VALLEY MELTING POT IS FILLED WITH CHICKEN SOUP.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic Chicken soup chicken soup Chicken broth Folk medicine Jewish penicillin A fowl broth with a long tradition as a home remedy for URIs, which may be a nasal decongestant, inhibit growth of pneumococci in vitro, and stimulate immune responsiveness in WBCs Mainstream medicine A is one of those staples that can fill you up, calm you down or make you feel better. Everyone needs some now and then. The canned and packaged stuff never quite makes it. Real chicken soup is international, quasi-medicinal, the stuff of memories. But a good chicken soup can be hard to find. We enlisted the help of our readers to find the Valley's best. Here in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. we're most familiar with the Jewish delicatessen style of chicken soup, usually served with egg noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. and/or matzo balls. It's known affectionately as ``Jewish penicillin.'' But being the ethnic melting pot melting pot America as the home of many races and cultures. [Am. Pop. Culture: Misc.] See : America that we are, we find restaurant chicken soups from Mexico, from Thailand, from China, from every country in Europe and the Middle East, from the Caribbean - from just about everywhere. Ali Leventhal of Woodland Hills was spooning the steaming golden stuff at Art's Deli in Studio City on a recent cloudy afternoon. Asked how long she's been eating chicken soup, the 7-year-old responded with the assurance of a veteran, ``All my life.'' Like the majority of chicken soup fanciers, she considers herself a worthy critic. She finds Art's soup tasty, with more chicken than the deli where she usually has her soup. Strength of flavor is a defining factor for soup tasters. A clear, sparkling, golden broth may be an elixir elixir /elix·ir/ (e-lik´ser) a clear, sweetened, alcohol-containing, usually hydroalcoholic liquid containing flavoring substances and sometimes active medicinal ingredients. e·lix·ir n. to some, a starting point Noun 1. starting point - earliest limiting point terminus a quo commencement, get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, beginning, start, kickoff, first - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the to others. Add fresh lemon juice, eggs and orzo-style pasta to a white chicken soup and you get the wonderful Greek soup avgolemono. Mexican chicken soup is usually boosted with a touch of chili, cilantro and pieces of guacamole. Monica D. Gilbertson of West Hills is one of the readers who answered our call to name the Best Chicken Soup in the Valley. She nominated Nico's Family Restaurant, at 7166 Shoup Ave. in Canoga Park, as having ``the absolute finest chicken soup ever.'' She recommends the cream of chicken soup with rice, which is served on Mondays only. (She has friends who drive in from Oxnard for the soup.) Esther Berdrow of Reseda favors the chicken soup at Las Fuentes at 18415 Vanowen St., also Reseda. ``You can smell it driving up,'' she says, ``and it's full of tender white meat and topped off with a delicious slice of avocado.'' Carolan J. Pinto of Northridge nominates Weiler's Deli in North Hills as a ``cure for whatever is bothering you. The taste is a mellow blend of all the ingredients that will soothe your throat, warm the body and generally give you a comforting feeling when you're done.'' Lois Jones of Northridge is one of several readers who nominated Abe's, a Northwest Valley deli. She calls it ``rich and full-bodied with pieces of fresh chicken and just the right amount of seasoning.'' Seasoning, does, of course, change the taste of chicken soup radically. Our team - including Studio City resident Linda Zimmerman, author of the cookbook ``Chicken Soup'' (Clarkson-Potter, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , $11); trained chef and Daily News staffer Kevin Ainsfeld; and myself - sampled dozens of diverse reader nominations, ranging from a Vietnamese-style chicken soup with rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water. However, sometimes other ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are also added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the , cilantro, chives chives alliumschoenoprasm. , bean sprouts bean sprouts pl.n. The tender, edible seedlings of certain bean plants, especially those of the mung bean. , tender white chicken meat and fresh lime wedges at the House of Noodles in Woodland Hills to the Greek avgolemono chicken and lemon soup of Alexis in Northridge. We tasted Russian chicken soup at Moscow New York Deli in Tarzana and Chinese-style chicken soup at the Mandarin Deli in Northridge. And we trekked from North Hollywood's Drexler's and Golan to Studio City's Art's and Jerry's, to La Cabanita in Glendale. We found that reader Dale Austen of Encino was steering us to a real goodie good·ie n. Variant of goody1. with his nomination of Mandarin Deli at 9305 Reseda Blvd., Northridge. Austen labeled it a ``great, flavorful chicken soup with vegetables and fresh, homemade noodles.'' He lived on it for a week when he had the flu. We confirmed that the noodles are indeed made from scratch, and that the soup is crammed with baby bok choy bok choy or Chinese mustard Brassica chinensis, one of two types of Chinese cabbage. It has glossy dark green leaves and thick, crisp white stalks in a loose head. Its yellow-flowering centre is especially prized. See also brassica; mustard family. , carrots, black mushrooms, scallions, bamboo shoots and possibly even cucumber. Bill Roeder of Glendale nominated La Cabanita, 