Chicken Barley

I'm fighting off a cold right now, and when I try to fight off a cold (and also when it's cold) my first thought is always soup. Off to Hale and Hearty I went as usual. I was a little concerned because I didn't see a lot of options I would naturally attribute to cold (sickness) busting soups, but there were plenty of options for cold (temperature) busting options. That being said, the one that I did find on the menu, and the one I ended up getting, was perfect for both. The website describes the Chicken Barley as "A thick and comforting barley soup loaded with white meat chicken, vegetables and fresh herbs."

Aside from odd coloration issues from my phone camera, this soup was everything I could have ever needed on a day like today. The soup is really thick and hearty because of the starch from the barley, and you get an intense chicken broth flavor that was really good for my cold. The soup itself is full of chicken, carrots, celery, and onion along with the extra herbs and spices that are thrown in as well. It was an amazing and perfect soup for how I felt with my illness, and it's perfect for any cold weather we're going to have in NYC.

Shrimp and Crab with Black Lentil

So today in NYC it was really cold. The temperature was in the mid-20s most of the day with a windchill routinely in the teens. Obviously that means I go to Hale and Hearty and get soup. One soup that I saw yesterday on the menu was the Shrimp and Crab with Black Lentil. The odd thing is that I didn't see it on the menu for today. I was disappointed because I really wanted to try it, but lo and behold, there it was today again. M tried this soup about 3 years ago, but neither of us remember that. The soup is described as "This soup combines shrimp and crab with exotic black lentils and chipotle peppers to give a little kick."

The cup doesn't look that full, but that's okay. The soup is really thick and hearty. It's chock full of black lentils, red pepper, onion, celery, scallions, tomato, crab, and shrimp. I only got 1.5 shrimp in this spooning, but that's okay because I got quite a bit of crab. Normally you only see those pieces that look stringy, but I got a couple really nice sized chunks of crab meat. The soup itself had a nice smokey flavor but only in the beginning. The more I had of it the less smokey it got, and the more chicken broth-y it got. Overall this soup had really good flavor, and it's one of those warming, stick-to-your-ribs type of soup. Perfect for today's weather.

Jerk Chicken Sandwich

Along with my soup for today, I also got one of Hale and Hearty's season sandwiches, Jerk Chicken. The sandwich is described as: "Spicy chicken, housemade Jerk Sauce, roasted red pepper, red onion, sweet pickles and arugula on ciabatta."

There was some definite spice to the chicken, but it wasn't like any jerk seasoning I had ever had before. That doesn't mean it's wrong, I'm certainly no expert when it comes to jerk chicken. The pickles certainly added a mild sweetness and crunch to the sandwich. The roasted red peppers also added a little more sweetness. I didn't really taste the red onions, but I did see them on the sandwich itself. I would get this again, but it definitely hasn't surpassed my top 3 sandwich list.

Curried Eggplant and Lentil Soup

Today was the coldest day of the season in NYC. Of course that means I'm going to get some soup. I checked the Hale and Hearty website and found quite a few options that sounded really good. M noted one that she had tried the Curried Eggplant and Lentil soup previously and really liked it. On her recommendation I went ahead and tried it out. They describe the soup as: "We slowly simmer the eggplant with two types of curry, a blend of Middle Eastern spices and a touch of orange before we add tender Spanish lentils and sweet potatoes giving this soup a lush richness that belies its dairy free nature."

The soup is interesting. There was a mild spiciness to it and also not a huge curry hit. M said she got a lot of spice and curry from hers so I wonder if it was just a problem with my face/tastebuds being completely frozen, but who knows. The soup itself was velvety and warming. It was filled with eggplant, lentils, carrot, celery, onion, scallion, and sweet potato. The addition of orange gave it a bright citrus note as well as some sweetness and tartness.

While I didn't get as much flavor as M seems to remember, I liked the subtlety of the flavors that I got, and it was incredibly warming for such a cold day.

