Soup Diary 110705

I've been dumping a bit lately on Fables Cafe in the Buffalo and Erie County Library. They apparently changed vendors or chefs or something last fall, and the general quality of their soups just plummeted (a term that reflects just how high they were in my estimation). But they are still capable of turning out something good, as was the case a few days ago with their Brazilian Black Bean. Now, this is hardly the kind of exotic variation on which they built their reputation-- after all, black bean soup can probably be found in places like Denny's. But theirs really was quite tasty, with just the right amount of spiciness and a creamy texture peppered (beaned?) with tiny chunks of black bean. It would have been a nice touch to add a dollop of sour cream (the old crew did that), but the sprinkles of sharp cheddar and green onions were a decent substitute. Maybe the key to finding something good when I visit there these days is to stick to the less adventurous items (they generally have at least three on offer every day), since they've pretty much proven recently that they can't do justice to the fancier options.