Super-Duper

You have to love a restaurant like Soup’R Natural (17114 York Road, Parkton, 443-491-3464) that features a freshly made version of the owners’ wedding-cake recipe for dessert. The moist one-layer carrot cake with rich cream-cheese frosting looks homemade, but that’s the point at this cute farmhouse-like building, where fresh and natural ingredients are the focus of the seasonal menu. For breakfast, the Hereford Zone comforts with two eggs (fried or scrambled), one side (like home fries with fresh herbs), and bread (try the whole-wheat pita). For dinner, go for the barbecue chicken drums and thighs or nutty Cajun catfish supper. Or stop by at midday, where ladies who lunch, construction workers, and families quickly fill the place to order sumptuous sandwiches, delicious soups, and crisp salads. We caught an end-of-the-season gazpacho (with a hint of mint) and paired it (soup and salad combo, $9) with the portachoke salad—diced portobellos, artichoke hearts, tiny cut green beans, and mixed greens superbly dressed with a tangy, mustardy nasturtium vinaigrette. Iced tea in a Mason jar is nice touch, too. Clearly, the Heneghan family, who runs the place, knows what they’re doing.