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Soup Redux

Last year I tried Hale and Hearty's Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Soup. I didn't check to see if I had tried it before, and I ended up getting it again today. I'm glad I did, though. The description on the website is the same as it was last year: "Why wait for Thanksgiving? Everything you like about the day after our favorite holiday can be had now, without your uncle snoring." Granted, this is the week after Thanksgiving, but whatever :)

The nice thing about me not having re-read my last post prior to ordering is that they appear to have changed the recipe this year. Gone are the cranberries, peas, and carrots. Instead, this soup is a simple blend of impossibly soft turkey, fresh corn, roasted butternut squash (or maybe those were sweet potatoes...), celery, onion, and herbs and spices. The soup was also creamier and richer. It wasn't pot pie-ish, but it had that same warm and comforting feel to it. I couldn't place the overall flavor, but it was definitely familiar. It also didn't have the sweetness and tartness like last year's soup because of the lack of cranberries, but I think I prefer it this way.

Overall this year's soup seemed, at least to me, to be a much better version of last year's. I do like how they pared down the "dishes" aspect to straight up turkey and vegetables. While the cranberries were a novel flavor and idea, I don't think they meshed as well with the rest of the soup. I love that Hale and Hearty switched things up a bit with their soup recipe. I find that constant reflection and tweaking/improving is the key to staying fresh and at the forefront of people's minds. This soup is the perfect representation of that.

Creole Shrimp and Crab Simmer

Hale and Hearty recently came out with some new dishes they call Simmers. I saw them in a couple of their window ads, but forgot that they had come out whenever I went in to get soup recently. They describe these simmers as "Inspired by our favorite comfort dishes, SIMMERS are chunky, thick, melt-in-your-mouth stews, ladled generously over a pasta or grain base."

Based on their flavor choices, they certainly went after the comfort food aspect, and I'm all for that when the weather gets colder. This time around I opted for the Spicy Creole Crab & Shrimp with Bayou Rice. It's described as "Succulent crab and gulf shrimp simmered in a classic Louisiana base of roux, fresh seasonings, and Tabasco for a kick of heat. Served with Bayou Rice, Chef Bruce’s own red rice made with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and Creole spice."

That definitely sounded tasty, and the picture they put up made it look amazing. They prepare these by first spooning out the grain/carbohydrate component into a bowl and then topping it all with the stew. My first thought when I got the covered bowl was that the bottom seemed too cold. The lady next to me that also got one remarked on the same, and she was told that the grains are cold so that the stew placed on top can warm it up. Seemed odd to me, but if it worked then it worked.

Right off the bat, I noticed that my bowl didn't quite look like the bowl they used to advertise the flavor. Mostly I noticed the distinct lack of shrimp though I did know that a few had been put in. I kept an open mind, though, and mixed everything up to allow the rice to warm up before I ate everything. Flavor-wise it was pretty good. It tasted a bit like their gumbo, and the crab added a bit of sweetness to the stew. The rice itself did warm up nicely, and it all came together quite well. I was a bit disappointed by how little shrimp ended up being in my bowl, but I can live with that as it did taste good.

My only other gripe was the package that came with my bowl. Normally they pack a little package with a spoon, napkin, and salt and pepper when you get soup. However, for this bowl they opted for a fork instead of a spoon. Anyway, that's the last gripe I have. These simmers seem like a good idea, and I do like this initial offering I had. I'll look into trying to the others, and I'll probably also look into getting this one again, too.

Vegetarian Black Lentil Soup

Colder weather is returning to NYC which means I get to start going back to Hale and Hearty to be the unofficial taste tester! Today was my opportunity to try the Vegetarian Black Lentil soup. M and I just had some of the most amazing black dal while out in London (that recap is coming later), and while I knew that there was a 99.99% chance this soup wasn't going to be as good, I wanted to try it anyway because I figured the flavors would be different overall. Hale and Hearty states, "This is a thick soup made with exotic black lentils and mild chili peppers."

The soup only had two distinguishable ingredients that I could see, black lentils and onions. Overall there was not a ton of big flavors, but the soup itself was very thick, warm, and comforting. It also had just the right amount of flavor with salt and what was either rosemary or thyme. There was a mild spice kick to the soup that helped contribute to the warmth of the soup. This is definitely a soup I would get again as it's healthy, filling, and good comfort food.

Summer Clam Bake

So even though I have an aversion to hot soups in hot weather, I was really intrigued by Hale and Hearty's "Tastes of Summer" offerings. Even though I've been in the Northeast for nearing 10 years now, I've never actually gone and found a good summer clam bake. So even though this isn't a traditional clam bake, at least it's clam bake inspired.

