French Onion Soup Page http://www.theonionsoup.com One man's culinary journey of onions, cheese, sherry, and broth Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:01:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 en Tres - Beverly Hills, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=252 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=252#comments Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:00:38 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=252 img_20100801_115959.jpg

I had no idea what to expect when I read the menu at this place.  It said, “non-classic onion soup, with cheese and a slow-cooked egg.”  What was brought to me was the bowl you see above, with a poached egg, and 2 or 3 tiny shards of cheese from a grater.  On top of this was poured some onion soup broth with much fanfare.  This is apparently an invention of master chef José Andrés.  It is visually appalling, and unfortunately tastes not much better than it looks.  Although they seem quite proud of the presentation, it is certainly not helped by the fact that the bowl looks like a commode.  I would say that this theme continues in every aspect of this dish.

Rating: 1.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=252 Stan’s Restaurant - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=250 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=250#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:12:42 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=250 img_20100622_121135.jpg

Good provolone, and one of the better non-beef broths make this soup a good lunch indulgence.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=250 1400 North - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=248 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=248#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 03:09:43 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=248 img_20100621_215329.jpg

This restaurant is located in the Westin City Center.  The broth and cheese are good, but the odd shape of the “bowl” dictates that the cheese to soup ratio cannot meet the bar.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=248 Maximilien - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=246 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=246#comments Sat, 15 May 2010 22:00:39 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=246 2010-05-15-122007.jpg

Nothing good to say about this one.  Broth was very salty, and tasted like it was out of a can.  Cheese was sparse.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=246 Jer-Ne Restaurant - Marina Del Rey, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=243 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=243#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:51:02 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=243 2010-04-23-163204.jpg

This restaurant is located in the Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey.  The soup is advertised to use “California Gruyere”, and the cheese is really good.  It was a bit stuck to the bread, so it could have been even better.  The broth was quite tasty, and it really hit the spot.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=243 Garden State Diner - Elizabeth, NJ http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=240 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=240#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:35:54 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=240 2010-04-09-160146.jpg

I’ve been searching for a soup that falls into this category for years: one that is available in the terminal of an airport.  This place is located in terminal C of the Newark Liberty International Airport.  I’ve always been very strict about soups that are ineligible for rating on this blog.  In particular, if the restaurant does not serve soup as a regular item on the menu, I will not rate it.  If the restaurant is not generally open to the public, I will not rate it.  There was a question in my mind as to whether or not this is an eligible soup.  Since it is “airside”, that is, you must pass through security to eat it, is it generally open to the public?  I was leaning towards not reviewing it.  In fact, I’ve decided not to…just kidding.  Actually, if you really want to have this soup and not get on a plane, it is still possible.  It’s simple: just by a refundable ticket for a flight.  That will get you through security, and then when you’re done, ask for a refund.  Fortunately, this is in Continental’s terminal, and they are very quick with crediting refunds back to your credit card.  Just make sure that you don’t do it too close to departure time for the flight you are on.  There is some cutoff where it is too late to get a refund.  I think it is 1 hour before the flight.  Oh, the soup.  It is pretty awful.  Completely tasteless mozzarella cheese, and broth probably from a can.

Rating 3.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=240 Pistache - West Palm Beach, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=238 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=238#comments Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:16:05 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=238 2010-04-03-192438.jpg

Great cheese was wasted on this bland, uninspiring soup.  I had very high hopes, especially after tasting the excellent gruyere.  But the soup had no trace of caramelization, no trace of sherry, or anything else other than hot water that had a slight onion flavor.  This one avoided a “Poor” rating, solely due to the excellent cheese.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=238 Morel’s French Steakhouse - Hollywood, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=236 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=236#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:57:32 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=236 morels.jpg

I had really high hopes for this soup.  The menu is nearly a carbon copy of Artisanal, which (of course) has the #1-rated French Onion Soup in the world.  However, for some reason the cheese and broth were both bland.  They use “imported” emmentaler, gruyere, and comté.  I was really disappointed, but mostly because of my expectations.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=236 Alert: New concoction at Artisanal Brasserie! [CLOSED] http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=234 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=234#comments Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:03:03 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=234 2010-02-10-183433.jpgJust when I thought there was nothing more that could be done with F.O.S. comes this new invention by Chef Terrance Brennan of Artisanal Bistro and Artisanal Brasserie (rated the #1 French Onion Soup in the world by your favorite onion soup blogger).  Testing right now at Artisanal Brasserie in Bellevue is a “French Onion Soup Fondue”!  It contains their “Artisanal Blend” fondue, with their onion soup broth, along with onions themselves.  Although as many of you know I don’t normally eat the bread in the F.O.S., I still really enjoyed this fondue.  It’s also great with the optional apples and kielbasa.  Since this is not a soup, I will not rate it here, but I thought you should all know about it.  I can’t imagine having this fondue *and* the actual french onion soup on a regular basis, so I probably won’t be eating this too often (because I don’t want to miss out on the #1 soup).  I would love to hear other comments from people who try this!

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=234 Ruby’s Oyster Bar and Bistro - Rye, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=232 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=232#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:59:58 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=232 2009-12-17-201749.jpgSorry about the lighting.  This soup’s broth was much better than expected.  The onions were nicely caramelized, and there was the right amount of sherry.   Unfortunately, the cheese was tasted like a very cheap swiss.  The richness of the broth was ruined by the crappy cheese.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=232 Central Michel Richard - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=230 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=230#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:10:30 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=230 2009-12-16-190508.jpg

Excellent cheese, good broth.  I’m fairly certain that it wasn’t gruyere, even though the server claimed it to be.  The cheese was very tasty, and browned nicely (as you can see).  At the very bottom of the bowl, the broth was especially salty.  Otherwise, it would have been top rated!

