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Soup or Salad Blue Jay Lunch Thread

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LUNCH TOPIC: Soup or Salad? Which, Why and What is your favorite? Where can I get it?

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Comments

Soup

Why: Lettuce is bland
Favorite soup: Gumbo
Where: Louisiana

I love salads...

 - Romaine lettuce with some red cabbage, spinach, and cilantro mixed in for flavor.
 - Sun dried tomatoes
 - Fresh tomatoes
 - Green, red, and yellow peppers
 - Musrooms (fresh, not canned)
 - Cucumbers
 - Peas
 - Chicken or salmon (if fresh). Those chicken “cubes” are too damn chewy.
 - Almonds (if no chicken or salmon)
 - Sunflower seeds
 - Pepperocini’s
 - Bernstein’s or Newman’s Own Italian dressing

Don’t like onions, bacon bits, beets (yuck), eggplant (the most gaggable “food” on the planet), hard boiled eggs, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, iceberg lettuce, or creamy dressings.
A good Chardonnay would help wash it down, but not on workdays. On weekdays, it’s plain old everyday water.

The only time I like soup is when freezing my buns on cold winter days…I run too hot otherwise.

Oh yeah...location.

Soup Exchange or Souplantation are fine. Sometime, I make my own and bring it in to work.

Soup Exchange is still in business?

Only one I knew of was on PCH in Torrance about 15 years ago. I think it’s a Chinese restaurant now.

Beets are the grossest food in existence

I would rather eat worms out of a stick like that slobbering idiot on TV

No way, eggplant is worse.

It has to be the closest thing to eating a rubber tire.

I almost agree...

…just the sight of eggplant jump-starts my gag reflex. If someone REALLYwanted to torture me, make me look at …Padma eating a big sloppy helping of eggplant whatever. OK, I’ll talk!!! Just make her stop!!!!
 
But yeah beets run a close 2nd. Even the color is nasty..that dark red juice (…shudders…).

I love eggplant

And I would look at Padma no matter what she’s eating!

Oh Higzy...

…all that credibility built up over so many posts and comments…shot to hell by an inedible purple plant. D I S G U S T I N G !!!

That’s what would make it so tortuous with Padma…I couldn’t look at her, and I couldn’t look away! Turned on and revolted at the same time…it’s far more attractive when she eats a burger.

hehehe

I love that commercial

Oh yeah...

…I also liked the babe riding the mechanical bull to Foghat’s “Slow Ride”…mighty stimulating.

egglpant is good

it’s incredibly versatile. Of course, it’s best when it’s fried (many foods are), but I like it in ratatouille, grilled and then drizzled with a bit of high quality olive oil and dusted with some pecorino or Reggiano parmesan.

Beets are wonderful, too -the fresh ones, not the picked, canned things found in salad bars and school cafeterias. Freshly roasted beets – a combination of red, yellow, and striped ones, with some goat cheese – wonderfully simple and delightful.

And Padma….rowr!

Get both at Sweet Tomatoes

Love that place…

The Waldorf salad at Dorsia

Followed by squid ravioli in a lemon grass broth with goat cheese profiteroles

Oh yeah...

TRY GETTING A RESERVATION AT DORSIA NOW YOU FUCKING STUPID BASTARD!

NICE

But you’ll have to excuse me, I have a lunch meeting with Cliff Huxtable in 30 minutes.

Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup
that soup is amazing!!
It sounds funny

But even though it’s a huge cheesy chain restaurant, Chili’s has seriously good food

they do

Missus HTM loves the chips and salsa there… have no idea why. their salsa is basically tomato sauce with some seasoning. no spice.

Salad and cheese bread

from North Woods Inn

that's some good stuff, too
Whole Foods Salad Bar

It can end up costing you about ten bucks, but I love making my own salads at whole foods…the secret to making it weigh less is to put the dressing in a side container.
Pulled chicken, spinach, red leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes, a lil’ feta cheese, cucumber slices, mini corn, and whatever else my heart desires at the salad bar at the time.

Soup: creamy tomato basil from Fresh & Easy.
Salad: caesar w/ caesar dressing from Paul’s.

Every soup I have tried there is really good.
Depends on the Weather

In colder weather, soup is satisfying. Pho Tai at Golden Deli; ramen at Daikokuya or Orochon; General’s noodle soup at Sanamluang; matzoh ball soup at Langer’s or Junior’s; my grandmother’s (RIP) cabbage soup, which I’ve perfected; French Onion soup (try Church & State downtown). I make a darned good French vegetable soup (potage aux legumes), too. Oh, and my mom’s split pea soup (made with the leftover ham bone from Honeybaked).

Salad – I rarely have a salad as a main course, but I like a good Nicoise salad: the one served at the Disney Hall cafe (Patina Group) with seared ahi is nice. I liked the one at the Cafe Select (Paris).

There’s a salad place in California Plaza called Salads 2000 that does a good Chinese chicken salad. I also like the salad at Porta Via Italian deli in Pasadena. You select a variety of greens, veggies, etc., and they put it together. I like getting it with Italian meats & cheese (a hodgepodge of diced salamis and provolone), mixed greens, marinated peppers and whatever else looks good, with just a slight drizzle of their balsamic reduction and a splash of olive oil.

Wow

This reads like a Zagat’s guide. What, no mention of Sizzler?