This soup comes loaded with corn, onion, potato, and clams. The corn was mildly sweet but seemed muted compared to some really good, Midwestern sweet corn. I wasn't expecting that level of greatness for the soup, but I was a little disappointed that the corn didn't have more flavor. The broth was also mild. You got a hint of clam juice but not too much of one. The clams themselves were a touch on the chewy side, but they had good bite and flavor. The potatoes were able to hold their texture even late into the afternoon when I went. They hadn't by that time, been stewed into mush.

Overall, this soup is very mild and light but still filling. The corn doesn't add as much sweetness as I would have hoped, but the textures and flavors are mostly solid. I'm not sure I'd get this again more for the fact that it's getting to be warm again as opposed to it being a bad soup. Who knows, though, this year's weather has been pretty crazy.

Shrimp Cocktail Chiller

I hadn't gone to Hale and Hearty for a bit, and I kept thinking that soup in hot weather (yes, I know about gazpacho) was something I really felt like avoiding. However, one day I passed by one of their stores and noticed a sign for their "chiller" line of soups. Cold soups to match to the hot days we'd been having here in NYC. I was really intrigued by the Shrimp Cocktail Chiller since I'm a huge fan of shrimp cocktail. They describe the soup as "Delicate shrimp simmered with Spanish onions and garlic,combined with all the flavors you'd expect from this classic dish, and a few that surprise. Crunchy and a little spicy, perfect for Summer."

This is an interesting soup. The soup is tomato-based, and there's a definite kick from horseradish. It really tasted like a tart, spicy cocktail sauce. The shrimp was cooked very well. They weren't too chewy, and they had just the right texture. The crunch, from what I could tell, came from what appeared to be jicama. I could be totally off, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Either that or maybe water chestnuts. Anyway, this was a tasty soup, but I think I ended up getting too much. Normally I like to get a large soup and savor that throughout my meal. This soup, however, is fairly tart and has a bit of bite from both the sourness and the horseradish. About halfway to 2/3 through it started getting a bit tough to keep drinking down. It still tasted good, but I think it was just too much. I would recommend getting a smaller size and pairing with a sandwich.

Overall, this is a very tasty cold soup. It does get to be a bit much after a while, but that can be mitigated. I'd definitely recommend this soup to fans of shrimp cocktail.

Charleston Crab

I tried the Charleston Crab soup from Hale and Hearty last week, but unfortunately haven't been able to get around to writing about it until now. The funny thing is that today, of all days, is a day that they're offering it again. Odd how that all works out. The soup is described as "A cross between a chowder and a bisque. Rich and creamy, sweetened with blue crab and sherry, you'll understand why Charleston is famous for it."

My first impression of the soup was when I lifted the lid. I was immediately hit with the scents from the sweetness of the cream and a mild alcohol hit from the sherry. What I did see/taste in my initial spoonfuls was celery, potato, and loads of real crab meat. I'm pretty sure I also saw onion and leek mixed in as well, but that could very easily have been more pieces of celery and scallion. The soup itself is very rich and very comforting. There's a bit of a spice kick to it, but with all of the flavors going on, the crab itself, which should be the star, gets a little lost.

Overall this is a very good soup to have on really cold days. It's thick and rich, and it's that richness that helps the warmth of the soup seep into your bones. I'm not sure I like this more than their chowders or bisque separately, but it's a tasty soup at the end of the day.

Late Night Line Cook Shift Meal

Today was the start of the final soup offering in the Hale and Hearty Chef's Series soups. You can read my past reviews here, here, and here for their previous three offerings. Today I will talk about Chef Gabrielle Hamilton's Late Night Line Cook Shift Meal. It's described as: "From acclaimed Chef Gabrielle Hamilton comes this Asian-inspired soup. Delicately sauteed shrimp and ground pork are combined with lemongrass, ginger and kaffir lime leaves to create this fragrant soul warming soup. Served over tender rice noodles, nothing else is needed except for maybe some sleep."