Rating: 8.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=230 Hamlet on Sunset - West Hollywood, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=228 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=228#comments Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:50:21 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=228 hamlet.jpgI remember the old “Hamburger Hamlets” in Westwood, Beverly Hills, and West LA, and their amazing F.O.S.  New owner, slightly different name, and it’s just not the same.  Pretty good, but not the same.  Seems like the same combination of cheese that I couldn’t quite identify back then, but now I would say is gruyere and jack.Rating: 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=228 John Howie Steakhouse - Bellevue, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=226 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=226#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:08:17 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=226 johnhowie.jpg

The overpowering taste of parmesean ruins this soup.  There’s emmentaler in there somewhere, but I would never have known.  The broth was decent.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=226 Grizzly House - Banff, AB, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=223 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=223#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:37:15 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=223 grizzly.jpg

Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?  An onion soup with an optional glass of sherry on the side!  It’ll cost you two loonies, but it’s worth it.  The soup does stand on its own, but is enhanced even more by the addition of the glass you see in the picture.  Good quality swiss cheese, and full control of the sherry level makes for a great soup.

Rating 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=223 Restaurant Le Beaujolais - Banff, AB, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=221 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=221#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:21:20 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=221 2009-09-13-133241.jpg

My friend Andrew and I were lured into this restaurant by a “barker” woman standing at the entrance.  Her whole presentation was based upon the fact that “the onion soup is to die for”.  Well, noting that some of my previous tastings that featured comté were very good, it was worth a try.  Well, not really.  The broth was bland and the cheese was gross.

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=221 Lakeview Lounge - Lake Louise, AB, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=219 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=219#comments Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:13:19 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=219 lakeview_smaller.jpgAwesome gruyere, and some of the best broth ever.  There was nothing negative to say about this soup.  Perhaps it’s their use of vidalia onions, or just the quality of the cheese…I don’t know.  It was simply spectacular.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=219 Waldhaus - Banff, AB, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=217 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=217#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:35:00 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=217 2009-09-11-193644.jpg

Located at the Fairmont in Banff Springs, Alberta, this German take on the French classic is interesting.  The cheese was absolutely delicious (combination of gruyere and emmentaler, just like in their fondue).  However, there was very little of it, as it was cut to fit the shape of the piece of bread.  The broth was also delicious, and very meaty.  It suffered the same problem, as there was only around a millimetre of it (that’s Canadian for “millimeter”, which is also Canadian for “very little”).  The bread you see in the picture is not floating.  You could really only get around 5 or 6 spoonfuls of broth.  Excellent ingredients, though!

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=217 Belgo Brasserie - Calgary, AB, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=215 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=215#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:50:06 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=215 img_4558.JPG

This is the third F.O.S. I’ve reviewed with a “puff pastry” on top (see Papillon and Christine Lee’s).  While I considered the others to be unique and still decent, this one does not “hold up” (in more ways than one).  The pastry was as good as the others, but there was no cheese to be found, at all.  I believe I could taste the remnants of cheese in the broth itself, but with nothing there to keep it on top of the soup, it was invisible.  So, rather than saying there was no cheese, I guess I’ll say that there was no cheese texture, and that by itself is unforgivable.

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=215 Ringside Steakhouse - Portland, OR http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=213 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=213#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:35:06 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=213 2009-09-06-191359.jpg

Nice presentation, via the brass bowl right out of the oven.  However, the bowl is tiny, the cheese is extremely mild and hopelessly stuck to the bread.  The broth is also bland.  The cheese was so mild that I didn’t really believe it was gruyere.  I asked the server what it was, and he said, “provolone”.  I pointed out to him that the menu said gruyere.  He went back to the chef, and he still claimed gruyere.  In any case, not a stellar showing for this high end, highly rated steakhouse.

Rating: 4.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=213 Daniel’s Broiler - Bellevue, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=211 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=211#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:51:58 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=211 2009-09-04-114420.jpg

I’ve always said that Daniel’s should serve onion soup.  I mean the place just “screams” for it.  I had assumed that if they were to add it on the menu, that they would do a great job, and I was right.  Added on 9/2/2009, it’s a veal stock soup, with three cheeses: Gruyere, Mozzarella, and Parmesan.  The broth has a good amount of sherry, which really works well with the stock.  This is a great addition to the already excellent choices at this restaurant, and to my F.O.S. favorites!

 Edit (10/02/09): Having had this several times now, I can say with some certainty that the mozzarella tastes very much like it is *smoked* mozarella.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=211 Bru’s Room - Sunrise, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=209 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=209#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:44:23 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=209 2009-08-28-202340.jpg

Founded by Bob “Bru” Brudzinski (one of the “Killer Bees” from the Miami Dolphins of the 1970s), this place is famous for their chicken wings.  They also have a F.O.S. which I’ve enjoyed over the years.  Filled with lots of provolone, it’s not quite the traditional type of soup I’ve grown to love, but it is great in its class.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=209 Café de Paris - Vancouver, BC, Canada http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=207 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=207#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:01:44 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=207 2009-08-15-191739.jpg

This was probably the best chicken-based onion soup I’ve had.  Although it doesn’t hold up to a beef-based soup, it is pretty close.  The onions were perfect, and the emmentaler was baked well.  It could have used more cheese, so next time I’ll ask for extra.

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=207 The Belmont - Austin, TX http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=204 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=204#comments Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:59:02 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=204 2009-08-03-121216.jpg

The soup was a bit bland, and the cheese was a bit too stuck on the bread.  It was good cheese, however.

