Austin's best cold-day soups

The big picture: For all the allure of Austin's many trendy new restaurants, sometimes you want to hit an oldie-but-goodie, the kind of place where the food is reliably very good, the service is easy and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Details: Joined by Axios Austin reader Tommy M., we ordered the tomato-and-coconut soup, sweet, bright and toasty, and a hearty Tuscan white bean soup — both right for a windy, brisk afternoon — and the Lami — grilled salami and fresh mozzarella on toasted multigrain bread with fresh spinach, tomato, and a dark and gooey balsamic reduction.

• In general, the sandwiches here — a tuna nicoise, an apple pork, a portabella, to name a few — are thoughtfully conceived and constructed.
• They're filling without leaving you overfull.

🏆 Pro tip: Don't sleep on FoodHeads' pickles — it's what you'd get if your cukes died and were royally embalmed. I mean that in a good way.

The bottom line: For a bite that's comfortable and comforting, sometimes an old standby is just what you want.