3447 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, and he's absolutely correct; the caldo de pollo Caldo de pollo is a common Latin-American soup that consists of chicken and vegetables. What makes this soup different from many other versions of chicken soup is that Caldo de pollo uses whole chicken pieces instead of chopped or shredded chicken. with corn, potato, carrot, cilantro, green beans green beans Noun, pl long narrow green beans that are cooked and eaten as a vegetable , zucchini and rice is definitely an entire meal. And at lunchtime it comes with good tortillas and fresh limes limes plural limites (Latin; “path”) In ancient Rome, a strip of open land along which troops advanced into unfriendly territory. It came to mean a Roman military road, fortified with watchtowers and forts. for under $5. Paul Simmons of La Crescenta describes La Cabanita's chicken soup as ``my healing broth when nights are cold.'' Reader Ed Nast of Burbank has no doubt about the Best Chicken Soup in the Valley: Grandma's chicken soup at Mel's Drive-In, 14846 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. Yet Jerry and Debbie Mikos of Sylmar believe that Kira's Magic Food, 137 N. Maclay Ave. in San Fernando, makes the ``best chicken soup in town ... It's what everyone in our family wants when they feel sick or rundown,'' they wrote. Howard Friedlander of Reseda picks Drexler's, 12519-1/2 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood. ``I will emphatically state that there is no other restaurant with better soup,'' he writes. And reader Beatrice V. Riley of North Hills tells us she's hooked on the chicken tortilla soup of Millie's Country Kitchen, 10318 Sepulveda Blvd. in Mission Hills. ``Fromin's (17615 Ventura Blvd., Encino) is the place,'' declares Larry D. Mann
Larry D. Mann (b. 18 December 1922) is a Canadian actor. Prior to his acting career, he was a disk jockey on CHUM 1050 radio in Toronto in the 1950s. of Tarzana. And from Calabasas, Harvey L. Krantz Krantz is the name of two persons:
Readers pick their chicken soup faves Here are the top 10 picks by our readers and experts for best chicken soup in the Valley: Best coffee shop: Nico's Family Restaurant, 7166 Shoup Ave., Canoga Park; (818) 888-3998. Best deli: Art's Delicatessen, 12224 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; (818) 762-1221. Best Chinese: Mandarin Deli, 9305 Reseda Blvd., Northridge; (818) 993-0122. Best Mexican: La Cabanita, 3447 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale; (818) 957-2711. Best Greek: Alexis, 9034 Tampa Ave., Northridge; (818) 349-9689. Best Israeli: Golan, 13075 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood; (818) 763-5344. Best Russian: Moscow New York Deli, 19550 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana; (818) 708-1095. Best strictly kosher: Drexler's, 12519-1/2 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood; (818) 984-1160. Best Thai: Swadee Thai, 8234 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Arleta; (818) 997-9624. Best Vietnamese: House of Noodles, 20022 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; (818) 884-0439. It'll cure what ails you So, let's have it. Is Grandma right when she prescribes chicken soup for every illness? She is. In a 1993 University of Nebraska study, Dr. Stephen Rennard, director of pulmonary and critical care medicine for the school, ``found that the anti-inflammatory action of chicken soup may explain its salutary effects.'' Coughing and flu are related to inflammation, partly the result of neutrophils neutrophils (ner·ō·trōˑ·filz), n.pl white blood cells with cytoplasmic granules that consume harmful bacteria, fungi, and other foreign materials. (white blood cells White blood cells A group of several cell types that occur in the bloodstream and are essential for a properly functioning immune system. Mentioned in: Abscess Incision & Drainage, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Complement Deficiencies ) being present, so Rennard's work was to document the activity of the neutrophils both with and without chicken soup. In lab tests, when the soup was introduced, the neutrophils' activity was definitely blocked. ``In the body, this translates to reduced inflammation,'' Rennard explained. Mimi Sheraton, in her book ``The Whole World Loves Chicken Soup'' (Warner; $22.95), wrote about a study at Mount Sinai Hospital Mount Sinai Hospital can refer to:
For her own head colds, Sheraton adds vodka and lemon juice to chicken broth. ?13- Larry Lipson CAPTION(S): Drawing, 5 Photos, 2 Boxes Drawing: (Color) THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP IN THE VALLEY Photo: (1--Color) Cookbook author Linda Zimmerman, a member of the Daily News' sampling team, tries out the chicken soup at Drexler's in North Hollywood. (2--Color) Ali Leventhal, 7, who has been eating chicken soup ``all my life,'' enjoys the version served at Art's Deli in Studio City. (3) At Art's Delicatessen in Studio City, voted best deli for chicken soup in the Valley, kids can color their soup experience fun. (4--Color) Kasha ka·sha n. Buckwheat groats. [Russian, from Old Russian.] Noun 1. kasha - boiled or baked buckwheat hot cereal - a cereal that is served hot is included with the soup at Golan in North Hollywood, which won in the Best Israeli chicken soup category. (5--Color) La Cabanita in Glendale, voted Best Mexican restaurant for chicken soup, offers caldo de pollo. Tom Mendoza/Daily News Box: (1) Readers pick their chicken soup faves (See Text) (2) It'll cure what ails you (See Text) |
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