TOUCHDOWN, AND AN EXTRA POINT
Souper Bowl is just the place for crisp autumn days
by Jessica Liese '01, Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Mount Holyoke News; October 19, 2000
It was one of those fall days that, if you're trying to be nice, you could describe as crisp. If you want to be brutally honest, though, you might do better to call it bitterly cold. It was the first day the radio announced a chance of snow, and the first day many Mount Holyoke students put on their heaviest sweaters and winter coats. On a day like that, theres really only one thing that can effectively fight the cold: hot soup, and plenty of it.
Downtown Amherst's newest addition is just the place to go for hot soup when the weather gets crisp. Nestled between CVS and For the Record, Souper Bowl's tiny storefront can be hard to spot. Inside the restaurant, which opened September 1, there's just enough room for ten small tables and a counter lined with black kettles.
On the day that my friends and I visited, the two people behind
the counter seemed a little harried, but friendly and efficient.
It seemed as though it had been a long day for both of them, and
I wouldn't have been surprised to learn that they'd been hard
at work since Souper Bowl had opened that morning. While we ate,
several locals, obviously regulars despite the fact that the
restaurant has only been open for six weeks, stopped in to chat
with them.
Everything about Souper Bowl implies that it is a family-run business. Brightly colored handmade tablecloths cover the tables, soft jazz music from a tabletop stereo plays in the background, and the windowsills are lined with decorative gourds and squashes. Despite its tiny size, the restaurant is not stifling but merely cozy and inviting-- and definitely warm. There were roughly a dozen soups on the menu, ranging from New England Clam Chowder to Hot and Sour soup. Unfortunately, by 6 p.m. they had already run out of several, including a tempting-sounding Chicken Curry Lentil Stew.
Craving thick, wholesome, stick-to-your-ribs soup, I finally settled on Cream of Mixed Vegetables soup in a bread bowl. My cravings certainly did not go unfulfilled. The soup was rich and fresh-tasting, and just hot enough to warm my whole body without burning my mouth. The bread bowl, which had been sufficiently hollowed out to accommodate a large serving, was soft, warm and flaky. I was in heaven.
Looking across at my friends, who had ordered Chicken Noodle soup, Inoticed that they had similarly blissed-out expressions on their faces. I tasted a little of theirs and found the Chicken Noodle to be just as wonderful as the Cream of Mixed Vegetables. Both soups were obviously homemade-- no Campbells cans here. There were plenty of large chunks of vegetables in both, and the chicken in the Chicken Noodle definitely came from a bird and not a can.
Although the meal was delicious and filling, I couldnt resist checking out the attractive desserts in the display case. I ultimately succumbed to the temptation of the pumpkin cheesecake. It was every bit as rich, sweet and smacking of autumn in New England as the name suggests. Again, however, I would caution potential visitors to go early if they want to choose from the full list of selections, as my slice of cheesecake was the second-to-last one remaining.
My friends and I will definitely be returning to Souper Bowl often. As the weather gets colder, I know I will continue to be delighted by this extra weapon with which to combat the chill.