NYC's Best Summer Soups

Summertime’s perfect for chilled soups.  Not only are they the perfect respite from the city’s heat, but tomatoes, zucchini, and the like are all ripe and ready to be made into soup.  We still love a classic gazpacho, but we’ve also found some unique newcomers on summer menus this year.

Pierre Loti West
258 W. 15th St.
(212) 645 5684
www.pierrelotiwest.com

This cozy Chelsea sister of the Iriving Place wine bar serves a full menu, including Tomato-Strawberry Chilled Soup topped with homemade Turkish cream.  Both owner Orhan Cakir and chef Habib Kargin are Turkish, which explains the seamless blending of Mediterranean and French.

Gramercy Tavern
42 E. 20^th St.
(212) 477-0777
www.gramercytavern.com

Zucchini is in season and Chef Michael Anthony takes advantage of this with Gramercy Tavern’s Chilled Zucchini Soup with Island Creek Oysters.  It’s garnished with squash blossoms- the bright orange edible flowers that grow alongside the zucchini.

Aldea
31 W. 17^th St.
(212) 675-7223
www.aldearestaurant.com

At the recently opened Aldea, Chef George Mendes has created a Tomato-Cherry Gazpacho for his modern Mediterranean menu. Heirloom tomatoes and cherries provide a base for mozzarella “ravioli” and oysters.

Jane
100 W. Houston St.
(212) 420-9800
www.ctrnyc.com/JANE/index.html

Few summer fruits are as refreshing as watermelon. Jane’s chef/owner Glenn Harris is a fan too, and his Spicy Watermelon Gazpacho packs some serious heat, while simultaneously cooling things off. Watermelon puree is combined with finely chopped cucumbers, red onion, cilantro, and jalapenos, then topped with a warm goat cheese croquette.

Boqueria Flatiron
53 West 19th St.
(212) 255-4160
www.boquerianyc.com

Chef/partner Seamus Mullen offers several different varieties of gazpacho on Boqueria’s Market Menu.  His traditional gazpacho is made with greenmarket tomatoes. Other offerings include the classic Andalucían Salmorejo, a creamy gazpacho thickened with bread and served with hard-boiled eggs and chopped ham, and Ajo Blanco, a white gazpacho made with almonds, garlic and garnished with green grapes.

Klee Brasserie
200 Ninth Ave.
(212) 633-8033
www.kleebrasserie.com

 
Klee’s chef/owner Daniel Angerer knows there’s more than one way to serve soup. His Chilled Pea Soup Shooters are presented in glasses instead of bowls and come four to an order. Garnished with smoky Idiazabal cheese, the shooters are make a good shared first course.

Toloache
251 W. 50th St.
(212) 581-1818
www.toloachenyc.com

Chef Julian Medina has created a sweet, cooling jicama soup for the summer.  The pureed jicama is combined with peekytoe crab, orange slices and Thai basil, adding an Asian touch to a Mexican standard.

GILT
455 Madison Ave.
(212) 891-8100
www.giltnewyork.com

Gilt’s Chef Justin Bogle combines a laundry list of ingredients in his Garden Gazpacho: parsley, cilantro, scallions, dill, basil, peas, chives, cucumbers, avocado, and jalapeno.  But tat’s not all– the soup is garnished with sliced Alaskan king crab, grapes, coriander flowers, verjus liquid gel, yogurt espum and toasted almond powder.

Cabrito
50 Carmine St.
(212) 929-5050
www.cabritonyc.com

Cabrito’s Avocado Soup is a standout on Chef David Schuttenberg’s authentic Mexican menu. Topped with crema and tortilla strips, this is one well-executed classic we’re never tired of eating.

Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto
283 Amsterdam Avenue
(212) 877-4800
www.salumeriarosi.com

Salumeria Rosi’s chef Cesare Casella has dessert in mind with his Melon Soup with Pound Cake Croutons. Incorporating fresh cantaloupe, lemon juice, zest, and sugar, then topped with crispy croutons made from pound cake, small cubes of watermelon, honeydew, and mint leaves, this soup is sweet, but not too heavy.

Jo’s
264 Elizabeth St.
(212) 966-9640
www.josnyc.com

Jo’s chef Ian Topper-Kapitan serves up a traditional gazpacho of heirloom tomatoes blended with breadcrumbs. The soup is complemented by a slice of baguette topped with red pepper salad.