About those soups...
Some dining experiences require planning. The amount of planning can vary from coordinating schedules, finding a baby sitter, making a reservation, or - more extremely - finding flights and lodging. As I was planning the end of my soup sojourn, I had a plan that I'd been hoping to actualize since the inception. Since new local favorite Demi began every meal with soup, and helped inspire the idea of doing the soup theme, I wanted to end with them or - since they aren't open on Tuesdays - have them as close to the end as possible.
As noon approached on February 1st I sat by my computer with the browser open to their reservation page, my phone at hand in the same configuration. Why February 1st? Because the way a lot of in demand ticketed dining works is that they sell, or make available, the entire month's worth of seating a month in advance. There are some spots in town that follow this model, including Demi and Travail for the selling, and Spoon and Stable as well as others for the reservations.
Noon struck and I was able to get tickets for March 29th pretty easily - late seating on a Sunday? Yeah, no one picks that unless nothing else is available, except me. I added it to my calendar, figured out who I was going to ask to dine with me, and put it in the back of my mind. Plans were set.
February flew by, even with the extra day, there was some talk about a virus that was spreading, regardless March - the final month of soup - began pretty innocuously. The virus chatter picked up, but whether it was American self-importance, exceptionalism, or seeming invincibility - life just continued going on. Until it didn't. One-third through March and the rumors of lockdowns and quarantines were flying, lots of talk about washing hands, and the danger of cruise ships and buffets. Then various states and cities stopped waiting and started instituting their own plans for how to keep newly dubbed Covid-19 at bay. The restaurants closed for dine-in the evening of March 17th, St. Patrick's Day.
My last soups in a restaurant were March 15th, in St. Paul's Meritage. My Demi reservation was cancelled for rescheduling on March 19th, we agreed upon a day in May. I kept doing soups via takeout, either eating it from the quart container or provided takeout bowl until I finally got myself some large bowls more suited for the soup styles and a tray that connected to my steering wheel to avoid balancing hot liquid on my knee. A lot of restaurants pivoted to takeout pretty quickly, some took more time. But I was able to finish eating a soup a day bought at a restaurant anyway.
I'd been writing these monthly "dispatches" for City Pages until Covid caused dining in to be paused and budgets for this kind of story to be understandably cut for the sudden lack of advertising dollars. So here's what I enjoyed most in March - some are no longer available either because of the seasonality, "of the day" types, or because the restaurants have pivoted to something else.
Whatever you can do to support restaurants, please do.
Stray Dog - This spot on Hennepin changes up soups a lot, one day I was lucky enough to spot this Creamy Brisket and Mushroom soup pop up on their Instagram feed. Creamy, salty, peppery, and loads of umami from the tender beef and mushrooms, and vegetables that still had good consistency. The only thing I wanted to change about this bowl was maybe some bread to get every last bit of the creamy peppery broth.
Sen Yai Sen Lek - Whenever I'd get Khao Soi before this bowl I was always asked if I had this one yet, so my expectations for it were pretty high. I'm happy to report that they were met. I think most versions in town are in the same ballpark. This is a menu staple for good reason and should be available.
Babani's Kurdish - I'd never been to Babani's Kurdish, and I'm sad for that, though I'm happy I finally went and got to experience this Dowjic. Lemon, chicken broth, rice, egg, and lots of herbs and peppers. Quite refreshing. Writing this, I'm now craving it again. I checked their menu and it's still available.
Tea House University - This was a recommendation and am I ever glad it was. This was a great Hot and Sour Dumpling Soup. Plump dumplings that maintained integrity, spicy and sour broth with a touch of sweetness. I've had this a couple times since.
Tenant - Known for their affordable tasting menu with great pastas, Tenant first pivoted to become a soup and bread takeout after the restrictions on dining in. This cheesy tomato offering was really comforting in the same way a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo is. The focaccia that came with each order was also something to marvel, I still think about it, the perfect accompaniment to soup. They've pivoted away from soups, and an interim barbecue, back to their tasting menu, but that sometimes has a tortellini in brodo that is pretty killer too.
Jelly Bean and Julia's - When I had my first bowl of Chicken Wild Rice back at the beginning of all of this I admitted I wasn't a huge fan so I solicited recommendations for people's favorites, that led me to finding a couple I really liked. The key was that it couldn't taste like cream of chicken with rice added as an after thought. I'd been trying to get this soup over the winter but it was so popular it would sell out immediately while I was at work, then they brought it back when they pivoted to takeout and I was working from home in the northern suburbs anyway, so I finally got it. This Smoked Chicken Wild Rice was great, lots of solids, creamy but not too thick, lots of textures, and unique flavors. I'll be trying to get it again when the weather turns.
So the soups were done, favorites picked, but there was still the matter of the missing Demi soup, a reservation that was ephemeral, bouncing from month to month as the situation never quite improved enough for restaurants to open for dining at. Until it did. Restaurants were given the green light for patio, then eventually to open at 50% capacity for dine-in, that's when the reservation solidified again.
Friday, August 21st I dined in a restaurant again for the first time in over 5 months. I was going to finally get a soup, a restorative broth from Demi, the place that helped inspire the idea of 5 months of soup. Dining in a restaurant again felt weird, but relatively safe thanks to the precautions Demi had in place. So the vessel was set before me, and a liquid was poured from a carafe. To paraphrase the chef pouring "this isn't really soup weather, so we're serving an heirloom carrot juice tea with an ice cube of sweet woodruff and spearmint tea." I think I laughed quietly, but I enjoyed sipping it, and eating the rest of the meal a great deal, Demi deserves its accolades. However that moment - more than most could - underlined, bolded, and italicized the reality that plans change.