A reader asks: “In the summer especially, I have a craving for two soups – cold soups. Gazpacho and vichyssoise. Am I being unrealistic that these can be found in Tacoma, except haphazardly as a special someplace? Thanks for any input.”

This is where you come in: Can you help a reader out? Where have you found those summer soups?

I went looking and found a few places that offer gazpacho as a sometimes special – Morso Wine Bar in Gig Harbor served gazpacho as a special last week. The Dock Street Sandwich Company in Tacoma has gazpacho occasionally as a special. It was earlier this month at Social Bar & Grill that I found an apple gazpacho that is on the menu for the immediate future. It was a great find – as complicated as it was colorful and a bargain at two bucks a cup.

The soup had more creaminess than what’s expected of gazpacho – Social chef/partner Rodel Borromeo uses yogurt instead of bread to thicken the soup. It still has the graininess that a good gazpacho carries, said Borromeo by phone, but yogurt lightens the texture some. The flavors were fresh and summery – apple with cucumber and mint with a nutty backbone of almonds. I resisted the urge to knock it back – it’s served in what looks like an oversized shot glass. The gazpacho was colorfully finished with dots of chili and herb oil. This is a bargain starter – it’s two bucks.

News from Borromeo: He’s working on late summer specials now. A veggie burger, made from a portabello stuffed with quinoa and black beans, was just added to the menu and he’s considering revisiting the frisee and pear-duck confit salad he featured on the menu last year. Take a look at the salad, it was one of my favorite salads from Social’s late summer 2011 dinner menu. Think of it as a spin on salade aux lardons – with frisee, a puckery vinaigrette and cubes of pork fat (lardons) paired with pear wedges and crispy duck confit with a mustard sauce.

Social Bar and Grill
Where: 1715 Dock St., Tacoma
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily
Contact: 253-301-3835 or www.thesocialbarandgrill.com