Soups and Stews

CHILI

In Texas, when you order up a steamy bowl of chili, they call it “a bowl of red.” Clearly, this is cowboy food, said to have become popular on the long hard trail where all they had was some dried beef, chili peppers, salt, and a campfire. Chili recipes in the United States are like marinara recipes in Italy—everyone has a particular version and that version is the right version. You can find chili in restaurants that feature Tex–Mex fare, but it’s become more popular at bars in an odd reflection of its original context: bracing sustenance to get you through the night.

Bulldog NE
In the “upscaling” of chili, this dish doesn’t forget to keep it hearty. Shredded beef has an earthy chipotle flavor that is balanced by a dollop of lime crème fraîche. Artisanal and yee-haw all at once. 401 Hennepin Ave. E., Mpls., 612-378-2855

Buster’s on 28th
Ask for cheese on the side; there’s no reason to mask the nature of this beefy bar chili. It’s a thick cup of smoky, spicy, saucy stew that heats you from the inside out. 4204 28th Ave., Mpls., 612-729-0911

Loon Café
The reigning master, its the only café in the metro with five kinds of chili on the menu. Get the Pecos River Red with cubed sirloin chunks or the kicking hot Pinto’s Diablo. 500 1st Ave. N., Mpls., 612-332-8342

» Honorable Mention: Pittsburgh Blue

CLAM CHOWDER

“Oh! Sweet friends, hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuits, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt.” In the opening pages of Moby Dick, Herman Melville gives us New England–style clam chowder, real Yankee food. Unless, of course, you come from Rhode Island or New York, where tomatoes and herbs figure into the pot. Just know that loyalties to one or the other run deep, the arguments endless. So far from either coast, good chowders are rare, but these versions revive the debate.

The Capital Grille
Now here is New England clam chowder—clam-chocked, with hand-cubed russet potatoes and chunks of salty bacon in a lovely milk base that’s authentically thickened with pounded crackers, not sullied with cornstarch or floury roux. Honest-to-God Yankee good. LaSalle Plaza, 801 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-692-9000

Good Day Café
You know the clams are fresh when, at first bite, you hit a grain of sand. This lovely chowder is enlivened with celery, is not too thick, and is nicely seasoned with a kiss of cayenne. 5410 Wayzata Blvd., Golden Valley, 763-544-0205

Oceanaire Seafood Room
It’s a Manhattan affair of tomatoes, bits of bacon, fresh herbs—brighter and fresher than the Yankee version—and loaded with clams. Its kick is briny, peppery, and lively. Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls., 612-333-2277

WILD RICE SOUP

This is one of the few dishes in our survey that appears to be a purely local invention with little recorded evidence of its history or essential ingredients. The basic version is a cream-based soup that includes chicken stock and the state’s second-favorite lake-harvested foodstuff. We all know by now that wild rice is not rice. The basic question in evaluating wild rice soup (a winter pleasure if there ever was one) is the appropriate thickness and whether leftovers can be used to hang wallpaper (not what we were looking for). Our favorites range from the most recognized to the rarified.

Bloomington ChopHouse
Chef Chris Hammer is generous with the wild rice and chunks of chicken. His version is plated tableside and adorned with a cheddar cheese crisp. It’s none too thick, and it’s lightly seasoned, a plus in a genre where oversalting is endemic. Hilton Bloomington, 3900 American Blvd. W., Bloomington, 952-830-5200

Lunds/Byerly’s
The classic, the one everyone thinks of when you mention wild rice soup—and our guess is they sell ten times more than anyone in town—is made with ham, slivered almonds, carrots, and onions. Rich, creamy, and heavy are the dominant descriptors. How rich? A quart of soup and a loaf of homemade garlic bread fed four of us. Multiple metro locations

Porter & Frye
Steven Brown puts a major twist on this standby. His Celery Bisque is really a light, flavorful wild rice soup. The smoked ham and pan-popped wild rice are delicious and left us looking for more bread to clean the bowl. It’s poured tableside to add an elegant touch. Ivy Hotel, 1115 2nd Ave. S., Mpls., 612-353-3500