Audio By Carbonatix
A few months ago, Adam Cayton-Holland wrote a blog about an organic sandwich and salad place called Parsley that had just opened at 303 West 11th Avenue. I was intrigued not only by a lineup that seemed very vegetarian-friendly (with four vegetarian sandwiches and four salads), but also by the promise of fresh, organic soup soon to be added to that menu.
I’d since walked by the place a few times, but I couldn’t tell if Parsley had actually added soup, and the website didn’t mention anything, either. I tried calling, but Parsley doesn’t answer the phone during business hours. Finally, I e-mailed the restaurant. Owner Jason Bailey quickly replied, and told me that Parsley does now offer two to three soups a day. He mentioned Mexican potato with roasted green chiles, Italian white bean with roasted tomatoes, pinto bean, a vegetable soup with fresh squeezed celery and spinach juice, and a miso soup with chopped spinach.
His list of delicious-sounding soups made me drool, and since soup is my cold-weather staple, I decided to sample some as soon as possible.
Sadly, I hadn’t bothered to ask if the soups were vegetarian, since I’d assumed that any place that caters to such a health-conscious, organic-seeking crowd would certainly have at least one vegetarian option each day. But I was wrong: When I stopped in on Tuesday, I learned that Jason uses chicken stock in everything but the vegetable soup. And since the vegetable soup is only offered a couple of days a week, there’s a good chance you might stop by Parsley craving soup and end up with a sandwich — which is what happened to me and my vegetarian friend.
When news happens, Westword is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
I wound up ordering the Arcadia, which featured basil pesto, marinated portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, red onion and organic lettuce. The sandwich normally comes with goat cheese, but I was craving fresh mozzarella and Parsley happily switched out the cheeses for me. The bread, a freshmade ciabatta, was delicious, and the flavors in the sandwich went nicely together. But still, for $7, I was left craving something more — maybe a side of chips, a small cup of potato salad or a pickle. Or some soup.
I’ve found fantastic vegetarian soups at Asian restaurants like Karma, Italian joints like Parisi and even at chain places like Spicy Pickle, so I was surprised not to find any at this small, local, organic take-out spot.
I probably won’t go back to Parsley for just a sandwich, but if this lunch spot decides to start catering to vegetarians on a more regular basis, I’d certainly try it again for a half sandwich and a cup of soup.
