Soup Diary 100304

Oh, wow-- just when I was beginning to think I was in an endless wilderness of mediocre soups, I hit the jackpot last night. I had dinner with a group of friends at the Uptown Cafe in Butte and tasted a kind of soup I've never had before (in fact, I don't think I've even ever heard of it), and it was really, really good. I ordered it because it was unfamiliar, but to be honest, I was a little apprehensive. "Bleu Cheese & Bacon" certainly hinted at the possibility of something overly rich, overly cheesy, overly salty; but it turned out to be none of those things, just a creamy, bacony delight. In fact the entire meal was outstanding: I had the chicken saltimbocca with cranberry squash (which was the real standout of the meal) with the soup and an appetizer of clams maisson (Im no fan of clams, but even this was pretty good). It's kind of an upscale place (though not very expensive) and sixty miles away, so I probably won't be dining there regularly, but I'm already looking forward to the next time.