Spicy Soup with Sassy Miki-san

What do you crave on one of the coldest of January nights, one with strong winds and an ominous dove-gray sky foretelling an immanent snowstorm soon to arrive? Miki S got the answer right: spicy, warming soup. And plenty of it.

Nestled on Miki's comfy sofa, amidst her toile fantasia of a living room, Cafe Drake lapped with fervor at a huge, steaming bowl of a house specialty, Seafood & Tofu Chigae . Korean comfort food at its best (and most blazing), M's soup/stew begins with a fiery red chile broth, well-stocked with clams, squid, shrimp, scallions and fluffy clouds of soft tofu. Pour all over rice and top with a cracked egg and you have a home-cooking masterpiece. Along the way we picked at mounds of cold spinach seasoned with soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds and Japanese-style mixed nuts and rice crackers.

Of course, the always welcome Korean version of vodka - shochuu - was on hand, splashed with soda and lemon for a soothing counterpoint to the soup's delightful heat.