When I went to Paris last week, I was feeling very ambitious about all of the haute dining I would be doing, but I quickly came to a conclusion: sometimes, after spending eight or so hours walking, cold, tired, and barely able to drag yourself out of the hotel’s lovely bathtub, the best dinner option is soup. Enter the soup bar, a rising trend in Paris. Hot, inexpensive, and tasty, these gems are the perfect options for low-key nights. Plus, it’s nice to see how the locals eat on a typical Tuesday.
The soup bar I visited (twice) is Le Bar À Soupes, on a little street in the Bastille. The owner is the most charming, chic woman who is clearly passionate about her creations. Daily, she offers six soups, which you accompany with a choice of bread, with the option to add a cheese plate and glass of wine (1.90 euros per glass!). It could be the best deal in town: dinner for two, 14.00 euros! My favorites were a bright tomato-ginger puree, and a very hearty lentil with smoked sausage.
This unassuming little spot inspired me; why not spend a chilly Sunday afternoon cooking up a big pot of soup to enjoy in the coming week? After a long workday, surely little else would be as comforting.
Le Bar À Soupes
33 rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
+33.01.4357.5379
www.lebarasoupes.com
Comments 4
i’ll have to make sure to check this out next time we are in parid. the bastille area is one of our favorites
Posted 29 Oct 2007 at 9:52 am ¶Even though I know we have soup spots here in New York, this just sounds so much more chic and wonderful than, say, the Soup Nazi. I’ve got to go to Paris someday…
Posted 30 Oct 2007 at 8:42 am ¶And yes, make some soup! We did it this weekend, and it was so nice to come home to a steaming bowl of deliciousness after a long, hard day at work.
I have yet to find a soup joint in NYC that is a comfortable or refined as those in Paris. Most of them that I have found are not dedicated solely to soup or they are just some place to run in and eat as fast as you can (or take out).
I guess we do have a few chains in NYC, like Hale and Hearty, which could be more closely compared to Cojean, a chain restaurant in Paris that serves (overpriced) soup.
Posted 30 Oct 2007 at 1:34 pm ¶I want to go to Paris, tooooooo. Sigh. That all sounds so yummy and warming and french!
Posted 03 Nov 2007 at 10:57 am ¶Post a Comment