Rating: 6.75 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=204 NobHill Tavern - Las Vegas, NV http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=203 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=203#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:32:59 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=203 2009-07-08-211529.jpg

French Onion Soup, deconstructed!  Just when I thought I’d seen everything!  The menu is a bit ambiguous, simply saying: “Classic French Onion Soup, Gruyère Grilled Cheese.  I was never expecting to see an actual grilled cheese sandwich alongside the soup.  I wasn’t positive of the proper procedure, so I asked our server, who confirmed that I was to dip the grilled cheese sandwich into the soup.  It was different, but good.  Since I’m not one of those who normally likes to eat the bread along with the cheese in F.O.S., it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t get around it this time.  As I’ve said before in this blog, “….the bread is just there to hold up the cheese.”  However, I will not take that into account for this soup.  The broth was possibly the best I’ve ever had.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=203 Cafe Caribe - Las Vegas, NV http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=201 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=201#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:23:51 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=201 2009-07-07-185326.jpg

Located in the Mirage hotel, Cafe Caribe is the main restaurant/coffee shop.  The onion soup seemed to contain provolone, with perhaps some swiss mixed in.  The broth was pretty good.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=201 Bellagio Room Service - Las Vegas, NV http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=199 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=199#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:17:36 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=199 2009-07-06-154814.jpg

Usually, room service in a hotel would not be a different review than the restaurant from which the food comes.  However, the Bellagio’s room service has their own kitchen, and their own recipes.  Actually, the room service soup is better than the soup reviewed 1 year and 364 days earlier at Cafe Bellagio.  More care was taken to season the plentiful cheese, and the soup was sweet and excellent.

Rating: 8.25 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=199 Jay Berry’s Cafe - Renton, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=197 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=197#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:34:16 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=197 2009-06-21-193712.jpg

Well, there’s not much good to say about this one.  The menu said it would have melted mozzarella cheese, and if I searched hard, I could find *something* that might have been mozzarella.

Rating: 2.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=197 Ristorante Luciano - Bellevue, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=195 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=195#comments Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:02:14 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=195 2009-06-15-115032.jpg

Having f.o.s. on the menu of an Italian restaurant brings me back to my old days in suburban New York.  As you can see from the photo, the gruyere is not melted very well.  The soup tasted reasonably good, but the cheese was bleh, and was all stuck to the bread.

Rating: 5.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=195 Danielle’s Crêperie - Sacramento, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=192 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=192#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:53:08 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=192 2009-06-06-151636.jpg

According to folklore (actually, it was according to the waiter), they used to use a combination of gouda mixed with swiss.  “But at some point, we just said ‘forget it’, and went to only gouda.”  It was certainly interesting, but really not great.  The soup was bland, and gouda isn’t really a great melting cheese.  The cheese lay on the croutons in such a way that it was impossible to get a taste of it without the bread.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=192 Moxie - Spokane, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=191 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=191#comments Fri, 15 May 2009 15:25:21 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=191 1242075551446.jpg

This one certainly came out looking ugly, but I was very pleasantly surprised!  Although the cheese was not cooked enough, it was very good gruyere.  Also, the broth was excellent, with well-caramelized onions, and a delightfully sweet taste.  The scallions were helpful, too.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=191 Bennigan’s - Santa Clara, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=189 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=189#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:36:37 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=189 1240793738599.jpg

Heh, I thought this place went out of business…apparently, someone bought the name and the locations, and opened them up as franchises.  It’s pretty much as I remember it growing up, with cheap provolone and bland soup.  A couple of extra points for nostalgia, though.

Rating 5.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=189 East City Grill - Weston, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=187 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=187#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:31:28 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=187 1239040729499.jpg

Nothing special about this soup, topped with provolone.  It came out a bit on the cold side, so I sent it back.  They were nice enough to create an entirely new one, though I thought that unnecessary.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=187 Jeanty at Jack’s - San Francisco, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=185 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=185#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:50:17 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=185 1237258760883.jpg

I have a pretty strict rule about restaurants having to have F.O.S. on the menu, and if they don’t have it every day, I generally will find it ineligible for this blog.  However, Jeanty at Jack’s has had it on special every day for 9 months.  They promise that it will continue to be available for my readers.  The cheese was excellent; a combination of gruyere, fontina, and mozzarella.  The broth seemed a bit bland, and I believe the onions needed a little more time to caramelize.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=185 Juno - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=183 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=183#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:00:46 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=183 juno.jpg

I escaped into this place just to get out of the snow.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had F.O.S.!  I guess the soup must have been calling to me.  The broth was really excellent, with perfectly caramelized onions, and a hint of sherry.  The cheese was a mix of swiss and parmesean.  The only complaints are that the bowl is a bit small (they have two sizes, and this is the larger size), and that there isn’t enough cheese.  This restaurant is located in the Arctic Club Hotel.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=183 Applebee’s - Bellevue, WA (Part I) http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=181 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=181#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:50:57 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=181 1234067218534.jpg

I have been avoiding trying the French Onion Soup at Applebee’s for years.  I had heard that their version is a “diet” version, using fat free cheese, among other things.  I figured it would be horrible.  So, my mission here was to balance out my blog a bit, and bring the average down.  The time had come to sample this monstrosity.  What would the rating be, 2.0?  1.0?  I laughed maniacally, as I walked in.  I was shocked to learn that they actually have two versions of the soup: regular, and diet.  That was a surprise.  So, I ordered both.  See below for my review of the diet version.  The regular version was at least as good as other chain restaurant versions.  The cheese was a decent swiss, and the broth was tasty.  It could have used more cheese, however.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=181 Applebee’s - Bellevue, WA (Part II) http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=180 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=180#comments Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:50:36 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=180 1234067308021.jpg

This is the “diet” version of the French Onion Soup that I had heard about.  You can see that the cheese looks different, but I couldn’t get any info out of the server as to what it was exactly.  I’ve heard from people that it’s “fat free”, and from others that it’s “low fat”.  In any case, it wasn’t as horrible as I was hoping it would be.  The broth is a special “low sodium” broth, but it definitely tasted salty to me.  Again, it was much better than I was hoping.  The “crouton” was described as a “low carb” crouton.  I couldn’t tell you the effect of that, as to me the only purpose of the crouton is to hold up the cheese.  My mission to Applebee’s was completely unsuccessful.  I did not bring down the average, and the French Onion Soups were adequate, including the diet one!