Wow. This was an amazing soup. There is a clear Thai influence on this soup. I could taste something similar to green curry along with the lemongrass and kaffir lime soaking in the chicken stock. The soup also has celery, onion, rice, ground pork, shrimp, rice noodles, and green herbs. What, to me, tastes of green curry offers a really nice kick of heat to go with the flavor, and the ground pork adds a great richness to the soup. The rice and rice noodles give the soup a little bit of body as well as giving the soup a filling feeling. My only gripes are that the shrimp were a touch rubbery, and the soup was a touch on the salty side.

Overall, I'm having a difficult time picking my favorite of the series between this soup and Chef Bloomfield's Ribollita. Where that had a great freshness to the soup, this was an explosion of flavor. At the end of the day I think I have to give the nod to this soup. Despite the small drawbacks, the depth and boldness of the flavors give it that slight edge. I'll be sure to get this again.

Lemon Chevre and Spring Asparagus

Last week, as promised, I went back to Hale and Hearty to retry Chef Daniel Boulud's Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple soup when I got healthier. I went back and tried it, but I didn't note that much new. I did get heavier hints of each flavor, and there was a little more sweetness from the cream, but overall I seemed to get most flavors the first time.

This post is all about the sandwich I tried, though. My guess is that it's the March monthly sandwich, but I can only hope that the Lemon Chevre and Spring Asparagus is a constant Spring time offering. It's described as "Asparagus, baby spinach, tomato, and a blend of goat cheese and our signature Lemon Vinaigrette."

Wow, this is a really light and refreshing sandwich despite the chevre. The asparagus, tomato, and spinach are all really bright and fresh. The asparagus is crisp and delicious. The chevre adds an element of creaminess, and the lemon vinaigrette mixed in adds a bright citrus note and acidity. This sandwich is like a trumpet heralding the coming of Spring and its delicious bounty of fresh vegetables. I will definitely get this sandwich again.

Chicken and Sausage Seafood Paella

So yesterday I had every intention of going to Hale and Hearty to get Daniel Boulud's Chef Series soup offering as I admittedly didn't have all of my full tasting faculties the first time I tried it. However, I called an audible after seeing the Chicken and Sausage Seafood Paella on the menu. I'd been thinking about paella for a bit ever since M and I looked at the pics of our paellas from our Barcelona trip. Unfortunately, since I didn't write this yesterday I don't have their website description to add here as I usually do. I think it said something about chicken, chorizo, and "Spanish spices".

Now, I don't know what "Spanish spices" are, but I have had paella before in Barcelona so I at least know what that should taste like. This soup is full of chicken, chorizo pieces, onions, peas, rice, shrimp, and mussels. It's an incredibly flavorful and tasty soup, but it's not a paella. It does not taste at all like any paella I have ever eaten before. What it does taste like is gumbo. It's a tasty gumbo, but it's still a gumbo.

Overall, I like this soup. I would get it again for sure. The shrimp and mussels are really great in the soup, and the chorizo adds a nice saltiness and spice to the soup. It's still not a paella, though.

Happy National Clam Chowder Day!

I found out yesterday that today was National Clam Chowder Day. I'm a huge fan of clam chowder in all of its varieties, and New England Clam Chowder is my favorite. So, to continue in my trend of getting cream-filled soups I should be avoiding due to illness I went to Hale and Hearty once more for their New England Clam Chowder. It's described as: "Our version of this classic New England style chowder. It is thick and creamy, and loaded with diced potatoes and minced clams. Contains pancetta."

This soup is loaded with clams, potatoes, celery, and spices. It was rich and creamy and would be really soothing if not for all of my congestion issues. I didn't see any bits of pancetta in the soup itself, but I could certainly taste the saltiness and rich fatty flavor. I also opted to get the sourdough instead of the 7-grain bread I always go with. I think that was the right decision because the mild sourness of the sourdough was a great fit for the salty clam chowder. The crusty, crisp exterior was also great paired with the soft interior.

Overall, while this isn't the best clam chowder I've ever had (that was in Sitka, AK), this was a great option to have. Hale and Hearty is also a lot easier for me to get to, and I'm definitely going to get this again.

Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple

Hale and Hearty brought out their latest Chef's Series soup, and it's from acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud. His Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple is described as "From Master Chef Danielle[sic] Boulud comes this simply sublime curried cauliflower and apple soup. Delicately seasoned with curry and saffron each ingredient shines in this superb velvety soup."

