[singlepic id=289 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=right]Last night, I was in Nick’s Restaurant in Laguna Beach with friends from Denver. Same rowdy buzz, same friendly service BUT they’ve changed up their menu.

No more fabulous beet salad!

No more award-winning short rib soup!

(At that point, I couldn’t even ask what else had changed. I was already devastated.)

Now, being a significant fan of beets, I liked Nick’s beet salad, but I can probably live without it. But their short rib soup? Are you kidding? If you’ll remember, Nick’s Short Rib Soup was #2 of my Top 12 Soups in all of Laguna Beach and, let me tell you, that was a hard-fought battle achieving that position.

What on earth would make them replace that succulent wonder with split-pea soup?

I recovered well enough to thoroughly enjoy my Ahi Salad (several squares of rare Ahi nicely accompanied with a unique fresh veggie salad that sported super-sleuth jalapeno shavings). The two girls at my table (Emily and Alexa) raved about their fish and chips, and my buddy Don was relatively pleased with his ribeye melt (a bit on the greasy side) …

All in all, another very decent dinner at Nick’s Laguna Beach, but I’m afraid I’ll be longing for that Short Rib Soup every time I enter Nick’s, or even drive by the place from this day forward. What a terrible loss we’ve suffered.

The next time you’re in Nick’s, ask them when they’re bringing back their Short Rib Soup. Hopefully, we can do a favor for ourselves and all mankind by instigating the soup’s return.

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