SEARCH: French Onion Soup

November 02, 2009

Bar Americain’s Vidalia Onion Soup w/Parker House Crouton & Blistered Vermont Cheddar, $11.00.

Sure, soup is the perfect meal on a cold night, but some soups are better than others. Case in point: French Onion Soup. Any soup smothered in bubbling, burnt cheese is going to have an advantage over an unadorned bowl. However, not all French Onion Soups are executed equally, and no amount of melted cheese is going to save a poorly seasoned soup.

French Onion Soup is actually relatively easy to make—-sweet onions are slowly caramelized then simmered in beef stock. The purpose of the crouton, aside from being juicy and soaked with deliciousness, is to help the cheesy overlay stay afloat. As for cheese, Gruyère is the most commonly used, although Fontina, Cheddar, Parmesan, or a combination of them, are all valid choices. As long as the cheese is properly blistered and gooey it will most likely taste great.

Bar Americain’s (view) rich Vidalia Onion Soup (above) is one of Manhattan’s best. The thick broth is full of sweet, soft onions, and the coating of Vermont white Cheddar is sharp and distinctive.

But Bobby Flay isn’t the only chef serving a fantastic crock of French Onion Soup in Manhattan. By typing “French Onion Soup” in quotes into the search field of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Advanced Search Engine we compiled a list of some of our other favorites.