Our critics pick their favorite soups

Hot soup on a cold winter's day is a whole-body experience. The steam rising from the surface fogs up your glasses. As it makes its way down, the soup warms your mouth, throat, chest and belly - a really great soup can even warm your toes. And soup served in a high-sided bowl lets you cup your hands around it so you can warm them up, too.

Soup is also an occasion for culinary artistry, and these are local masterpieces.

Peter M. Gianotti's picks

STRESA

1524 Northern Blvd., Manhasset

516-365-6956

THE SOUP Campagnola

THE COST $10.50

Campagnola is made with white and black beans, lentils and chickpeas, with chicken stock as a base. This rustic and refined production is finished under a pastry lid and looks a little like a homey, humble version of Paul Bocuse's classic black-truffle soup.

H2O SEAFOOD GRILL

215 W. Main St., Smithtown

631-361-6464

THE SOUP New England clam chowder

THE COST $7

In the opening passage of "Moby-Dick," when Ishmael feels a "damp, drizzly November" in his soul, Melville figures it's time for his whaler to go to sea. An alternative: New England-style clam chowder, specifically one with applewood-smoked bacon.

EMILIO'S

2201 Jericho Tpke., Commack

631-462-6267

THE SOUP Pasta e fagioli

THE COST $3.95, cup; $7.95, bowl

Finding pasta e fagioli on Long Island is like coming across sand on Jones Beach. Pre-pizza, or other main dish, consider this hearty, bracing, very satisfying one made with white beans, ditalini pasta, chicken stock and a tint of tomato.

Joan Reminick's picks

PINE AIRE FISH & DELI

140 Pine Aire Dr., Bay Shore

631-231-4467

THE SOUP Sopa de pescado

THE COST $12.99

Is soup a meal? That overriding question is answered with a resounding "yes" at this colorful El Salvadoran seafood restaurant adjacent to a fish market. A big bowl of sopa de pescado yields a haul of shrimp, clams and at least one fat slab of red snapper, all swimming in a fragrant, heady brew laced with chopped fresh cilantro. What more does one need?

LL DENT

221 Old Country Rd., Carle Place

516-742-0940

lldent.com

THE SOUP Toby's Georgia hash

THE COST $2.95, cup; $4.95, bowl

Southern chef Leisa Dent is justifiably proud of her late father's specialty, Toby's Georgia hash. It's a spicy, pork-laced gumbo that falls somewhere between a soup and stew; a bowlful is all you need to banish the winter blues.

SHOW WIN

325 Fort Salonga Rd., Northport

631-261-6622

sushishowwin.com

THE SOUP Clam

THE COST $2.95

Forego the usual miso at this Northport Japanese restaurant; instead, seek out the quintessentially soothing clam soup. It's made with whole clams in an oceanic broth that floats shards of fresh ginger; each sliver of aromatic root bursts with flavor when crunched.

POLLOS AL PAISA

989 Old Country Rd., Westbury

516-338-5858

THE SOUP Chicken

THE COST $3.20 small, $3.80 large.

Chicken soup has long been called "Jewish penicillin." For a soulful switch-up, how about Latin penicillin? At this sunny Colombian restaurant, the chicken soup virtually sings with flavor. It's loaded with poultry, (giblets and all) plus lots of vegetables. A shower of chopped fresh cilantro adds even more oomph. $3.20 small, $3.80 large.

Erica Marcus' picks

THE ORIENT

623 Hicksville Rd., Bethpage

516-822-1010

THE SOUP Tofu-spinach-pork soup

THE COST Small (serves 2) is $7.95; large (serves 4 to 6) is $10.95.

The broth of this soothing elixir, based on chicken but augmented with a little ginger and perhaps dried scallop, is light but rich, a perfect foil for the melting cubes of tofu, just-wilted spinach and still-tender pork. It's not on the menu, but is always available by request.

WINNIE'S

166 E. Main St., Bay Shore

631-665-9706

THE SOUP Billi Bi

THE COST $3.95, cup; $4.95, bowl

Tony Belucci, chef-owner of the decidedly modest Winnie's, delights in the tony provenance of his classic mussel bisque, Billi Bi, "named for an American living in Paris, William B. Leeds, who loved the mussel soup at Maxim's so much, they named it after him." Maxim's version couldn't be much finer than Winnie's, little more than mussels pureed into their saffron-tinged cooking broth, then garnished with more plump mussels. Call ahead to see if it's on the menu.

TEL AVIV

613 Middle Neck Rd., Great Neck

516-466-6136

THE SOUP Lentil herb

THE COST $6.25

Lentil soup can be a heavy-handed affair, but at Tel Aviv, its essential earthiness is brightened with herbs and spices to exotic effect. The soup is made with red lentils, smaller and more delicate than brown, and seasoned with a blend that the chef will not reveal. (I detect a note of cumin.) It's garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro and shards of toasted pita.