Philadelphia Weekly

Crock star: Caribou Cafe's French onion soup is traditional, cheesy and delicious.

Can you feel that chill in the air? The gray, dreary, rain-soaked, flu-laced Philly winter is about to descend like an executioner's ax. Time to start subsisting on a diet of soup and hot toddies for four months. And so to prevent chicken-noodle boredom from terminally bumming you out this winter, Field Guide endured an entire week of soup subsistence to bring you our ultimate broth brouhaha. Read it and slurp.

If You So Horny
We've made the correlation between sushi and sex before, but the miso soup at 1225 Raw Sushi & Sake Lounge (1225 Sansom St. 215.238.1903) demands another mention, and not just because of the "miso horny" pun that's always a crowd pleaser. Appropriately scallion-laced, with petite cubes of tofu and seaweed that's still an appealing shade of green, this is the stuff wet dreams are made of. A F

If Your Wine-Pairing Knowledge Stops at Manischiewitz
The matzo ball soup at Marathon Grill (several locations; 215.561.0500) has been named a "Best of Philly" more times than the pope's visited Israel. If you like a big dough ball in what's otherwise a perfectly good chicken soup, this is the place to get it. H M D S

If You've Ever Been Called "Ginger Spice"
The ginger-heavy vegetarian delight that is wonton soup at Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant (135 N. Ninth St. 215.627.4520) is a miraculous cure-all. Stocked with tons of veggies and ethereally tender wontons full of chopped meatless goodness, a quart of this stuff, delivered, will sustain you all the way through your 24-hour bug, outlasting even the infomercials you're sniffling and wheezing at around 3 a.m. M D S

If You're a Mouse
There are those who maintain that cheese makes everything better: dairy farmers, mice, the French. For them, there's the French onion soup at Caribou Cafe (1126 Walnut St. 215.625.9535). This is traditional stuff, an onion broth topped with melty gruyere in an earthenware crock. Mon dieu, je salivating! H M F

If You Wuh Wicked Happy That the Bahstan Red Sahks Swept the Series
First of all, you're a traitor and should be ridden out of town on a rail. But on your way, stop by Sansom Street Oyster House (1516 Sansom St. 215.567.7683) and indulge in a bowl of creamy, bacon-laced New England clam chowder. It'll warm the cockles (clam pun) of your evil New England heart. And then, may you sit in traffic near the Big Dig for all time. C H M

If You Take Your Soup With a Side of Sophistication
There's not much to say about the lobster bisque at Barclay Prime (237 S. 18th St. 215.732.7560). It's uber-creamy. It's garnished with creme fraiche and real Maine lobster meat. It's ... well, it's perfect. It's so good, in fact, you won't even mind getting dolled up to eat it. They won't let you into the dining room in casual attire, so bust out that clip-on bowtie and slurp some down for us too. C M F S*

* Only if you happen to live in the adjacent Barclay building and consider your Prada loungewear "sweats."

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Key

C: Creamy goodness.
H: Homestyle (even if it's got nothin' on Mom's).
M: A hearty meal by itself.
A: Appetizer only; order more food if you're craving sustenance.
D: Perfect for delivery.
F: Fancy-schmancy, so dress up.
S: Comfort food when you're home sick in sweats.