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=180 Clyde’s of Gallery Point - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=175 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=175#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:03:58 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=175 1233077000290.jpg

Nice, rich broth, and a decent amount of cheese.  Nothing outstanding, but no complaints.

Rating 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=175 Sequoia - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=173 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=173#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:52:33 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=173

sequoia_ps.jpg

Sorry about the picture.  We tried moving candles around, but it didn’t help.  The broth was interesting, and used a veal stock.  The gruyere was quite good, and tasted expensive, but there was very little of it.  I would ask for extra cheese next time, and see how it goes.

Update: Thanks to Bob Peterson for fixing up the picture for me!

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=173 13 Coins - Seatac, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=170 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=170#comments Sun, 11 Jan 2009 06:42:11 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=170

1231646820995.jpg

1231647722705.jpg

You may be wondering why there are two pictures above.  Well, the soup came out, and I immediately noticed that the broth was delicious.  I mean really delicious.  However, it was cold.  So, after sending back the soup, a new one was brought out.  Thus, the two different pictures.  I hadn’t tasted the cheese in the original soup (I like to drape hot soup over the cheese before tasting), and I was delighted at the quality of it in the second soup.  Unfortunately, the second soup’s broth was lacking the sweetness of the onions that the first had!  It’s a shame, because this soup could have made the top 10 if you combined the first and the second.  I intend to revisit, to give it another shot.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=170 La Paloma - North Miami, FL [CLOSED!] http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=168 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=168#comments Fri, 02 Jan 2009 00:39:04 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=168

lapaloma_ps.jpg 

Great, tasty broth with a perfect blend of gruyere and emmenthaler.

Update: Thanks to Bob Peterson for fixing up the picture for me!

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=168 Jason’s Deli - Pembroke Pines, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=166 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=166#comments Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:18:24 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=166 1230602180684.jpg

To start with, this may be the strangest presentation I’ve ever seen.  It was served with a traditional onion soup crock, but the soup was not in there!  Inside the crock was a smaller soup cup which contained the soup.  I suppose the vestigal crock was just there to keep people from touching the cup right out of the oven?  The presentation notwithstanding, the soup was horrible.  They boasted a vegetarian broth, and it was bland.  The cheese seemed to be a smoked provalone.

Rating: 3 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=166 Mustard Seed Bistro - Cooper City, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=163 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=163#comments Wed, 24 Dec 2008 21:27:05 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=163 1230141929126.jpg

I should mention that the rest of the food and service was outstanding.  The soup, however, needs some work.  The cheap swiss was overcooked (as you can see from the photo), and the broth was quite bland.

Rating: 5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=163 Terrace Point Café - Las Vegas, NV http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=162 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=162#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:05:17 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=162 1227220822716.jpg

This restaurant is located in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas.  The menu shows the soup as only containing gruyere, but clearly there is another cheese involved.  The server couldn’t offer any help.  The broth was excellent, and the cheese plentiful.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=162 Monsieur Marcel Restaurant & Wine Bar - Los Angeles, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=160 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=160#comments Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:17:34 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=160 1225832146596.jpg

A fine-tasting Internet recommendation.  The place is a small outdoor eating area in “The Farmer’s Market” in the fairfax district of LA.  The broth is quite tasty.  The cheese is straight swiss, as opposed to gruyere, but it is better than most swiss cheese I’ve had.  Note to fans: Prior to this entry, all of the photos have been taken with a Bang & Olufsen cell phone.  Even though the quality of the camera on the phone wasn’t great, it became a sort of tradition to me.  I have (at least temporarily) abandoned the B&O phone for the Google Android phone (T-Mobile G1), so this photo was shot with that device.  Sorry to all of the theonionsoup.com purists!

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=160 Angelo and Maxie’s - New York, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=158 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=158#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:41:48 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=158 sp_a0260.jpg

Similar cheese as what I had earlier in the evening, but the broth was much better.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=158 L’Express - New York, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=156 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=156#comments Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:38:39 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=156 sp_a0259.jpg

This soup was recommended to me, and I remembered it being good when I tried it several years ago (before I had this blog).  It was good, but not as good as I recalled.  The Gruyere was not melted enough, and it tasted as if there may have been some parmesean mixed in.  The broth was not very tasty.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=156 Cafe Bastille - San Francisco, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=153 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=153#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:39:55 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=153 sp_a0252.jpg

For a restaurant that tries to be highly traditional French (right down to the over-the-top accents), the F.O.S. was highly non-traditional.  The cheese was a blend of provolone, mozzarella, and gruyere, with the provolone being the flavor that stood out.  The combination was actually pretty good, with the provolone being able to brown, and the mozarella adding some texture.  It would have been better if the gruyere stood out more, though.  The broth was not great.  Also unusual was the garnish on top, which was chives.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=153 C. I. Shenanigan’s - Tacoma, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=152 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=152#comments Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:22:08 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=152 sp_a0242.jpg

