RINCON LATINO: Latinos consider chicken soup to be a complete meal. Every country and region has its own version. At Rincon, the caldo de pollo has more of an El Salvadorian slant. A large bowl of clear chicken broth studded with submerged pieces of tender bone-in chicken comes with a bowl of white rice, oversized El Salvadorian corn tortillas, minced cilantro, chopped onion and jalapeño. You can doctor the soup to your tastes or make a few tacos with a juicy chunk of chicken plucked from the broth. 5055 Buford Highway, Doraville. 770-936-8181.
SO KONG DONG: Forget one-dimensional soups when you are sick. Your body needs a jolt, and a bubbling pot of Korean tofu soup from this tofu house — the kimchee style in particular — is just what the doctor ordered. After a parade of panchan (including one of those little fried fish), the waitress rolls out a cart holding midnight black cast iron bowls perched on tiny wooden coasters. Due to the intense heat of the vessel, the soup bubbles and spurts in front of you — too hot to eat even though you know you want to dive in. Take the time to crack a raw egg into the red liquid and watch it cook while the dish reaches a more manageable temperature. Then dig in to the mounds of silken tofu, zucchini and other vegetables as the red broth burns away all that ails you. 5280 Buford Highway, Doraville. 678-205-0555.
TASTY CHINA: After many heat-fueled meals at this Marietta Szechuan spot, the relative mildness of its fish and sour cabbage soup is a shock to the senses. Don't confuse mildness with tameness: This soup is anything but. The broth is almost creamy, but still light. It tickles with the tang leached out of the sour cabbage. And there's a slight piquancy on the finish from the smattering of dried chilies rehydrated with the broth. To give the dish more heft, the kitchen ads slender pieces of white fish that, when tangled with the strands of sour cabbage, resemble seaweed floating beneath the surface of the ocean. 585 Franklin Road, Marietta. 770-419-9849.
COMMENTS
RE: Ethnic soups
Posted by keith2704 on 11.05.09 @ 10:46 PM
Another great place for soup now that the weather is getting chilly is at Pho 96, also located near Rincon Lation (in fact is is almost right across the street).
The Pho Tai Nam, Pho Tai Chin Nach or Pho Ga are some of the best you will ever have. The broth is made from scratch everyday by a loving and caring owner/Mama-san. The broth is clear and NEVER greasy. The meat is tasty and full of flavor and the service is great. The decor is nothing to brag about, simple chairs and tables with bottles of Chiracha Sauce and Hoisin Sauce to add to the bowl of steaming goodness.
There are 3 sizes of bowl: small, large and xtra-large (my favorite). I never leave here hungry and usually take home the extra broth for a late night snack or for a mid morning snack at the office. Prices are cheap with nothing on the menu for more than $9.95.
If you are looking for authentic Vietnamese Pho, then Pho 96 is the place. Some of the meat choices they serve, you can only find in a restaurant that caters to people of this nationality. If you are feeling adventurous, try the beef tripe and tendon. Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmern would feel right at home with this place.