I'm going to have to preface this review by saying that I'm still sick so my taste buds are muted. I probably shouldn't have tried it in my current condition, but I did. That being said, I still got a lot of flavor out of this soup, and I think I owe it to chef to go back when I'm feeling better to try and get all of the nuances he simmered into his soup.

The first thing I noted when I opened my cup of soup was a heavy hit of curry and also the sweetness of cream. My first sip had the same notes. I got a huge hit of spiced curry flavor with a smoother, sweeter finish from the cream. The soup is incredibly rich, and it's so full of flavor. The soup is thickened by the blended cauliflower, and I got late after notes of the cauliflower as I dug further into the soup. I got very mild hints of apple every so often, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm having issues tasting everything.

Overall this is a very rich, flavorful soup. I think this is the type of soup that I'd try to avoid due to the cream, but I know I'm going to get it again as soon as I'm healthy so that I can try and catch all of the subtleties built into the soup.

Spicy Cajun Chicken Sandwich

Today's review is something that's a little different. Normally I'd write all about my brand new soup that I had from Hale and Hearty, but I wasn't feeling all that well today. I saw that they had what I consider to be the best soup to drink while sick. It used to be called the Yucatan Chicken, Lime, and Orzo, but today it seemed to be called Lemon Chicken with Spinach and Orzo. Regardless, that was exactly what I was looking for with how sick I felt today.

All that said, today's review is about my sandwich. I often just get my favorite, the Balsamic Chicken and Avocado. Somehow I've either never written about it or it's buried in one of my other soup posts. That being said, it's still my favorite sandwich, but the Spicy Cajun Chicken Sandwich gave it a short run for its money. The sandwich is described as "Spicy Cajun Chicken topped with Monterey Jack Cheese, Tomatoes, Baby Arugula and tangy Creole Mayonnaise."

As I noted, this is a really tasty sandwich. The cajun spiced chicken didn't have a ton of flavor, but that could also be because I was stuffed up. I figured that there would be more flavor to it, but it's still good. The arugula and tomato gave the sandwich a really nice fresh and clean feeling. I didn't think the cheese was wholly necessary, but I do love Monterey Jack cheese. The star of the show, to me, was the creole mayonnaise. It was smokey and creamy and had just the right amount of tanginess.

Overall this was a really good sandwich, and one I would get again. The balsamic chicken and avocado still reigns supreme with me, though.

April Bloomfield's Ribollita

I like that Hale and Hearty has extended the availability for each Chef's Series soup to multiple weeks as opposed to just one. I used to feel like I had to plan out my work schedule to make sure I'd be around to get one each week before, but now I have a couple weeks with which to work around. The only downside is that I then have to wait a couple weeks for the new soup to be released.

The second offering for the Hale and Hearty Chef's Series soups is a Ribollita prepared by Chef April Bloomfield. It is described as "From Michelin star winning Chef April Bloomfield comes this marvelous version of Ribollita, originally a peasant dish from the Tuscan region of Italy. This robust vegetarian soup is brimming with Cannellini beans, herbs, and tomato and thickened in the traditional way with day old bread."

I loved this soup. It still won't take over the number 1 spot from Chef David Burke's Crazy Corn soup, but this is a fantastic soup. It's a tomato based broth full of classic mirepoix, some leafy green (vegetable? herb?), and Cannellini beans.Though it was described to have been thickened with day old bread, I didn't notice any chunks of bread like I did with Chef Mario Batali's Pappa al Pomodoro soup.

Overall this is an extremely warm and comforting rustic soup. It tastes extremely fresh and light from the vegetables, but it's also quite hearty because of the beans and bread. The herbs and seasonings balance out all of the flavors. It transports you to a cottage in the middle of a Tuscan countryside, and you can almost feel and hear the crackling fire that the pot of soup was placed above.

Mario Batali's Pappa al Pomodoro

Chef's Series has returned to Hale and Hearty soup, and I couldn't be more excited. With the recent weather we've been having here in NYC, soup was definitely on the agenda. This time they've changed things up a little. Before they would have a different soup each week, but this time around they're giving each chef's offering a 3-week run. I'm so excited for this every time they do it, and they also benefit such amazing charities in the process.

