If you have never been to a chili cook off, you have been missing out on an importantly fantastic aspect of life. Earlier this month, I attended the 11th Annual Jack Daniel's Chili Cook Off, held at Boystown's Sidetracks bar.
There must have been at least 15 chili recipes to be had. Some exhibiters included Sprout, Hamburger Mary's, Chicago Diner, Seven Ten Lanes (Hyde Park), Kitsch’n On Roscoe, F. O’Mahony, Jack’s on Halsted, Hotel 71, Lucky Strike Lanes, J & L Catering, Aja Restaurant at the Dana, Hotel & Spa, The Mid America Club and Rockit Bar & Grill.
Each was extraordinarily different from the last. Chocolate stout; Jack Daniel's, 312 and bacon enriched; chicken; beanless and vegan chili were just some of the options of note. Most had their own cornbread sides (one was a fried tube, another a vegan muffin made of blue corn) and toppings (bacon, guac, cheese ball, mango salsa, and even gold fish).
Needless to say, our stomachs both loved and hated us by the time we exited the bar.
