Soup Diary 101029

When I was in Bozeman a few days ago I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a Baja Fresh Mexican restaurant had recently opened there. Some of you may recall that a few years back I discovered that the Chicken Tortilla Soup offered by Baja Fresh, at outlets I visited in Los Angeles and Seattle, was outstanding. In fact, it was by far the best soup I've ever had at a chain restaurant. So, needless to say, I stopped at the Bozeman shop. When I first came in and perused the menu, I was immediately crestfallen: no soup was listed on the big board behind the cash register. I had just resigned myself to the prospect of a taco lunch (good, but not the same) when I noticed a flyer posted on the front of the register: "Introducing: Chicken Tortilla Soup." Saved! I ordered a bowl (it only comes in one size and my taste buds began to bead with anticipation. When my food arrived (I actually added a couple tacos to make a meal), I was somewhat taken aback. In the other Baja Freshes (Bajas Fresh?) I'd frequented, the soup came as it appears in the picture above, in a cardboard cup. But in Bozeman it comes in a wide, deep plastic bowl, and no lie, there must've been close to a quart of soup in there with not one but five slices of avacado (one of the highlights of this concoction. Woo hoo, score! So I was on a real winning streak, right? New Baja Fresh in Bozeman, yes! They carry the soup, Yes! It comes in monster size, YES! But the story, somewhat unfortunately, does not end there. Despite the plentiful avacado, the soup was kind of bland. Maybe at a new outlet like this one, they hadn't quite mastered the special recipe employed at other locations. Or maybe, because I was eating an early lunch around 11:15, it hadn't had time to cook down enough to release all the flavor I remembered. So in the end, a mild disappointment, but only mild. I'll go back next time in Bozeman, a little later in the day perhaps, and fully expect soup nirvana. In fact, it will probably take three or four less-than-stellar bowls before I give up on it, because I know what it can be, and I crave that experience again. In fact, I'm expecting to be in Seattle next month, and I'll probably make my way to the Baja Fresh there-- and they have established a track record of quality, so it shouldn't be too long before that savory broth is flowing down my throat again, even if it's in the smaller portions I'm used to. After all, even a little taste of heaven goes a long way.