After stormy weather and a two-day power outage, my husband and I were craving some warm comfort food!  We were welcomed to the Green Bean Deli, the former home of the Boston Chowda Company in Newburyport, on Liberty Street.  The six-week old deli is now family owned, and that is reflected in the interior, which has been completely redecorated, lending the spot a homey vibe replete with friendly faces and a menu full of hearty options including sandwiches, soups, sides, a baked potato bar, coffees, smoothies, and more.  The deli is also earth-friendly, down to details like biodegradable spoons made of corn – very cool!
 
My husband and I sampled four of the six soups available on our weekend visit, and we thoroughly enjoyed all of them.  My favorite was the cream of potato soup, which was the soup of the day, and I wish it were a regular item on the menu!  The broth was perfectly creamy, but not too thick, and well-seasoned with small bits of ham and red pepper, and large chunks of perfectly cooked potatoes (there’s nothing worse than mushy overcooked potatoes in broth, or raw potatoes!).  The ham gave the broth a nice, smoky undertone.  When I commented on the flavors in the soup, Mark, one of the owners, explained his philosophy on soup-making, which is the same as mine – build flavors!  By slowly cooking and adding ingredients, you end up with a more complex soup in the end and you can truly taste the difference.
  
One of the Green Bean’s specialties is their chicken soup, which started as a soup of the day, but was so often requested by regulars that it became a permanent menu item.  It is also well-seasoned and full of white meat chicken and vegetables such as peas, carrots, onions, and celery.  Though we were getting full, we were also eyeing the Green Bean’s chili offerings – both a meat-based and a vegetarian option, so we sampled both.  My husband immediately said it was some of the best chili he’s ever had – he polished off the vegetarian while I worked my way through the meat-based one (backwards for us, but they were both so great that it was hard to share!)  The vegetarian chili had the most interesting and subtle flavors – there was a slight sour note in the background, perhaps provided by a little vinegar or Worcestershire sauce, and I was impressed by the variety of vegetables within.  I often get bored by vegetarian chili, but we kept digging up more surprises this time – green and red bell peppers, black beans and red kidney beans, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, their namesake green beans, and more – nobody will miss the meat here!  The meat-based one had shredded beef, red kidney and black beans, corn, tomatoes, and onions with a slight spicy heat that I loved.   And I’d be remiss not to mention that you can get some delicious breadsticks with your soups – they’re the perfect balance between bready and crispy.
 
We’ll be back soon to enjoy Newburyport’s newest soup spot!