Staff Blog
EAT THIS IMMEDIATELY: Fennel bisque (or any of the soups!) at Café Lutécia
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Yesterday, I was moved by soup.
People who know know how good Café Lutécia’s tomato bisque is. You might remember Cecilia Razak writing about it last summer — the stuff is so transcendent that it sells out even in 90-degree weather. But yesterday, I opted for a bowl of their fennel bisque, which I hadn’t tried before. I was utterly wowed by its fullness of flavor. I can’t quite find the words to describe everything going on in each spoonful, but I can tell you that I was angry and saddened when the bottom of the bowl became visible.
Too bad I couldn’t get any dirt on it.
“I love your fennel bisque so much,” I said up at the counter to Lutécia owner Valerie Blum, who was messing with some dishes in the back. “If you don’t mind me asking, can you share what goes into it?”
“No!” replied Blum, smiling mischievously.
“People ask me the same about my tomato bisque,” she continued, her hands busy all the while. “They say, ‘You should write a cookbook.’ I won’t … this is a recipe that will be passed down to my children.”
“If I could make soup like that,” I told her, “I wouldn’t give up the recipe, either.”
Eat this immediately.
Café Lutécia, 2301 Lombard St., 215-790-9557
[...] Drew Lazor fails to get the dirt on Café Lutécia’s fennel bisque but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it immediately. [Meal Ticket] [...]