Soup Diary 101228

I believe I've mentioned before that one of the highlights of visiting Buffalo is that there are a lot of really good, cheap Greek restaurants, places where I can get souvlaki (which is apparently virtually unknown west of the Mississippi). Normally they have decent soup too, but a limited selection, often down to chicken lemon rice or lentil. One exception is a favorite place called Athena's, which is just around the block from my mother's house. For years and years I never ate there, because when I was that close to home, I'd just opt for the home cooking. But I started going in once in awhile to meet a friend for breakfast or lunch, and quickly discovered they had great food, low prices, and enormous helpings. It also turned out that they offered some of the best homemade soups around-- really hearty cups of thick, vegetable and meat packed concoctions that could not be passed up. This was certainly true a couple days ago when I went in for lunch and had the split pea soup. The chunks of ham were huge and succulent, there was a nice oniony edge to the broth, and there were even whole peas mixed in with the pureed base-- a truly stellar achievement, but perfectly in keeping with what one expects at Athena's. It actually surpassed my entree (well, just barely) as the highlight of the meal. I think when I get back to Montana, I'm going to make it my mission to try and replicate this soup in my own kitchen. If I can perfect this little cup of heaven, I'll be eating especially well the rest of this winter.