Maybe, Baby
Bucktown Soup Café may have big dreams for the future but at the moment they seem to be sleepwalking.
Bucktown Soup Café’s launch is so tentative and uncertain that any review has to be more about what it’s going to be rather than what it currently is. At present it’s a café that offers no coffee; no hot drinks of any kind and scarce little water (only bottled water in those precious and pricey 6 oz sizes). Besides a rotating menu of seven daily soups, the only other edibles come from a tacky commercial freezer full of frozen treats from Good Humor and a basket by the cash register full of cellophane wrapped cookies.
The dine-in atmosphere of six bistro tables and chairs amidst walls decorated with colorful art implies a pleasant place to sit and slurp soup, but the whole approach is designed to make you go away. Plastic bowls and utensils, and canned soft drinks, say, Take it away, man. One can easily imagine the pleasant but bored staffers volunteering to wash a few dishes in the interest of a more relaxed and comfortable ambiance, one with ceramic bowls and silverware, let’s say, a small flower vase on each table, maybe a water station and espresso. Maybe some tea. Maybe is the operative word here.
When asked if there will be coffee in the future, the counter girl reports “Maybe… I think so. Some time, I guess. Probably.” They seem to be groping their way along.
The soup chef appears from the kitchen to report that deli sandwiches should be appearing in the near future. When exactly that will happen is not certain. The intent, however, seems to be genuine, which is why I am not so quick to dismiss Bucktown Soup Café.
Let’s face it, opening a soup shop in the dog days of summer is probably not the best recipe for overnight success. But who knows? For whatever reason they may have been forced to open at this time and now it’s just a matter of riding out the warm days and the bad economy without losing their shirts. Thus, the baby steps. However, when the first arctic blast of winter comes whistling down Damen Avenue a steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle is going to sound pretty good.
The Bucktown Soup Café works from a rotating palette of some 90 soups, so if you go in this week you’re going to see a different selection than if you go in next week. They let you sample the soups before deciding, which is a nice touch. I tried the Kickin’ Crab (so-so) and the Mushroom and Brie (outstanding) before settling on the Gumbolaya, which wasn’t as hearty as the name implied but was tasty nevertheless. Also on the menu that day: Pot Roast and Vegetable; Broccoli and Cheese; Riverboat Crab; Italian Wedding Soup; Chicken Cheese Enchilada, and Chicken Noodle.
The soups are actually made at a downtown location and delivered daily. A second soup shop nearer the downtown kitchen is in the planning stages.
The Bucktown Soup Café has no shortage of future plans. Therefore, any criticism of their shortcomings is probably premature. My guess is that unless you’re a soup junky you’re probably not going to frequent the place until after October anyway, which is probably a good strategy. By then, they will probably be in a better position to make a good impression and keep you coming.
Bucktown Soup Café
1840 N. Damen
773-904-8364
Hours: M-F 10:30am-9pm; Sa Noon-6pm; Closed Sundays
Features: Carryout.
Avg Price of a Meal for Two Including Drinks and Tax: $20
