even with the cream, and even though it’s got an Indian influence it’s a very traditional Irish soup.”
McCarthy’s soup was vegetarian, as was the the soup at Seasons Olive Oil & Vinegar Taproom, where manager Lisa DiDonato described the sharp flavor of the store’s harissa olive oil over a Moroccan-spiced carrot soup.
“The oil really brings the carrots out,” she said. “It’s almost smoky.”
Urbano Mexican Kitchen & Bar went for a smoky profile as well with it’s tomato-based chili, dotted with ground beef and a mix of black and pinto beans. And over at Tapas on Main a corn and potato soup with smoky bacon, scallions and cheddar cheese was being ladled out to chilly soup fans.
“I have to say, this one is my No. 2,” Kim Oakes said. Her No. 1 choice at the time was Edge’s andouille corn chowder, though she still had more bowls to try.
Participants paid $35 (benefiting the Downtown Bethlehem Association) to sample and rank the soups. (Results are expected Monday.)
Many participants gathered and
took notes, taking their role as judges seriously. Others found the trail to be a fun way to deliciously (and cozily) explore the world without leaving Bethlehem: Dominican sancocho at Casa Del Mofongo offered a sunny taste of cassava and yuca with hearty pork and beans, while Randevoo smothered a pork ginger consomme over a carrot-onion-celery mirepoix, then showered the cup with benito flakes.
Others looked to comfort food as inspiration — Cheryl Paynter, the general manager at Franklin Hill Vineyards, said she served the chicken, tomato and basil soup at home for her family, and Chris Tiscio, co-owner of 515 Main Sports Club, said that his lasagna soup was something he personally loved. And over at Musselman Jewelers, New Bethany Ministries offered a “cozy, nutritious” ham and lentil soup.
As the saunter crept into the afternoon, the clouds drifted apart and the sun shined through — a fitting ending to an afternoon of slurping and judging soup.