5 Restaurants serving chicken soup for the soul and body in and around Maryland; an article by Robin Daumit for The Baltimore Banner.
An Insider Taste Tests 5 Restaurants Serving Chicken Soup
For those in and around the Maryland areas, this was an opportunity to taste test the top 5 Chicken Soups being served both in Annapolis restaurants and for take out.
We all know there are those times in life when our body and soul just needs a little chicken soup, particularly when we are feeling under the weather.
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Now matter the season the often offers a ricochet between beautiful sunny days and cold rainy spells, which can bring winter sicknesses out in full force.
And when you are feeling under the weather, the last thing you want to do is cook.
For those of us in Anne Arundel County, there are plenty of restaurants to consider for your next chicken soup craving that don’t involve adding water to a can of Campbell’s.
Down-home Latin, Greek, Vietnamese, Italian and Jewish kitchens have just the dish to warm your tummy and put you back on the road to recovery, so let’s have a look at the restaurants we taste tested!
Sin Fronteras Cafe – 2129 Forest Dr. Annapolis
The unique flavors at Sin Fronteras Cafe – and swoon worthy margaritas – are derived from authentic Mexican cooking, fused with a bit of Peru, El Salvador and Honduras.
They are so dedicated to fusion flavors that the restaurant declined being featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” because the production team wanted to wrongly characterize their cafe as “Tex-Mex.”
The 16-oz. chicken tortilla soup, simmered low and slow with whole chicken, tomatoes and other fresh ingredients, makes for a hearty dish with Latin flair.
Each serving is topped with sour cream, cheese, avocado, fresh herbs and tortilla strips. It arrived home from take-out still warmly delicious to the last spoonful.
Double T Diner – 12 Defense St. Annapolis
Double T Diner is a throwback to homestyle cooking at your neighborhood diner.
Named after two Greek partners whose names started with T, the eatery, which dates back to the 1950’s, has an extensive breakfast-to-dinner menu of homestyle comfort food, along with traditional Greek specialties.
They offered three styles of chicken soup, so I opted for the Greek Avgolemono Chicken Soup (served only on Sunday), in a quart size to-go container.
Piping hot, it had a rich chicken broth, Ditalini pasta, celery, carrots, lemon, fresh herbs and plenty of chicken – all the flavors the owners beloved Yia Yia would have passed down to them.
Chick & Ruth’s – 165 Main St. Annapolis
Chick & Ruth’s has been a mainstay in the Annapolis area for the past 50 years.
Their New York-style deli recipes date back to the mom-and-pop-days when Main Street Annapolis was dotted with family-owned businesses whose families often lived above them.
For real matzo ball soup, a.k.a. Jewish penicillin, stop by for the unbeatable long-simmered chicken stock, celery, carrots, and herby soup topped with a gigantic matzo ball.
As I arrive to pick up carry-out, I was greeted by the young and vibrant staff of the ever-busy, iconic spot in Maryland’s capital.
Quickly distracted from my to-go mission, I was taken by the nostalgia of photo-covered walls showing decades of famous politicians that once dined on the eatery’s comfort food while in the middle of their demanding, sometimes history-changing work week. But for now, back home to enjoy my delicious meal.
NAM’S PHO – 1015 Bay Ridge Ave. Annapolis
NAM’S PHO is the real deal when it comes to authentic, health-conscious, modern Vietnamese cooking.
A family owned restaurant where you can expect made-from-scratch traditional cuisine.
My to-go order of pho chicken/pho ga soup (with a choice of white or dark meat) was impressively packaged.
All three elements of the soup – broth, rice noodles with chicken, and toppings of fresh Thai basil, jalapeños, crisp bean sprouts and sliced lime – were in separate containers, ensuring the utmost freshness for a take-out hot soup experience.
The broth tasted of a low and slow simmer of chicken stock with herbs that clearly did not come from a can or bouillon.
I’m told, by my son Omar Daumit the executive chef of Ken’s Creative Kitchen, that NAM’S PHO is a restaurant where many local chefs come to dine on their off-hours, and I can certainly see why.
Pasticcio Fresh Italian Kitchen – 150 Suite F Jennifer Rd. Annapolis
Pasticcio Fresh Italian Kitchen has served Italian-born, hands-on recipes to the Annapolis area since 2019.
The carefully chosen location – close to business offices, the Westfield Annapolis Mall and Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center – has a particular purpose: providing familiar Italian comfort food to in-a-rush Annapolitans.
While pizza is a favored dine-in or carryout option at Pasticcio and their pasta dishes are extensive, my hearty bowl of chicken noodle soup did not disappoint.
A flavorful, creamy chicken broth loaded with chicken and small-cut pasta, celery, onions and carrots, with a large hard-crust roll served on the side, was ready at my arrival. Now my only task? To go home and feel better.
Got Time For Homemade Chicken Soup?
Of course I must share my homemade chicken soup with you, just in case you’ve got chicken in your fridge, not in want of going out and have the time to make it yourself!
Or perhaps a friend or loved one wants to help you feel better and is willing to make a great pot of chicken soup for you; by all means pass on my recipe!
1-Whole Chicken 3-Meals; Greek chicken lettuce wraps, Moroccan chicken rolls and Italian chicken soup, just makes delicious sense for frugal times.
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.