A very interesting Intenet recommendation!  As you may be able to tell from the photo (click on it for a larger picture), the soup is served in an actual onion.  Typically, I don’t enjoy the soups that are served in “bread bowls” (e.g. Panera Bread), but this one was quite good.  You may be able to make out the rock salt on which the onion with its soup in it was baked.  The salt remains extremely hot (so hot that you can easily get burned by trying to pick it up).  The only real problem with the soup is that the excess cheese runs down the onion and attaches itself to the rock salt.  It becomes very difficult to enjoy the excess cheese, since you can’t really separate it from the rock salt granuals.  You end up putting the cheese and 3 or 4 granuals in your mouth, which is painfully hot, and extremely salty.  It works really well to keep the soup and cheese hot, though.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=152 Kincaid’s - Burlingame, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=150 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=150#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:20:07 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=150 sp_a0239.jpg

Apart from all of the shrubbery in this soup, it was pretty decent.  The menu says “swiss and parmesan”, but I only tasted the swiss.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=150 Broadway Deli - Santa Monica, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=148 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=148#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:16:24 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=148 sp_a0238.jpg

As I always do, I inquired about the type of cheese they use on the soup.  What followed was comical.  Our server responded, “Uh, mozzarella.”  Clearly, this was wrong (see the picture above).  So, I asked another passing server, and she said (more asuredly) “Mozzarella”.  So, I asked the manager, who asked the bartender (!) and he said, “Swiss.”  If anyone can find out what cheese is really on there (it’s not swiss), please let me know.  It was very good all around, but not nearly enough of whatever the cheese is.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=148 Rathskeller - Indianapolis, IN http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=146 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=146#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:25:52 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=146 sp_a0235.jpg

A couple of hunks of provolone and immature broth.  Not served in a crock, this dish appears very out of place on the menu and in the restaurant which is a mostly German-themed place.

Rating 4.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=146 Mo’s A Place for Steaks - Indianapolis, IN http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=144 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=144#comments Sat, 09 Aug 2008 04:22:15 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=144 sp_a0234.jpg

Excellent quality of cheese and broth.  Great amount of gruyere and provolone, mixed with nicely caramelized onions with sherry and broth.  Very nicely done.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=144 Weber Grill - Indianapolis, IN http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=142 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=142#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:22:15 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=142 sp_a0232.jpg

More Indianapolis parmesan with gruyere, but the parmesan was not overwhelming this time.  Lots of cheese, and the broth was pretty good. 

Rating: 7.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=142 Shula’s Steakhouse - Indianapolis, IN http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=140 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=140#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:13:48 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=140 sp_a0229.jpg

The tour of Indianapolis F.O.S. begins at Shula’s, a high-end chain.  This one is located in the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.  The soup has an interesting mix of cheese, described to me as Gruyere, Provolone, Swiss, and Parmesan.  The parmesan was way, way overpowering.  I couldn’t really taste anything else about this soup.

Rating: 6.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=140 A Study of Trader Joe’s F.O.S. Product http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=135 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=135#comments Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:07:52 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=135 Some people have mentioned that Trader Joe’s sells a pre-packaged french onion soup, so I decided to try it out and publish a study here (without rating it, since it is not at a restaurant).  The package is frozen, including the cheese and croutons, and it is placed in an oven-safe bowl, and then either baked for 45 minutes as-is, or microwaved for 7 minutes.  If you microwave it, you must then add your own cheese and put it in the oven for around 2 minutes.  I tried it both ways, and the baked one had better broth, but the microwaved version has the benefit of being able to choose your own cheese.  In any case, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you have no alternative.

sp_a0221.jpgsp_a0220.jpgsp_a0222.jpgsp_a0223.jpg

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=135 Capital Grill - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=131 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=131#comments Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:47:32 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=131 sp_a0219.jpg

Although the broth was a little weak, the cheese was plentiful (as you can see).  It was a combination of jarlsberg and mozzerella.  The jarlsberg was great, and the mozzerella added texture, but it wasn’t as good as the jarlsberg and gruyere at Mon Ami Gabi.

Rating 8.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=131 Crepe Daniel - Saratoga, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=129 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=129#comments Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:41:42 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=129 sp_a0209.jpg

This is an interesting place, as it used to be owned by a French family, but was taken over by a family from Taiwan.  They kept the strictly French menu, including the F.O.S.  They use a high quality swiss cheese, but the broth is rather bland.  Seems like a white wine base, with no sherry and an inadequate caramelization process.  Overall, it was enjoyable.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=129 Dominic’s - Burlingame, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=127 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=127#comments Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:35:58 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=127 sp_a0208.jpg

Cheap swiss and bland broth makes this one useful only in case of emergency.  Located at the Poplar Creek Golf Course.

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=127 Hollywood Prime - Hallandale, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=125 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=125#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:21:57 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=125 sp_a0207.jpg

Great broth and excellent combination of gruyere and parmesan cheese.  A bit heavy on the parmesan.  Well-presented in a square bowl, but no cheese over the side, which I know people often rely upon.

Rating: 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=125 Christine Lee’s - Hallendale, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=123 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=123#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:31:19 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=123 sp_a0204.jpg

It was shocking enough to find F.O.S. on the menu of a chinese restaurant, but then when it came out with the pastry puff on top, which looked exactly like Papillon in Fremont, I was flabbergasted.  I’m now trying to figure out who copied from whom.  The two soups look too similar for it to be coincidence.  There were differences, however.  This one had only what tasted like mozzerella, and very little of it.  The broth was chicken stock, and really lacked in flavor.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=123 Café du Parc - Washington, D.C. http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=121 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=121#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:20:54 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=121 sp_a0203.jpg

Wonderful broth, and lots of excellent gruyere cheese makes this soup a winner.  The only thing I would consider changing is that there were more croutons than were necessary.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=121 The Palm Court Grill - Spokane, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=119 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=119#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 05:03:51 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=119 sp_a0190.jpg

