I Heart on the Hunt: No Soup For You!

Just kidding, there’s plenty of soup to go around Old Towne Orange, but these Southern California winters can be pretty tricky. One week you’re lounging on the beach in 75 degree weather, and the next you’re preparing for flash floods! Luckily, we’ve had a list of our favorite soups on hand for weekends like this one, where rain and gloom come out of nowhere and box all of us indoors for a few days. Have your jackets, windbreakers, and soup spoons ready for what we found on this week’s “I Heart on the Hunt!”

It’s Kelly here, and this week I headed out to lap up some savory soups from Gabbi’s and Mead’s. First, I’ve got to tell you about Gabbi’s Posole. It’s Verde, filled with all things divine and is my absolute favorite soup found in the Plaza. This amazing meal in a bowl hits the spot every single time. It is SO SO good! Made fresh with fish, littleneck clams, shrimp, hominy, arugula, radish, and finished with a dash of house-made lime sea salt. It’s also gluten free, as is most everything on Gabbi’s menu. My second round was at Mead’s Green Door, where I got their Quinoa Chili. This is one hearty soup. Who needs meat, when we’ve got Mead’s! Their chili is really good and goes well on sweet potato fries or with their Buffalo Cauliflower (which is how I had it). I only wish it was just a tad spicier, maybe that’s why I chose the buffalo to go with it, I like to kick it up a notch. 

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Gabbi’s Posole
meads
Mead’s Quinoa Chili

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renee here, reporting on the fantastic flavors of Rutabegorz soups. My go-to favorite is their Cockie Leeky soup. It’s creamy with lots of chicken and rice, and is very filling. My special occasion soup (because they only make it once in a while) is the Corn Chowder! It is delicious!! Though it’s hard for me to pin point exactly what makes it so good in the corn chowder world, I do know that if you don’t get there in time, they WILL run out. I’ve sat down for dinner with friends and have had to give up my bowl for a mere cup of corn chowder, just so that there would be enough to go around the table. In fact, this mystical chowder is so rare, that I couldn’t even snap a photo of it! But hey, isn’t that the sign of a wonderful soup? That it sticks in your memory, sans photographic evidence that you ever consumed it? I think so. If you are lucky enough to drop in when they are serving it, try a bowl (or cup) and let us know what YOU think.

rutabegorz
Pretend This Is Corn Chowder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey this is Jonai, and I decided to give Bruxie’s 1/2 sandwich combo a try. I know, Bruxie may not be the first place you’d think of when you think soup on a rainy day, but I heard about this new deal and saw that there was tomato soup involved, and let me tell you, there’s nothing better than tomato soup with a dip-able sandwich nearby! So I went ahead and ordered the tomato soup with a half tuna melt sandwich (waffle, waffle sandwich, what have you), and I was NOT disappointed. The tomato soup was actually super flavorful, and had what was almost a bit of a smoky flavor, but not in a burnt soup kind of  way. I got to dip my little tuna melt into that soup and was such a happy camper. The portions were just perfect too. As I was eating, I decided that this meal would be the perfect option to give the kids on a rainy day, because it’s got a taste of everything. Of course you can choose from a variety of sandwiches as well…it doesn’t have to be tuna! 

Bruxie's Tomato Soup & Half Sandwich
Bruxie’s Tomato Soup & Half Sandwich

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Jillian! I went over to Provisions to see what they had cooking up. I’m usually a big fan of the soups here – the Butternut Squash soup is one of my all-time favorites! They were serving the Tomato Marinara soup, so I decided to give it a try. It was sprinkled with a touch of mozzarella, and it was thicker than most tomato soups. It had a very strong marinara flavor, but it was just a little too thick for me. Head over and give it a try yourself this week and tell us what you think! 

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Provisions Tomato Marinara Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Catherine! I stopped by the new restaurant Old Towne Eatery to try out their soup! They had a few options on the board: chili, tomato bisque and mayan chicken & rice. They recommended the mayan chicken & rice soup, which was delicious! It was a nice light soup with chicken, rice (obviously), garbanzo beans, carrots, and avocado. It also came with a side of bread which was great dipped in the broth! 

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Old Towne Eatery’s Mayan Chicken & Rice Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s your favorite soup around the Circle? Post in the comments or let us know on Facebook!

 

 

 

Last Updated on April 5, 2016 by IHOTO Staff