Cheap eats: Zoup!
Mix and match plenty of salad, sandwich and soup choices at new Corryville spot
Ice cream shouldn't be the only food you get to test drive. At Zoup! the sample station gets its own counter stop, where you can try all of the 12 soups offered that day.
I tested out the Zesty 3 Pepper Chicken Soup, a pleasingly spicy and substantial tomato-based soup. But the billing of Chicken Pot Pie soup as the most popular swayed me. Chicken Pot Pie soup, hmm? Without a crust? We'll have to see about that.
The staff clearly decided to add some suspense to my anticipation. Even though the evening crowd was small, and the soups were clearly visible, ready and waiting to be served, our order took at least 15 minutes to be called. Luckily, my companions reported that the staff during the crowded lunch rush is much quicker on the draw.
The atmosphere: it's a pretty standard up-scale fast food chain, in the vein of Panera. If it is possible to spell something with a Z or add an exclamation point, that is how it is listed on the menu. There are deep but neutral paint colors and a few slogans on the wall. The booths and tables are ample and in a comfortable but utilitarian style where you serve your own drinks and bus your own table.
There is a definite skew toward the office and hospital crowd with web ordering and catering and even delivery to the hospitals. That may explain the slow dinner crowd, and the fact that it closes at 8 p.m.
The food: So much for trusting the soup pusher! A dry and flavorless crumb topping is no substitute for a real pot pie crust. The soup itself ($3.95 for a side on its own, $1 more for each larger size - side, cup, bowl and extra large) is rich and creamy with corn and carrots and green beans, but the crumb garnish ruins the experience.
My meal wasn't a lost cause though, because I went with the Try Two! combo meal. For $6.95 you get a side soup and a half salad or half sandwich so I had a tuna salad wrap ($6.35 if you order just a whole sandwich) as well. The sandwich and salad menus are almost as extensive as the soup choices, so the combo is a pretty good deal.
A grilled tortilla wrap is less appealing for a sandwich than the soft multigrain rolls that come with the soup, but it still makes for a good sandwich. There was just enough mayo to hold it together and not cover up the tuna and zingy lemon caper taste. Compared to most fast food tuna salads, it was a pleasant surprise.
The Caesar salad ($6.35 for a large) also was more than just iceberg lettuce drowned in parmesan there were a few different greens in there and serious chicken pieces.
Our second soup choice, the Italian Pasta and Vegetables, was a hearty minestrone-like soup. It had just a little bit of spice in addition to oregano and Italian herbs and almost more vegetables than soup. This one is an excellent choice for vegetarians, for whom there is at least one option a day.
The drinks: Fountain drinks and green tea.
The verdict: In an area with few lunch options, this is a good addition to the mix. Rotating soup choices maintain some variety, and overall it's a good value for a filling lunch.
See original story: http://cincinnati.metromix.com/restaurants/restaurant_review/cheap-eats-zoup/2596029/content