I was not expecting to find F.O.S. at The Davenport Hotel when I checked in, but noticed it immediately as I was walking towards the elevator.  Even though I was between lunch and a big dinner party, I had to stop and order a bowl.  I hadn’t even read the description when I ordered it, but when I had my first taste, I was flabbergasted!  It was one of the best soups I’ve had.  The description reads:

Washington sweet onions caramelized with sherry in an herb broth topped with a crouton, melted Gruyère cheese & green onions

It really was delicious.  The sherry stood out, and it was really hard to believe it wasn’t a beef-based broth, as it was so incredibly tasty!  I hereby reverse my assumption that all vegetable broths don’t stand a chance.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=119 Rachel’s Restaurant - Syracuse, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=117 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=117#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 03:24:03 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=117 sp_a0185.jpg

Extra ratings points for lots and lots of cheese.  It’s a combination of provolone and swiss.  Broth was tasty.  Located in the Sheraton University Hotel.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=117 Zebb’s Deluxe Grill and Bar - Syracuse, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=115 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=115#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 03:22:19 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=115 sp_a0184.jpg

Decent soup with provolone.  Nothing special.

Rating 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=115 Roscoe Diner - Roscoe, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=113 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=113#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 03:19:38 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=113 sp_a0183.jpg

This traditional greek-style diner has what I remember eating growing up in New York.  It’s “comfortable” onion soup, while not French traditional.  Provolone cheese, nice and browned, and salty soup.  One of the top of the pedestrian soups.  This particular diner is the place that has become a regular stop for folks travelling from the NYC metropolitan area on their way to some of the upstate colleges (Cornell, Syracuse, Binghamton, etc.)

Rating: 6.75 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=113 La Bonne Soup - New York, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=111 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=111#comments Wed, 14 May 2008 03:15:29 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=111 sp_a0182.jpg

Great Internet recommendation.  Broth was decent and the cheese was very good.  The server claimed it was “just Swiss”, but I think it was gruyere.  Seemed like everyone there was having the F.O.S.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=111 Pilgrimage to France http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=105 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=105#comments Wed, 30 Apr 2008 17:50:01 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=105 Spent last week in France and sampled some O.S. from the motherland.  Overall, my rating would have been high on the cheese and low on the soup.  The broth was remarkably bland at all 4 places I tried.

sp_a0002.jpg

La Poule Au Pot, Paris

 sp_a0003.jpg

L’Alsace, Paris

sp_a0004.jpg

Hippopotamus, Lyon

sp_a0005.jpg

Le Deauville, Paris

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=105 Pines Ale House - Pembroke Pines, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=104 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=104#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:11:49 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=104 sp_a0179.jpg

Served as typical pub fare, this soup definitely rates in the upper eschelon of its genre.  It’s just provolone cheese, but they do a very good job of browning it, and it has a good flavor.  The soup has just the right amount of salt.  Note that this is one of a chain of “Miller’s Ale Houses”, each being prefixed with its city.  I’ve found the soups to be consistent in quality throughout the chain.

Rating 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=104 Papillon Restaurant - Fremont, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=101 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=101#comments Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:47:52 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=101 sp_a0177.jpg

I have a history of giving very, very little leeway to soups which venture into non-traditional presentations or ingredients.  But I found this soup to be amazing.  It is described on the menu as “French Onion Soup Baked with Puff Pastry”.  They have been serving the soup this way for over 20 years, and it’s very popular in the Fremont area.  The pastry is delightfully light and flakey.  The cheese is cooked under the pastry, resulting in a sort of “upside down” onion soup.  It was like “bizarro f.o.s.”.  Because the cheese is not exposed when the soup is baked, the cheese cannot become browned and loses some of the flavor potential.  It’s a “double broiler” effect.  The soup is served in a Crème brûlée bowl, and when it comes to the table it looks like a chicken pot pie (as you can see from the picture).  The cheese is a mix of gruyere and standard swiss, and tastes great.

Rating: 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=101 Restaurant Soleil - Palo Alto, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=100 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=100#comments Thu, 20 Mar 2008 06:31:40 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=100 sp_a0173.jpg

Standard hotel fare, with regular Swiss cheese, which was too stuck to the bread.  This restaurant is located in the Westin Hotel.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=100 District Chop House - Washington, D.C. http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=98 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=98#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:56:16 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=98 sp_a0165.jpg

Underneath the breaded “shoestring onions” on top of this one is a great soup!  It is difficult to tell from the menu whether or not it will really be gratinée, but indeed it is.  They use a nice fontina cheese, and add something to the broth to make it fantastically rich and oniony.

Rating: 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=98 Faegan’s Cafe and Pub - Syracuse, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=96 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=96#comments Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:52:55 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=96 sp_a0164.jpg

The soup is consistently decent here.  It could use a little more of the swiss cheese that they use, and the soup is not really rich enough.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=96 Baguette Dorée - Weston, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=94 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=94#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:05:24 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=94 sp_a0161.jpg

Another bland soup, with lower cost swiss cheese, mixed with some mozzarella.  It was a nice amount of cheese, though.

Rating 5.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=94 McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant - Bellevue, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=92 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=92#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:39:14 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=92 sp_a0160.jpg

As my friend commented, there was more cheese running off the side of the crock than in the bowl.  But even if that hadn’t been the case, the problem with this soup lay in the broth.  You could smell the brandy eminating out of it (which could have been good), but the onions were not caramelized.  In addition, the onions were too finely chopped and there were too many of them.  It created a broth that reminded me more of pea soup than onion soup.  The cheese was a very mild swiss.

