The Original SoupMan hosted a private tasting party for the media at Mohegan Sun earlier this spring.
This Original SoupMan location opened back in November of 2009 in the recently revamped Food Court called Fidelia’s Market in the Winter Entrance of Mohegan Sun.
The Original SoupMan enjoys a prominent location opposite Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana.
The Soup Man, of course, is Al Yeganeh, famously satirized as the Soup Nazi in Seinfeld.
Yeganeh took umbrage at the word “Nazi,” but portrayals of his personality as a disagreeable martinet and his soups as knee-bucklingly good are both said to be accurate. Yeganeh operated an immensely popular soup stand called Soup Kitchen International, which first opened at 55th Street & 8th Avenue in Manhattan in 1984.
The legendary soup stand eventually closed in New York, but the Original SoupMan company was formed and Yeganeh’s legacy lives on,
even in tee shirts.
Original SoupMan outlets can now be found from New York to California, from Florida to Ontario. The growing company has developed a delicatessen menu to accompany its world-famous soups,
even offering Deep River Snacks potato chips at the Casino.
The private tasting I attended was designed to introduce the company’s new premium line of gourmet heat-and-serve soups.
Members of the media were asked by company representatives and publicists
to compare the fresh soups served at the restaurants with the frozen variety the company had developed for home use.
The two we blind-tested were the tomato basil soup and the seafood bisque.
I have an exceptional palate, and I couldn’t tell the difference between the fresh and the frozen.
Both soup versions were awfully good, but I expected that. In some ways, the greater revelation was the deli sandwiches, including the Hudson (lean shaved steak, melted American cheese, mushrooms and mayonnaise on a toasted sub),
and especially, the 42nd Street Reuben (extra lean corned beef with sauerkraut, melted Swiss cheese and Russian dressing on grilled rye bread),
worthy accompaniments to the tremendous soups.
The Mohegan Sun franchise outlet is owned by fast-food titan Lloyd Sugarman (right),
who is heavily invested in the Johnny Rockets chain, which also has an outlet at the casino. Sugarman reportedly intends to expand his investment in Original SoupMan outlets as well.
The Original SoupMan proved to be a revelation. I recommend trying the delicious soups and deli sandwiches at the Mohegan Sun outlet or seeking out the new heat-and-serve soup line through major and local grocers or online at originalsoupman.com.
Original SoupMan, Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville, 1-877-SOUPMAN