Bite Of The Day: Creamy Asparagus Soup W/ Poached Egg At Milk & Honey
Despite the recent erratic weather patterns, I’m officially ready to warm up with soup-of-the-day specials popping up at local cafes.
What better place to start than Milk and Honey on Newkirk Avenue and Westminster Road, where they debuted a new daily soup special: Creamy Asparagus with Poached Egg ($7 before tip). The soup comes sprinkled with scallions, drizzled with cream, and topped off with two thick slices of sourdough bread.
The sourdough was fluffy and fresh, not surprising because the cafe displays a case full of enticing homemade pastries. Though probably meant for the lunch crowd, the soup was ready to order beside my breakfast coffee mug ($2) at 10:45am.
I was hooked at the very first bite. The flavor is wonderfully balanced between the bitter and earthy asparagus, the sweet bite of scallion, and the dark umami flavor of poached egg. Once you crack it open, the egg thickens the soup and leaves surprising bites of its soft flesh and gooey yolk in each spoonful.
The poached egg is the unique and hearty element — though the broth is thin at first, when I mixed in the egg it transformed into a satisfying autumn meal.
The blended asparagus left chewy strings that ended up getting stuck in my teeth — not too much of a downside for a rich, flavorful soup that feels healthful and comforting.
The whole presentation felt like a rustic winter, served in a cast-iron bowl perched on a wood cutting board. No extra dishes and no waste (probably because I used the bread to soak up every last drop in the bowl).
Milk and Honey was an all-around relaxing place to start my Wednesday morning, with its sunlight-flooded, expansive cafe. From a table in the back, I got a picturesque view of the vibrant green plant wall and the orange autumn leaves just outside the door.
Rafael, who has been a cook at Milk & Honey since the cafe opened in 2013, said the rotating, winter soup specials include Lobster Bisque, Mushroom Beef Barley, Butternut Squash, and Lentil. I can already tell that I will spend many cold mornings (and afternoons!) lingering over a hot bowl and dripping bread.
Stop in for soup specials and a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu at Milk and Honey Cafe, 1119 Newkirk Avenue at Westminster Road, every day from 7am to 9pm.
Where else do you go for winter soup specials? Leave comments about where we should go next!
All photos by Carly Miller at Ditmas Park Corner.