We meant to take a picture of our food before we dug in, but we were so excited when the food arrived, we totally forgot.
I know I’ve been blogging a lot about Tanya lately, but I hope you will indulge one more post. (I get the feeling you all are interested, after all.)
On Saturday, I finally got a chance to check out the new Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, which opened a week ago today at 1725 E. Douglas. We arrived at 1:15, thinking we’d be smart and miss the lunch rush. But alas, the line to the counter wound OUT THE DOOR. We left, did a little shopping, and came back a half hour later when the line was still long but at least contained indoors.
I decided to order my old favorite on my first trip back — tomato bisque with half a Milano.
My tastebud memory was instantly awakened to that silky sweet tomato goodness, and I’d forgotten how much I loved the basil mayo on the sandwich, which also is made with roast beef, Parmesan cheese and romaine on ciabatta. The food is exactly what you remember. I had almost forgotten about Tanya’s delicious green salad, topped with her crunchy homemade croutons and tangy homemade vinaigrette, and I had forgotten about her fabulous, slightly pink, slightly fruity iced tea.
My Tanya's lunch dates, Jaime and Annie, glowing in the bright new dining room.
My sister, Annie, ordered a pumpkin soup that was like savory pumpkin pie in a bowl, and Jaime had the chicken tortilla with a half a Cindy The Boy. We also couldn’t resist bread pudding for dessert, even though Tanya had already treated us to a big slice of her brother and business partner Warren’s red velvet birthday cake.
The dining room felt smaller, even though it isn’t, but the wait was shorter because of Tanya’s new order-at-the-counter method of service. I also was happy to see the return of the famous counter made out of salvaged doors, a touch from the previous location I’d forgotten about.
Business is going well in the first week, Tanya told us. She described daily lines, giant numbers that dwarfed anything she used to do in the old location, and another problem she’s trying to figure out. Sales were so good that Tanya simply ran out of food and had to close without keeping her advertised late hours on Friday and Saturday. She and her handlers told me they’d be able to fix that problem as they got a better feel for the new business.
I can’t wait to go back.
Bread pudding with caramel sauce. Same as it ever was.
Inter-Faith Ministries is putting on its 13th annual Souper Bowl – a throw down for the centuries among local soup cooks — on Friday.
