Nathan's

This is the time of year when the leaves fall, the temperatures fall faster, and the minds of all good people turn to warming, comforting, yummy stews and soups.  So, as luck would have it, Nathan's opened a new location this month at the Genessee Valley Regional Market, so I dropped in to pick up soup--lots of it--for the office.

Let's not bury the lead: Nathan's soup is delicious!  It's also affordable, local, and can be accompanied by the cutest little loaves of bread you've ever seen.  (Get the onion bread--it has yummy, creamy soft and sweet onions baked into the middle!)

I bought 4 quarts of soup and 6 loaves of bread for the office--and spent about $32.

Here's the run down:

Italian Wedding Soup--great chicken base with bite-sized meatballs, lots of spinach, cheese, tomatoes and carrots.  Those little pearly pastas float in it waiting to be slurped up.  I ate this soup twice in one week (bought it again between the end of a workday and a night meeting as I was fighting a head cold) and would take it to a desert island as my one soup if pressed.

Creamed Chicken and Biscuits--Nathan's variant on Chicken and Dumplings.  Creamy, rich, and hearty.  Biscuits come on the side so that they don't get too soggy in the soup.  Thick comfort in a bowl.  An "I've had a tough day and want a meal to hug me" soup!

Chicken Vegetable with Wild Rice--a lighter soup with lots of veggies and nice chunks of chicken.  Full of veggies and rice.  A good choice if you want a soup on the side with one of the many sandwich options.

Beer and Cheddar Chowder--this is a fall/winter soup!  Rich, cheesy with chunks of potatoes and a great finish of warming hops.  An "I'm starving and need to fill up fast and stay full" soup!

And, then, the same night I went back for seconds on the Italian Wedding, I picked up the "Nathan's Choice" soup of the day:  Baked Potato with Chives and Bacon.  Yummy!!  Seemed like a chicken stock base with loads of potatoes both creamed and chunks, crisped bacon (lots of it), and just the right hint of onion from the chives.  My husband called this the best soup (but has not tried the Italian Wedding Soup--which deserves its own Facebook page, just sayin').

Unlike the Park Ave Nathan's, this one has lots of seats and parking.  So, what are you waiting for?  It was 29 degrees this morning ... go get some soup!