It’s cold. You need soup. Not from a can. Not as an excuse to cast-off New Year’s Eve party leftovers. Soup that’s handmade, hearty, robust. And not just warm. No, no. Face-of-the-sun temperatures to fill your stomach, warm your bones, get the blood going, start 2019 off right.

It’s safe to assume most of us refer to restaurants by their names 95 percent of the time. But sometimes, maybe after a long and stressful day, it’s “you know, that place next to the grocery store!” Or in the case of Lafayette’s “Secret Chinese Restaurant” (which I’ve heard will reopen soon after renovations), you refer to it by its unexpected location at the back of a grocery store.

At Bistro 501, perhaps the only thing larger than the portions are those beckoning windows. If you’ve ever strolled down Main Street in Lafayette, you’ve no doubt gazed through them — curious about the fowl-themed interior décor … and likely envious of the food folks are enjoying inside.

A friend’s recent Facebook callout for favorite eateries yielded some surprising choices and the opportunity to realize that our area’s culinary cachet is, indeed, mighty fine.

The building at 119 N. River Road in West Lafayette has always been a bit of an odd duck. Getting in or out is tricky. The first floor is tiny. Parking is … a gamble. (More on that later.)

When you open an atypically high utility bill, plenty of questions run through your head … along with that DUN-DUN-DUNNNNN music.

Everybody’s got their favorite weather app. Some even toss colorful words into the forecast that may miraculously match up to your feelings about this year’s meteorological maelstrom.

Sure, Sunday alcohol in Indiana is no longer a plan-ahead situation. But cheers to the craft brewers who helped us kick off the week with a growler well before this year.

In Japanese mythology, the yatagarasu is a three-legged crow whose arrival guided emperors toward periods of positivity and promise after hardship and strife.

As I write this, it’s barely mid-November. But I’ve already found new holiday music to recommend and written a story on handmade candy-canes, so … this Thanksgiving-first guy accepts the holidays are here.

Again, I hope you enjoy reading this column as much I do writing it and that it’s inspired you to discover exciting, entertaining experiences to savor and share throughout the year.