[quick bites] The Smith

THE SMITH
55 3rd AVE, NEW YORK (+ 2 other NYC locations)
www.thesmithnyc.com


So this picture is on the front page of The Smith's website. And guess what, it features BOTH of my favorite dishes there: the best tomato soup you'll ever consume, and a steaming pot of delicious mussels.

The Smith is one of those places I could eat at twice in a week (and have) - I'm always in the mood for it. Besides my personal favorites, they have some fab lunch sandwiches, nightly specials, a fantastic cocktail list and well-curated beer selection, and a great vintage atmosphere with white honeycomb tile floors and lots of dark wood. 

The "Roasted Tomato Soup with Cheddar Melt" is an appetizer portion of creamy tomato soup, with just the right amount of tomatoey, herby tartness to cut through what is probably a half pint of heavy cream per serving. It's the closest I've ever found to La Madeleine's legendary and unmatched Tomato Basil Soup. The "Cheddar Melt"? It's a piece of toasted sourdough covered in gooey melted white cheddar, ON TOP OF the soup. Your life is incomplete until you've had this.

The Mussels are a different kind of satisfying. Bathed in a velvety broth of white wine, butter, dijon mustard and tarragon, these little guys are everything I want when I order a pot of mussels. Shame of my life: after I finish the mussels, I dump the rest of the thin, crispy frites that are served with the dish into the remaining broth, and eat it like pho. Mmmmm.

Posted in: cheap,dinner,mussels,quick bites,tomato soup