It’s been twenty years or more since I walked through the doors and sat on their comfy armchair. The Italian Wedding Soup was a key player in their kitchen. For me, it became a life-long favorite and a frequent craving. The flavor and memory of this soup sent me gathering ingredients and doing my best to create a close imitation. This was not just another bowl of soup or another Italian restaurant. Funny how we become nostalgic and inspired by something that seems so casual and unexpected.
Matchbooks
Some of our closest friends hopped in our car and joined us for a thirty-minute drive to Atlanta. We headed to what the matchbook cover called A Neighborhood Italian Café. That should tell you how long ago this was. We didn’t find this prize of a restaurant on the internet (the what?). It was most likely discovered by word of mouth or a random book of matches. You didn’t have to be a smoker to have a collection in a glass bowl or fill a junk drawer in your kitchen. Any note-worthy restaurant had matchbooks in a swanky dish ready for the taking as you grabbed a mint and meandered to your car.
Bragging Rights
When our friendship was new, we ventured out to original places almost every weekend. We never knew what we would find, but we always appreciated the inevitable story that would unfold. We’d tell it time and time again. Through the years, it became a running joke that whoever suggested the new restaurant would be eternally acknowledged or forever harassed for the choice. This outing gave someone beautiful bragging rights. Twenty years later, I still wish I could return.
Not Just Another Bowl of Soup
Crazy, I have no recollection who discovered this café, so credit still needs to be given. For now, I will own it, but I have a feeling I will get a text to let me know how bad my memory has become. Lindy’s was the name of this quaint Italian café. It was nestled on the back side of a neighborhood in Atlanta. Driving there, we could admire sprawling traditional estates and be fascinated by the occasional cutting-edge, contemporary-style homes. Visiting was akin to dining with a generous Italian family, enjoying a meal in the center of their living room, and experiencing whatever the family was preparing that night. Italian Wedding Soup was on the menu, and it was not just another bowl of soup.
Lindy’s Soup
Like any good food, I crave it unexpectedly and often find it challenging to replicate. After having little luck at other restaurants, I became determined to make my own. Theirs was not just another bowl of soup, so I knew I would need to go to my kitchen several times to get it right. So far, I have gotten close, but something tells me it will never be 100%. There was more to Lindy’s soup than orzo, meatballs, and spinach. The quaint cafe’ tucked away in a busy town welcomed you like family and lingered like a favorite friend.
Gather Everyone
Last week, I found myself in my kitchen trying to satisfy my soup craving. I came close! I will share this lovely soup with you through pictures and ingredients. Be encouraged to put a warm bowl of this homemade soup on your table. Add what you like. Take out what you don’t care for. Soups are forgiving and a simple way to gather everyone to your table.
Bowl of Soup
The ingredients for my Italian Wedding Soup are:
Onions, carrots, garlic, zucchini, kale or spinach, chicken broth (homemade is best but Kettle and Fire is excellent as well), balsamic herb meatballs (pork, turkey, beef-I like a combination of two), and orzo.
Share
No, this was not just another bowl of soup, and it was not just another dinner out. Lindy’s holds a place in my memory because of its food but even more so because of its charm. Maybe I remember strange things, but I suppose that is what creates a life well-lived. Lindy’s made me feel a certain way and left its mark. I’m often sad that they had to close their doors, but I continue to bring them to my kitchen. Time with friends, good food, and cozy places stick around for a long time in our hearts. So next time you share a meal, be reminded that it’s not just another bowl of soup.
Stay Curious,
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