First up is Mario Batali and his Pappa al Pomodoro soup. It's described as "From iconic Chef Mario Batali comes this rustic and flavorful soup of tomatoes and herbs, thickened with cubes of bread pan-toasted in olive oil. Served with a sprinkling of parmesan, it's a perfect light-but-hearty cold weather comfort soup."

This is everything I could have hoped for in a winter soup. It's warm, it's thick, and it makes you feel like you're at home wrapped up in a blanket. At first glance the "sprinkling of parmesan" looked more like a big glob of slightly congealed, formerly grated parmesan, but that's what happens when you carry it back to your office. When I tried the soup on its own, it was very tart from the tomatoes. I mixed in the cheese a little better and started taking bigger spoonfuls to try and get all of the flavors at once, and what I got was a very balanced, warming soup. The tartness noted before was tempered by the saltiness from the cheese and the pan-fried bread cubes. The bread itself was obviously very mushy from soaking in the soup for so long, but it added a little more texture in comparison to the slightly firmer pieces of tomato. I couldn't pinpoint all of the spices, but I'm sure I saw some oregano in there.

Overall I was very happy with this first Chef's Series offering, and I can't wait to try the rest.

Cream of Chicken with Rice

First things first, I read the soup name as cream of chicken with wild rice as that's what I'm accustomed to when it comes to creamy chicken and rice soups. When I sat down and tasted it first, I realized that it was white rice. I was disappointed, but I took the blame on myself for not properly reading the name. I decided that the only fair thing to do was to get rid of any preconceived notions of what this was supposed to be and start fresh.

So, as you guessed, today's soup from Hale and Hearty was their Cream of Chicken with Rice. They describe it on their site as "This is a delicious creamy soup loaded with chunks of white meat chicken, rice, peas and fresh chives."

The soup is indeed full of chicken, rice, peas, and chives, but it also had a fair amount of onion in it. It was also was really creamy, but it didn't have the richness I thought might be present from such a creamy soup. That's not a bad thing, but it was just unexpected. The one thing that I did note was that there wasn't a lot of seasoning. It was a touch bland at points, but the soup got a nice freshness from the peas. They were cooked perfectly to still have some bite to them and not be complete mush. The rice was also the same. In the end, I'm glad I instituted my no tasting rule because I'm sure I would have never bought this otherwise. I will not be getting this again, though. I just didn't think it as that special when compared to some of their other offerings.

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Soup

So we're approaching the holiday season, and despite retail stores wanting us to think that the next big event is Christmas, I'm glad to see Hale and Hearty offer a Thanksgiving based menu item. Their monthly soup special for November is Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Soup. They describe it as "Why wait for Thanksgiving? Everything you like about the day after our favorite holiday can be had now, without your uncle snoring." While that all sounds nice, the description itself is really lacking. I decided to get this soup anyway, and I did so without tasting it first.

I made that decision because I want to start being more objective about my reviews. If I taste a couple soups beforehand, it will affect my decision on which soup to get and also almost ensure that all of my reviews are good. I want to take some risks with this and give as unbiased an opinion as I can.

The first thing I noticed about this soup was the rich, buttery flavor. I overheard one of the employees talking to another customer noting that there was butter in the soup, but there was no other dairy added, and on my first taste that was the biggest flavor I got. As I dug further into it, I started getting heavy herbaceous hits from the parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Or at least, that's what I think I was tasting. I will admit to not being the greatest at distinguishing all of the flavors of various spices. The rest of the soup consisted of the turkey stock, chunks of really soft turkey, carrots, peas, celery, sweet potato, and cranberries.

The cranberries and sweet potatoes added a subtle sweetness to the overall flavor of the soup. Overall the soup was very balanced. It wasn't too salty, and the sweetness really mellowed everything out. The only major component of Thanksgiving that they didn't throw in was some potato element (baked, mashed, etc.) but I get that they couldn't since that would have really thickened this soup up a lot, and there was already a lot going on.

This was a tasty soup that really captured a lot of the essences and flavors of what goes into a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I really enjoyed the blend of "dishes" and spices that coalesced into this festive soup. I would definitely consider getting this again later this month.