Rating 4.0 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=92 Barnaby’s - Tukwila, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=89 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=89#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:26:38 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=89 sp_a0151.jpg

This soup brought on a very warm feeling.  It reminded me of the FOSs I used to get at the various greek diners around NYC when I was growing up.  Although it is non-traditional and pedestrian, it wins the award for best in that class.  The right amount of cheese, and sensible broth.  Recommended by one of our readers who posted about it this morning, so I figured I’d try it out for lunch.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=89 Dough Boys - Los Angeles, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=87 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=87#comments Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:51:21 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=87 sp_a0143.jpg

The menu promises “lots of goopy french emmanthal cheese.”  I suppose they mean emmental, because it tasted like it.  Seriously, there is so much cheese in the soup that I couldn’t taste the soup.  That would have been fine, but the quality of the cheese was not as good as I would have liked. 

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=87 Twist Bistro - Campbell, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=85 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=85#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:26:19 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=85 sp_a0142.jpg

One of the best broths I’ve had!  Unfortunately, there was not enough cheese, and what was there was too stuck to the bread.  It was a blend of gruyere and parmesean.  If they could only get the cheese right, it would have made the top 10!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=85 Roadhouse Grill - Pembroke Pines, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=81 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=81#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:05:42 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=81 sp_a0119.jpg

Excuse the picture “tone”, as we were seated next to bright yellow neon signs.  If that isn’t an indicator of the expected quality of the soup, I don’t know what would be.  Decent amount of cheese (provolone and swiss), and browned nicely.  However, the soup was like drinking a bowl of salt water with some black pepper and onions thrown in.   The onions were nicely caramelized.  This is another entry in my recent tour of chain restaurants.

Rating: 5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=81 TGI Friday’s - Pembroke Pines, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=79 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=79#comments Tue, 25 Dec 2007 06:36:52 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=79 sp_a0117.jpg

This could have been any of the 1,019 Friday’s restaurants in the USA.  The FOS here is the same as it has been for decades: pedestrian, but comfortable.  It is in no way traditional in the european sense, but it’s consistent and serves its purpose.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=79 Gourmet Diner - North Miami, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=77 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=77#comments Mon, 24 Dec 2007 03:49:08 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=77 sp_a0116.jpg

I wasn’t expecting much, especially due to some other reviews I had read.  However, this soup was quite good.  The main thing that could use improvement is their choice of cheese.  It is simply a low cost swiss cheese (not gruyere or anything). There was certainly a lot of it, though.  I believe it was the most cheese I had ever seen in a bowl this size.  It was also cooked well, and served very hot.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=77 French Corner Bistro & Rotisserie - West Palm Beach, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=75 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=75#comments Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:58:48 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=75 sp_a0115.jpg

Promises of “the best onion soup in town” brought me to sample this place with good friends.  We all immediately knew something is wrong when we looked at the cheese when the soup was delivered.  “What type of cheese do you use?” I asked the proprieter.  His response, in a thick french accent was, “Swiss.”  I’m sorry, but there was no way this was any kind of swiss cheese I’ve ever seen.  Its taste was quite familiar, though.  It reminded me of that fine “white american” cheese they serve at Subway.  Or should I say (in a thick french accent), “Metro?”

Rating: 4 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=75 The Keg Steakhouse and Bar - Bellevue, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=73 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=73#comments Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:07:42 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=73 sp_a0114.jpg

The menu says, “Hearty beef broth,” and “Swiss and Parmesan,” but I found neither to be true.  The broth was not hearty (might have been vegetarian), and there was swiss, but no parmesan.  Nonetheless, it was pretty good for a chain type of soup.

Rating 6.75 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=73 Balthazar - New York, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=71 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=71#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:52:45 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=71 sp_a0113.jpg

Finally, an Internet-recommended soup that beat all of my expectations.  Very nice cheese, and very sweet, tasty onions.  We had four of them delivered to the table, and they were very consistently great.

Rating: 9 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=71 Max’s Restaurant and Bar - Burlingame, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=68 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=68#comments Fri, 16 Nov 2007 03:41:35 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=68 sp_a0108.jpg

It definitely has a lot of cheese, and is browned nicely.  They use Jack and Parmesan, which happened to hit the spot for me this evening, but it’s not traditional.  The broth is nothing to write home about.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=68 Union Square Grill - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=66 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=66#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2007 16:43:56 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=66 sp_a0105.jpg

This restaurant seems to be owned and operated by the same people as The Metropolitan Grill (see below).  The menu claims gruyere here as opposed to emmentaler, and I believe it to be true.  The veal broth adds good flavor, and unlike my last visit to “The Met”, the cheese was fresh.

Rating: 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=66 Fleming’s Steakhouse - Austin, TX http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=64 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=64#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:09:39 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=64 sp_a0098.jpg

I found this place just by doing a Google search for “french onion soup” austin.  It turned out to be great!  The menu says it is a combination of “Gruyére, Swiss, and Parmesan cheeses”.  The Parmesan worried me a bit before I got there, but it actually isn’t overpowering.  It ends up being a great combination done right.

Rating: 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=64 El Gaucho - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=62 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=62#comments Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:19:49 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=62 sp_a0096.jpg

Although the broth tasted amazing and the onions were excellent, the cheese was not melted completely.  If they had left it in the oven a bit longer, this soup would have been outstanding.  The room was dark, so the picture is not very good.  What probably looks like browned cheese is actually parsley.  So, they will lose some ratings points for not cooking it enough, but I will revist this restaurant soon and re-review with some optimism.

