Comfort in a bowl: JP Fitzgerald’s French onion soup

I’ve always loved food. (I mean, who doesn’t?) But if I went back in time to the moment I realized that food would forever be one of the most important things in my life, it would have to be 5-year-old Mark peeling the melted cheese off of my mom’s crock of French onion soup at JP Fitzgerald’s in Hamburg.

Overflowing with golden, bubbly brown provolone, I would rip the melted cheese off the side of her crock as if it were a delicious band-aid. From that point on, my palate was set. I was drawn to gooey, salty and sweet taste profiles—perfect for the Buffalo appetite.

Legend has it that King Louis XV of France invented the soup after coming home from his hunting cabin late one night to only find butter, champagne and onions. But I cast serious doubts that a king ever cooked his own food. French onion soup has always been made by the people, for the people. It first became popularized in Ancient Rome because onions were a simple crop, and wheat, flour and bran were available for breadmaking. It was a dish that everyone could make—wealthy Romans could afford wheat flour, while the poor often used bran, the hard outer layers of the grain.

For a dish made from only a few simple ingredients, you must be wondering what makes the one from this Irish pub so special. First, the outside of the crock is completely covered with melted cheese, whereas other places keep it neat and contained within. And the cheese on top is not overcooked, so it keeps that stretchy, soft consistency.

As soon as you first put your spoon in, the soup overflows the crock like Ham Porter’s cannonball in The Sandlot. The bread soaks into the brandy-infused broth just enough where the bread doesn’t break down completely, while the caramelized onions provide the last silky layer of texture.

Whether I’m having a bad day, or it’s just too cold out, I can always seek comfort in a bowl of my favorite French onion soup.

Mark Goodwin is one of the food-obsessed locals behind Instagram’s @BuffaloEats.