This annual event, which benefits culinary programs at the nearby School for International Studies, is also an occasion for participating kitchens to push their usual culinary boundaries. Indeed, several of the soups would fit right in with the new collection of edible mashups from Real Cheap Eats, both for their price ($1 per 4-ounce sample) and for their border-bending sensibilities. Shown: from Nightingale 9, a congee made from nutty Carolina gold rice, with crumbled sausage and biscuit croutons; from Shelsky's, chowder prepared with smoked whitefish; and, from Jolie Cantina, seafood being prepped for a Mexican-inflected bouillabaisse. Also shown: from Provence en Boite, lobster bisque. There's always room for a classic.
Smith Street Soup Festival
Smith St. between Atlantic Ave. and 2nd St., Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
(The 2013 festival was held on October 19)