Even after doing some research I’m still not clear on how this was decreed, but January is National Soup Month. This year, Houston’s winter has been warmer and more humid than usual – this week being a welcome exception – but that hasn’t stopped many Houston restaurants from promoting soup. Soup is a classic comfort food. When balanced with the right ingredients, it can be a meal unto itself, with meats, broths, vegetables, cheeses and starches used in infinite combinations. Here are three that you should know about.
TQLA, 4601 Washington just east of Shepherd, 281-501-8069, tqlahouston.com
I wasn’t supposed to be here to sip a flight of tequila, but it’s a decadent accompaniment to TQLA’s top-notch tortilla soup. If you don’t believe me, try it. The tortilla soup here has an unusually hearty base, almost stew-like, thanks to puréeing the vegetables used to season the broth right into it.
I’m one of the few people I know who is not a fresh avocado fan (yeah, I know), but the rich green cubes were right at home in the steaming red broth.
What really makes this soup, though, are the strips of roasted ancho chilies. Oh, my. The dried bits of deep red pepper are not spicy, per se. As my partner put it, “It’s like chewing on mole.” It was all I could do to not ask for a little dish of the dried ancho strips on the side.
So, when you’re ready for something warm and comforting, give this a try. Don’t be afraid of a Washington Avenue parking situation. Remarkably, TQLA is adjacent to a parking garage.
Most importantly, don’t forget the tequila.
LINE & LARIAT, 220 Main at Congress, 832-667-4470
Line & Lariat is still a work in progress, as they have not quite finished their rebranding into a Gulf Coast-themed restaurant. In the meantime, though, I still love the Grecian marble columns and mosaic chandeliers left over from when the place was Voice.
Line & Lariat has an ever-changing soup-of-the-day program. We sampled a wide range of soups, from a sweet butternut squash soup that could have stood in for dessert or a pie filling to a “pale” chili.
By a long shot, our favorite was a green lentil sopa with “foraged” mushrooms (flown in, so I take it they’re foraged elsewhere). There was almost no broth in this dish. Even though it could have stood in as a side dish, we were fine with that. The trinity (carrots, celery and onion) gave plenty of flavor to the lentils, and hearty, delicious mini-slabs of bacon adorned the top. The mushrooms, while very fine, could have used some seasoning. It’s nothing a touch of salt at the table won’t cure.
BISTRO ALEX, 800 W Sam Houston Pkwy. in CityCentre, 713- 827-3545, bistroalex.com
We were impressed by the variety and quality of most of the soups offered at this quiet, sophisticated relative of Brennan’s in CityCenter. Like Brennan’s, Bistro Alex offers turtle soup, although chef Roland Soza says they’ve tweaked it and he likes his version better. Lemony tartness provides a fine counterpoint to the otherwise rich broth and farm-raised turtle meat. The sprinkled Creole seasoning around the rim of the bowl is not only decorative, it lets you add more spice if you choose.
The only dish that did not find favor with us was the Cognac-spiked shrimp bisque. The shrimp were fresh and Cajun-seasoned, but the light roux used as the base seemed undercooked. It was impossible to ignore the raw flour taste. However, the sous chef said Bistro Alex sells a great deal of this, so I have to believe that it’s normally much better. I’ll try it again sometime.
Next, we tried the gumbo. I usually expect and prefer one made with dark roux, so I was pretty skeptical when chef Soza said he cooks his roux to the color of peanut butter. He was right, though. It turns out that for Bistro Alex’s chicken, andouille and tasso gumbo, a medium roux is ideal. Here’s the kicker: Did you know they make their own andouille and tasso in-house? We got to sample the tasso by itself, and it is laden with spices. I haven’t seen any tasso like this for sale west of Louisiana. You might ask to purchase some to take home when you dine there.
Our number one soup pick for the day, though, was the onion soup. I do not kid when I say it was the best onion soup I have ever had. I’ve made some nice batches at home, but the Bistro Alex’s makes mine look like the beginner version.
It’s called Five Onion Soup. The five caramelized onions are red, yellow, white, shallots and leeks, and it’s topped with the traditional crouton and two different types of cheese. You might expect to find gruyère melted on top of your crouton, but Bistro Alex adds a second cheese, carmody. The carmody has a stronger, pleasant scent, adding backbone to a dish that can sometimes be too delicate.
Like Line and Lariat, Bistro Alex has a rotating soup selection, but the onion should be available on the regular menu for the next few weeks.