Triple Ginger Carrot Apple. General Tsee’s Gingered Carrot Orange. Kiss Me I’ve Eaten Garlicky Greens. Potato Fennel Without a Cause. Habit Forming Matzo Ball Soup. Poetry Worthy Creamy Beet. These soups, and many more, are now being ladled out in D.C.
Soupergirl, the soup and salad shop that has been in Takoma Park since 2011, opened its second location last week at 1829 M. St., N.W., in the former Yo-Cake store.
“It’s right in the heart of the business district,” said owner Sara Polon.
Soupergirl is kosher, under the rabbinical supervision of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of Ohev Sholom- The National Synagogue. It also is vegan and therefore pareve. At its Carroll Street, Takoma Park location, right across from the Metro stop, three hot soups are offered daily, with a special area set aside for sampling. A refrigerator is filled with soups and salads for takeout. The seating area includes tables and counter space to sip and gaze out the window.
The new D.C. location is all about takeout. There are no tables, although customers are using the window bar to stand around and sip their soup, Polon said. Five soups are offered each day, but they will change daily on a rotating schedule. There also will be plenty of delicious, fresh salads.
Polon said she was happily surprised to see so many familiar faces during the first few days her D.C. store was open. She recognized many shoppers who buy her soups in Takoma Park on Sundays but now have the time to enjoy them more frequently, she said.
The goal is to accommodate the hungry business person, including ones who work late, Polon said.
Her soups also can be purchased in many area stores, including Whole Foods Markets, some Sweetgreens locations, several area farmers markets, Dawson’s Market in Rockville Town Center and at three Mom’s Organic Markets.
All cooking is done at the larger, Takoma Park restaurant.
She hopes to open up more Soupergirls. “We definitely plan to keep expanding. We see a real need for convenient, healthy, responsibly made kosher food in D.C. and in the suburbs.” She also plans to keep changing and expanding her soup-and-salad menu.
Her soups are plant-based, brimming with fresh vegetables, grains, beans, herbs and spices and come with interesting names that can be attributed to Polon’s former
profession as a stand-up comedian in Manhattan.
She prides herself in using fresh, locally grown ingredients and matching her soups and salads with the seasons. Soupergirl is known for its various gazpachos that are packed full with such delicious ingredients as watermelon, beets and peaches.
Sticking to her environmentally friendly ethic, Polon uses biodegradable containers and composts her kitchen scraps.
She also hires employees from D.C. Central Kitchen’s Culinary Job training program and donates soup to Martha’s Table, a D.C. organization that helps those in need with clothing, food and tutoring.
The D.C. location is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. It closes early on Fridays and stays closed on weekends.
The Takoma Park store opens at 8:15 a.m. Monday through Thursday and closes at 8 p.m. It also closes early on Fridays, opening again on Sundays from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Both stores are closed on Jewish holidays.
