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| Souper Jenny Spoons Comfort Food to Atlanta by Melanie Kowal 56 East Andrews Drive Atlanta, GA 30305 Menu Hotline: 404-239-9023 Restaurant: 404-237-7687 A line streams out the door of Souper Jenny in Buckhead. It flows into the parking lot. Saturdays are slow days at the restaurant, but you wouldn’t know it. The customers are smiling and happy, despite the frigid temperature this afternoon. I wonder what could possibly be that good. I’m about to find out. The outside of Souper Jenny is artsy and homey. Cozy patio seating is tucked to the side and bundled up customers are huddled over steaming bowls of soup, eating with gusto. The line is long, but we are assured by the enthusiastic employees that the end is in sight. My dining companion and I analyze the impossible selection of scrumptious daily items posted near the door. The six featured soups are equally enticing. I ponder them for a bit, vacillating between the chicken tortilla and tomato basil. I decide to make a final decision on sight. The wrap selection piques my interest, offering both a smoked turkey and pepper jack, and a most intriguing combination of red pear, bleu cheese, arugula and tomato. I know that’s what I will have. Two fresh salads round out the menu. Our wait is short-lived, and a peek inside reveals the explanation for the healthy line. Excited customers huddle up to get a good look at the fragrant soups being spooned out behind the counter. The restaurant is small and packed, but nobody seems to notice. The jostling and maneuvering are all taken in stride, if not with a good sense of humor. The walls are covered with family photos and magazine clippings, and cozy tables dotted with tulip-filled vases are grouped family-style. I feel like I’m about to have a good home-cooked meal at grandma’s house. One look at the six soups and I feel even more confused than before. I hesitate between my two previous choices, but then eye the white bean with turkey sausage. The colors are so rich and inviting. I impulsively choose the white bean soup. My dining companion opts for the turkey chili. My soup is complemented by the red pear wrap and a hearty wedge of bread, his with the simple tomato mozzarella salad. Getting to our table is a feat unto itself, but the customers seem to be used to the routine and make room for us with alacrity and smiles. The greatest compliment about food is that it tastes “just like mom used to make.” I think most people would agree that mom never made anything quite this good. As I dive into the soup, I’m warmed to the core by the rich spices and hearty white beans. My dining companion’s turkey chili is just as soothing: heavy and saucy, with just the right amount of bite. This is the ultimate in comfort food. The red pear wrap is a unique blend of sweet, crisp red pear, bleu cheese and arugula. I can’t remember the last time I had something so fresh. My dining companion agrees, as he praises the fresh basil gracing his mozzarella salad. Jennifer Levison, the mastermind behind Souper Jenny, joins us at the table. She has an electric rapport with her customers, who bathe her with compliments. Originally from Atlanta, she spent time living in Los Angeles and New York and two years traveling the globe. When she returned to Atlanta eight years ago, she decided to incorporate some of the foreign cuisine she had enjoyed into unique home cooking. “I was looking for something in Atlanta that I didn’t think we had,” she tells me. “I wanted to have one product to focus on, particularly comfort food.” The really super thing about Jenny is that she is not a formally trained chef. Her inspiration comes from years watching her dad in the kitchen and the hearty peasant food she sampled in Europe. It is this style that she uses as a model for the over 200 soups she has created. Every morning, she strikes up the stove at 4:30 and decides on the fly what the soups of the day will be. You can always count on six soups and two salads during the winter, with a wider salad selection and cold soups available during the summer months. Souper Jenny’s popularity is evident by the loyal customer base and crowded tables. In early 2006, she has plans to expand to the space next door. As we leave, we decide to return on Thursday for “grilled cheese night,” when gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches are added to the staple menu. Of course, the chocolate fondue and homemade s’mores won’t hurt. Our trip to Souper Jenny has been unique and unexpected: a nice change from the typical weekend fare of tapas and scant portions, Souper Jenny spoons up a hearty bowl of comfort that warms you down to the bone. And let’s face it: Everyone needs a little comfort. |
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| From the top: Dad's turkey chili, Homeade pumkin bread with forte, Pepper crusted turkey sandwich on ezekiel bread, Fresh beat and orange salad with baby spinach. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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