SOUP erstars

Local kitchens ladle up labor of love

By Jackie Dee

Days of gray are in full swing around here, with bitterly biting cold weather to boot. Belly up to these bowls, brimming with good stuff to warm the body, mind and soul.

Mezzo Ristorante and Bar www.mezzoitalian.com

Scott Truelove of Mezzo declares his restaurant’s Five-tomato soup stands above other tomato bisques.

For his reasoning, look no further than the name – the soup is filled out with grape, vine-ripened, roma, San Marzano-style and sun-dried tomatoes, which gives this soup an award-winning taste. So good is this creamy bowl, served with garlic croutons and Parmesan, it’s served at both the Gahanna and Dublin locations, in addition to hubbard Grille in the Short North.

Matt the Miller’s Tavern www.mtmtavern.com

Glorious, gooey cheese. That’s the key component of the mainstay Beer Cheese soup at Matt the Miller’s, with locations in Dublin and Grandview heights.

And the recipe always changes, depending on which of the restaurant’s many rotating brews is on tap. There’s a fine balance when pairing a certain beer and a certain cheese, says Shea Goss, executive sous chef.

“But it’s real fun because you can play with different flavors,” he says. A lot of the time, the chefs just wing it.

The process takes some work. The beer is cooked with celery, garlic and potatoes for the starchiness. Cream is added, and then the blend is cooled a bit before the cheese is added so that it melts evenly. And it is best if it can all rest a day or two before serving to give the flavors a chance to marry.

Some of the mouth-watering masterpieces to come from this process: Miller Lite with American cheese; Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale with Tasso ham and pepperjack cheese; and Blue Moon with honey ham and Brie.

Lac Viet

This Vietnamese eatery located in Upper Arlington stands as one of a few local spots to find Pho Ga, a traditional chicken noodle soup. More commonly found is Pho, a beef broth-based version.

“It’s hard to find a good chicken noodle soup,” says owner Thang Nguyen, who, after several years serving at his own stand in the North Market and more years catering, devised his own delectable recipe. The best thing about it, he says: It’s bursting with healthful ingredients.

Nguyen touts his blend of chicken and broth, rice noodles, ginger and star anise. h is bowl gets topped off with cilantro, scallions and white onions. Even more, this soup gets a hefty offering of condiments to liven to one’s liking: bean sprouts, basil, mint, lime and sliced jalapenos.

People line up for this soup, especially when they need a fix for colds or hangovers, Nguyen says. It’s the best kosher, gluten-free, get-to-feel-better comfort food.

The Old Mohawk

www.theoldmohawk.com

The Old Mohawk opened in 1933 in German Village, right after Prohibition ended. There’s an enduring history here, and one of the most popular tidbits is the rumor that the original owner raised turtles in the basement.

The truth may have been lost to the ages, but still going strong is the reason for that rumor: the restaurant’s turtle soup. To this day, it is the restaurant’s flagship pot.

Tammy hickey, a cook at the Old Mohawk for close to 30 years, won’t reveal the spices in the soup. But she will divulge that the turtle, brought in by Michael’s Meats, is cooked for three hours, shredded and then combined with veggies, almost like a vegetable-style soup, with thin broth. It’s the flavor of the turtle itself that gives the soup its distinction, she says.

“It tastes like chicken, to be honest with you,” says hickey. (We never would have guessed!) brought together with the addition of the roux, bay leaves and, most importantly, the lemon, very characteristic of Greek cooking.

Patrons obviously love slurping it down. The restaurant sells it by the quart and, some weeks, can go through 10 gallons of it.

“It’s the lemon that gives it a twist,” Constantinide says.

claddagh Irish Pub

www.claddaghirishpubs.com

Soup has been a traditional part of Irish cuisine for generations due to the abundance of vegetables, meats and harvests from the seas surrounding the landscape. Claddagh Irish Pub – a national chain with locations in the Brewery District and Polaris – brings those flavors for central Ohioans to enjoy.

Loops

www.loopsgoodfood.com

Some of the recipes at this Grandview area Greek establishment are passed down from owner Andrew Constantinide’s grandmother. They are recipes he has been eating his entire life.

Constantinide scoops out a stellar Lemon Chicken soup that is simply served –no accoutrements required. This recipe is a white rice-based bowl, made thick and creamy with a hearty roux.

The trick to make a perfect consistency, he says, is to cook the ingredients separately, otherwise it gets “messy.” The rice is cooked on its own, the chicken is boiled on its own, and then these sections are

The Guinness Onion soup stands as a take on French Onion Soup, but the addition of Guinness Stout adds some robustness.

“It’s a firm favorite,” says general manager Deirdre Byrne.

The restaurant also spoons out its own version of Clam Chowder, creamy and New Englandstyle with sea clams, potato, celery and onion. Not to be overlooked is the brown soda bread that’s served with it, another Irish staple, often used for dunking here.

“If you walk into any Irish pub, you’ll find a chowder such as this,” Byrne said.

Mitchell’s Ocean club www.mitchellsoceanclub.com

Fancy-schmancy arrives the Lobster Bisque at Easton-based Mitchell’s. Inspired by the restaurant’s former crab bisque, this bowl is silky smooth with flavors of fresh lobster, thyme, rosemary, white wine and cream.

This soup comes in a pitcher to the table, from which it is poured around a bowl containing a fritter, fresh corn and chives. It has to be done this way, says Aaron Wilson, sous chef.

“When you go to a fine-dining restaurant, you want to keep up with presentation. You need that extra touch,” Wilson says. cs

Jackie Dee is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@pubgroupltd.com.