 Edit (11/3/07): I revisited, and asked for the cheese to be melted well, and it was very good.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=62 Left Bank - Menlo Park, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=60 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=60#comments Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:36:17 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=60 sp_a0093.jpg

Nice emmental swiss, and a good amount of it.  The broth could use some work, and I suspect the onions were not adequately caramelized.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=60 Artisanal - New York, NY http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=9 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=9#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:42:20 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=9

2009-09-19_191237.jpg 

This restaurant is a Mecca for those of us who love cheese.  They use a blend of a few of their hundreds of cheeses on hand to make a fabulous F.O.S.  This makes it a bit non-traditional, yet delicious.  I would never say that an F.O.S. has too much cheese, but I will say for this one that it has not enough soup!  I think a bigger bowl is called for.  However, this would make it tough to tell the difference between their soup and their fondue.  Oh well, such problems!

Edit (11/18/2007): The three cheeses are emmentaler, beaufort, and hoch ybrig.  Picture added.

Edit (09/19/2009): The mystery thickens!  Today I visited Artisanal’s newest location in Bellevue, Washington.  Everything tasted the same, which is a great thing!  However, I asked about the cheeses in the soup, just to make sure.  The server checked with the kitchen, and three different cheeses came back: Emmentaler, fontina, and compté.  Could the Bellevue location make a different soup than the NYC location?  The server said, “non”, and that Chef Brennan makes all of the recipes.  It certainly tasted the same.  So, I called the NYC location, and they now say that the server there made a mistake, and that the cheeses quoted to me were from the fondue, not the onion soup.  That they actually use gruyere and parmesean.

Perhaps they are just trying to hide their recipe?  Who knows.  In any case, a new picture is attached.  The soup/cheese ratio is now perfect!  Please comment on this thread if you manage to find out anything more about my top rated soup!

Edit (06/13/2010) - The Bellevue location has closed

 Rating 9.5 of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=9 Poste - Washington, DC http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=58 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=58#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:59:42 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=58 sp_a0086.jpg

I was excited to try this soup out because I read of their use of comté cheese.  I have to say it’s a great choice!  The onions were caramelized perfectly, and the broth was excellent.

Rating 8 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=58 The Steakhouse - Tysons Corner, VA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=56 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=56#comments Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:51:18 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=56 sp_a0085.jpg

Traditional Gruyere, good quantity of cheese, and fairly tasty broth.  Located in the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=56 E. J. Phair Brewing Company - Concord, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=54 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=54#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:29:32 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=54 sp_a0082.jpg

As you can see, it arrived as what appeared to be some sort of “soup mutation”.  It looked like it might be the start of something good, and I sent it back for some more cheese.  On the second try, it came back looking much better, and I have to say that the broth tasted excellent.  I imagine they use one of their own beers.  The cheese was decent swiss, and eventually the quantity was adequate.  I suppose you need to ask for “extra cheese” as a practice here. 

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=54 Perry’s - San Francisco http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=52 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=52#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:25:50 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=52 sp_a0081.jpg

Another Internet recommendation, and another disappointment.  The online menu had a picture that made it look like the best soup I’ve ever seen.  Click on the picture above, and you will see that the picture on their website was misleading.  I assume they’ve changed the recipe.  The cheese was cheap swiss, and the soup tasted like a glass of water with an entire salt-shaker dumped in.

Rating 4.5 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=52 Paul Bakery Cafe - Aventura, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=50 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=50#comments Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:46:36 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=50 sp_a0071.jpg

I can’t believe that someone recommended the onion soup at this place.  As you can see from the photo, no cheese on the top, and no baking of the soup.  There was some shredded (mostly unmelted) cheese at the bottom.  I asked them why a place that touts the fact that they were founded in 1889 in Paris would serve a totally untraditional F.O.S.  They just replied that they didn’t have the facilities.  Why they even bother to serve it in a crock is a mystery to me.  

Also known as Paul Maison de Qualité.

Rating: 1 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=50 Bal Harbour Bistro - Bal Harbour, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=48 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=48#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:20:29 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=48 sp_a0070.jpg

Very good combination of swiss and mozzarella.  Onions could have been caramelized better, or perhaps it needed more wine for the broth.

Rating: 7 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=48 Rickey’s - Pembroke Pines, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=46 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=46#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:18:31 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=46 sp_a0069.jpg

Standard pub-style soup, with provolone cheese, usually well-crisped.  Broth is nice.

Rating: 6 out of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=46 GiGi’s - Boca Raton, FL http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=10 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=10#comments Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:12:30 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=10

sp_a0067.jpg

The presentation of the F.O.S at this restaurant has something very unique.  In my opinion, they’ve done something here that is long overdue, and secretly wished for by all who love this dish.  They actually serve the soup with a pair of scissors (click on the picture to see a better view).  That’s right…there’s no need for the secret glances to make sure nobody is watching as you separate a particularly long string of cheese with your fingers.  This feature alone would warrant a very high rating, but the soup also happens to be excellent.  It is a perfect combination of Gruyere and Swiss.

Rating: 9 of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=10 MacArthur Park - Palo Alto, CA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=43 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=43#comments Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:42:04 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=43 macpark.jpg

Exellent soup, with lots and lots of Gruyere cheese.

Rating 8.5 of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=43 Metropolitan Grill - Seattle, WA http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=3 http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=3#comments Wed, 25 Jul 2007 05:39:49 +0000 admin http://www.theonionsoup.com/?p=3 sp_a0061.jpg

Cheese is emmentaler and parmigiano, and a broth that tastes of sherry and fresh onions.  Never stingy on the cheese, and always served hot, this one used to be atop my list.  My most recent visit bumped it way down, as the cheese was not fresh, and soup has lost some of its taste.

Update: 2/27/2008: This soup is back in form.  Excellent cheese, and great tasting broth.  Increased rating and ranking. 

Rating 8 of 10

]]> http://www.theonionsoup.com/?feed=rss2&p=3