I'm with you on those picks

Nothing like a bowl of good pho on a cold day. And a good Nicoise salad on a hot day.

i really like Caesar salads

and they’re even better with chicken. doesn’t really matter from where…. actually, the Caesar at the ESPN Zone in Anaheim is really freaking good.

i really love clam chowder too. (the only good thing to come from the east coast.) The Crab Cooker in Newport makes a good clam chowder

Well i like soup because thats when you usaully get Bread-sticks.
Kind of like Ernie Banks and playing two...I say, "why not both?"

soup and salad (and breadsticks) at Olive Garden! YES!

Agrrrrrrrrrreed!
i work at a local OG

and i want you to know how much we all hate bringing you that crap.
so you better enjoy it. ;)

I do enjoy it. And I tip very, very well.

(I worked 10 years in the biz. All jobs. I understand the gig.)

So you better enjoy bringing that crap to me!

: )

in that case

i like you. :)

it’s the people that get 18 refills of soup, 12 salads, then tip $2 that we really hate.

For me, it all depends on the service

Good service = good tip.
average service = average tip
Lousy service = lousy tip (not no tip).

I’m a big tipper, I will generally tip about 20%, but have gone up to 40%.on occasion.
If there’s a problem in the kitchen, I won’t penalize the server for something beyond his control.
But if the service sucks… I will leave an insultingly small tip, so you don’t think I forgot.

Great service = 25%
Good service = 20%
Fair or average service = 15%
Bad service = 10%

So you got a decent shot at getting 25% out of me, as long as you care and pay attention!

Here's the question...

…do you announce up front to the server that you give good tips, or do you “surprise” them (good or bad) at tip time?
I used to always announce up front that I was a generous tipper for better service. The odd thing is that it didn’t always lead to better service. Occasionally, I received an odd look or reaction…like I was really provoking their cynical side.
Anymore, I usually make no pronouncement whatsoever, then tip accordingly.

I make no upfront announcement.

Their job is to serve me to the best of their ability, no matter what is on the line. I reward those who deliver, and reward highly those who deliver above and beyond.

But then, I do notice more attentive service if I go back and get the same server.

i dont think i've ever had someone tell me upfront about their tipping habits

but i do my job the best i can in hopes that they’re like Stirrups… great service = great tip. unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

some people are just classless.

I would love to see the expression on your face...

…if you had a large party of Dodger fans that did the above. Look out for flying salad plates!

i've had it

and i was effing pissed… not just because of the bad tip, but because it was paired with pencil mustaches, crappy blue jerseys and stupid hats.

Tropical turkey salad from the Vons grocery deli.

It has pineapple, cranberry and raisins in it. Soup would be Andersen’s split pea.

When I was still in the air force at Travis AFB our chow hall had the greatest salad bar ever.......

Romaine lettuce
cheddar cheese
black olives
croutons
bacon bits
green bell peppers
shredded carrots
blue cheese dressing…..

FTW

all for 85 cents…….yum.

Compressed salad at Catal's, Downtown Disney

Arugula lettuce
carmelized walnuts
dates
Manchega cheese
shredded green apple
tossed in a pomegranate vinaigrette and served compressed on the plate.

Brilliant. Frickin’ brilliant. And I eat at least one salad as a meal every damned day, so I know my salads.

(When in need of soup, I seek out the tortilla soup at Coco’s, or any corn chowder.)

Soup... Clam Chowder

Here’s the best of the best (and BTW, none of them are in Boston)…

Duke’s Chowder House (Seattle)
Pike Place Chowder (Seattle)
Fisherman’s Grotto (Monterey)
Opah (Irvine)

Honorable Mention
Chef Bill’s Chicken Corn Chowder (Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Anaheim)

Concur re: clam chowder in Boston

Heresy, I know, but I have work for two Massachusetts based corporations and have spent a considerable amount of time in New England. The worst lobster I have ever eaten has been when I have been in the Boston area. I have never been served a lobster that was not overcooked.

And, yes, I have eaten at Legal Seafood. And, yes, I have eaten at Anthony’s. And, yes, I have eaten at places that were NOT tourist traps…

Yeah, I ordered some chowder from Legal a while back

Having no real desire to go to Boston, I ordered it via mail. It cost an arm and a leg and I almost bought into the hype. It really wasn’t all that.

Kings Seafood has some pretty good Clam Chowder
agreed

It’s pretty great

If you're talking about King's on Katella (near the Honda Center)...

then yeah. Pretty tasty. Bowl of chowder and a cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. (Burp!)

It's a chain.

I go to the one in Calabasas

I’ll put Fisherman’s Grotto on my list next time I’m visiting Monterey, but I have to say the chowder at Louie Linguini’s on Cannery Row is tops for me.

I prefer Manhattan-style chowder

Much better for the cholesterol levels.

My dad and I had that argument for years
Dude, what's wrong with you?
New England Clam Chowder, in the sourdough bread bowl, from Northwoods Inn
you know...

the Clam Chowder in a bread bowl from Disneyland is actually really good, too

I keep wanting to try that clam thing in abreadbowl AT RUBYS

at Angel Stadium … any reviews?

mmmmmmmpphh...

it’s not as good as King’s..

But it's probably a hell of a lot cheaper

even if it’s at the ballpark

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