(lemme hear ya say!)

 Is it just me, or is there nothing better on a 100 degree day when you're stuck inside a 60 degree office than a big bowl of soup for lunch?  I have been prowling around Dupont circle for good, healthy, vegetarian, reasonably priced  soups and am finding the pickings rather slim.  This week, however, I have discovered five new soups within a block of my office.   I'll also include reviews of two old favorites from Teaism.

From Cosi:  (All the soups from Cosi come with their flatbread - order the whole grain and if you go during lunchtime it will be fresh out of the oven.  Otherwise it gets a bit cardboard-y.  I got the large soup size, which is around $4).

(Everyday) Tomato Basil Soup -

This is probably one of the most delicious soups you will ever ingest.  Creamy (I think they're using more than just a "touch"), tomato-y, and deliciously salty - I cannot get enough of it!  I just looked up the nutritional information and now I understand why - the large size packs a whopping 561 calories and 51 grams of fat into 15oz.  I've concocted a clever way to enjoy the amazing taste but cut down on the calories and increase the fiber.  Read on to discover how.

Tuesdays:  Morrocan Lentil - A decent lentil soup, but nothing compared to Teaism's sensational seasonal lentil stew (see below).  The trick to this soup (and the next) is to order a large, ask for it filled with 3/4 lentil and 1/4 tomato basil.  You get all your healthy lentils (10 times fewer calories and fat grams than the tomato basil) with the tangy kick of the tomato basil.  The staff will be like "whaaa...." the first few times, but trust me, this is the best way to enjoy it.

Wednesdays:  Autumn Vegetable and Mushroom - My least favorite of the cosi soups.  Give it the ol' Tomato Basil treatment and it'll be fine.  On Wednesdays you may want to give up on your pretentious health kick and treat yourself to Pad Thai elsewhere.

From Zorba's: (soups are $3.95 and come with a "plain roll" - ick!)

(Everyday) Fasolatha - Totally gross.  The website's description:  "A traditional Greek soup made with great northern beans, onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs."  It's basically some soggy white beans floating around in bland red broth.  Doesn't taste like tomatoes, doesn't really taste like much.  I choked it down with about a tablespoon of salt.

(Everyday) Lentil - Because I had the Grossolatha soup first from Zorba's, I wasn't looking forward to boring old lentil.  Much to my surprise, on first slurp, I detected a sweet, tangy, unfamiliar taste.  My immediate suspicion - meat.  I called Zorba's frantically, making sure that this "vegetarian" soup was indeed vegetarian.  According to the woman who answered, it's made with vegetable broth.  I went back to their online menu and discovered what gives this soup its interesting kick.  Red wine vinegar - how do you like that?!  Other than finding a piece of real meat floating around in the soup, I enjoyed this one. 

From Teaism:  My two old favorite soups, one of which has been unfortunately retired for the summer and replaced with Grosspacho.

Chinese Noodle Soup - This soup is kind of fun because they compile it in front of you.  They throw all the ingredients into the skillet with the ginger broth and cook it up before your eyes.  It takes an extra minute or two, and explains the $4.75 price, but it kind of makes me feel special, which is nice.  This soup doesn't have much going for it nutritionally, but it's very comforting and tasty - a vegetarian version of chicken noodle soup, perhaps. 

Lentil Stew - Sigh...This is my favorite soup in DC (thus far) but when I ordered it early in July, the woman behind the counter pointed behind her head and said "we have gazpacho now."  "Forever!!?" I cried.  Fortunately, only for the summer.  It will be back in the fall, by which time i will be several hundred miles away from any Teaism.  You, however, can carry on the lentil legacy and try it in the fall.  Order it with a ginger limeade and a ginger scone (or a salty oat cookie), pull out a book from behind which you can check people out, and pretend to be me.