DISH OF THE WEEK: Hearth Broth at BRODO

Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City

I just don’t get food trends. I think it must be some conspiratorial marketing campaign that the food world (restaurants, media, producers) perpetuates. I mean, how did kale and beets get to be so cool? They’re just vegetables. I like them, but I also like other vegetables. How is one vegetable cooler than another? What is this, vegetable grade school?

For instance, the newest and hippest dish of the moment is bone broth. I guess it has a fun alliteration, but it’s just soup that has been made from an otherwise unusuable animal part. Isn’t that just something everybody does with their leftover chicken?

Of course, part of the trend is that this broth is supposed to have many health benefits. I don’t doubt it. But now chefs can charge lots more money for a simple sseasoned stock.

That being said, I found myself craving something hot and flavorful on a very recent cold afternoon. There was no line at the window at Brodo and so I ponied up $5 to taste the latest trend.

Brodo is a takeout window attached to Chef Marco Canora’s restaurant Hearth. Here the chef offers three different types of broth and two soups. The soups are served in coffee cups and you can add interesting additions (like mushroom tea, ginger juice, or bone marrow) for a 75 cent upcharge.

I have to admit the broth was mighty tasty. I got the signature Hearth Broth, which is made from chicken, turkey, and beef. It was dark and complex and the pieces of turmeric root that I added gave the soup a touch of sweet bitterness and a slight chewy texture.

The broth was excellent and felt restorative as it moved through my body. Not to mention I felt very cool walking around with a cup full of the hottest dish in the city. I guess I’m trendier than I thought.