Original Soup Kitchen (Yes, It Was the Soup Nazi), W. 55th Street and 8th Avenue, Midtown

[DonRocks]

The "Original Soup Man," aka "The Soup Nazi," was literally fifty feet from our hotel's front door, so how could we not try it for lunch this past Sunday?

Two "Lobster Rolls" ($18.00) were ... "okay," and would have been better had I not seen them being made: Thin, round-ish bread being sent through some sort of toaster-like thing, coming out and each being filled with a plastic bag of "Maine Lobster," room-temperature at best, and then drenched with a squirt-bottle of butter-like substance to a fault. Employees who make these are having a good chuckle right now, but customers, maybe not so much.

The standout was the "Clam Chowder," loaded with clams, bacon, potatoes, and seasonings, as good as any New England Style Clam Chowder you'll ever eat, all for $8 for a medium (guessing on the volume, they have small (8 ounces), medium (12), large (16), and jumbo (32)). Get this Clam Chowder.

Not as good (but keep reading) was the "Tomato Basil" (also $8 for a medium) which came across as more of a spaghetti sauce ... until later that afternoon when I was famished, and yanked the soup out of the hotel refrigerator. In this circumstance, it was more like a Gazpacho, and (I'm not sure whether or not it was because I was famished) was more than adequate. But, get the Clam Chowder.

Note: Unlike the "Seinfeld" episode, there is no "inside" here. It's a walk-up counter, where you order from the sidewalk, and take your order to go. 

[DIShGo]

I liked the Lobster Rolls more than you did—but I did not see them being made! The clam chowder was outstanding. I would not order the tomato soup again.