Alf of all Trades...
By: Laura Sabo 
Drive down SE Belmont Street in the inner southeast section of Portland, and you’re sure to smell the aroma of potage, aka, soup bubbling out of the kitchen of Alf’s Soup Haus. The Belmont District is a combination retail and residential area that urbanized around the first trolley line in East Portland in 1888, with Belmont developing commercial businesses at the trolley stops with housing in between.
Scattered among the coffee shops and restaurants of today are a mix of Victorian, Craftsman and Bungalow-style homes, and in the middle of it all sits Popp & Co. Catering and Events housing Alf’s Soup Haus, which had its opening day on April 6, 2009.
Chef Alf ladling soupThe owners of Popp & Co. and Alf’s Soup Haus are the husband and wife team of Alf and Dorcas Popp. Chef Alf was born in Austria, cooking his way through Switzerland, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, The Philippines and various parts of the United States, including Washington DC, New Orleans, Oklahoma and Oregon. Dorcas, hailing from Texas, has a background in the food and beverage side of the hotel industry.
With the decrease of catered events and the increase of people looking for opportunities to cut corners, the Popp’s are offering Land-of-the-Giant sized portions of soup and bread for $5.00 during the lunch and dinner hours. All soups are seasonal, organic, and affordable, and are available for take-out or dining inside their catering kitchen at one of three large wooden tables.
On the day of my visit, there were four tantalizing choices — Buffalo Chili, Clam Chowder, Vegetable Beef and Gumbo. While there are not many things I like as well as soup, it was painstakingly difficult to choose only one so Chef Alf, in his inimitable Austrian demeanor, generously offered me two bowls. Actually, he offered all of them but I regained composure at two.
The Clam Chowder was rich and velvety smooth with the perfect amount of spice and the Gumbo was chalk-full of okra, sausage, red pepper and celery. The soups were accompanied by a homemade biscuit, warm and bubbly fresh from the oven served with pats of butter. Frequent soup slurpers earn one free soup after they have 10 soup purchases on their punch card. Better yet – Alf’s Soup Haus will donate the free meal to a local soup kitchen.
When Chef Alf’s not ladling soup, he caters, prepares Studio Dinners for 10-30 guests and features a Weekly Chef’s Table on Friday nights with wine, nibbles and a four-course dinner for up to a maximum of 30 fortunate individuals. The Chef’s Table has a seasonal menu alternating between meat and fish every other week.
So if you are feeling down in the dumps because of the weather, the economy or just want a piping hot bowl of awesome Austrian soup, head over to Alf’s Soup Haus. Like their business card touts, “We Put Our Reputation on Your Plate.”
www.AlfsSoupHaus.com(Monday-Friday 11-2 and 4-6)
www.poppcompany.com
(503) 233-8121
2420 SE Belmont, PDX
off the vine
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