Texas Chili Parlor

[gsoda3 3236]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Love that place.  My only problem is XX isn't hot enough but XXX is too hot for my tastes.  I was hemming and hawing one day and the exasperated waiter said "look, I'll have  them make you a bowl of half and half".

Oh.  Good idea.  It was perfect.  /nocsb

the XXX is inconsistent in its heat level.  first time i had it it was surprisingly mild.  next time my mouth was on fire.  time after that back to not so bad.  i always get a small order of it to go with my enchiladas and it's funny watching the kids try it. never know what you're gonna get.

[jimmyjazz 45560]

10 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

the XXX is inconsistent in its heat level.  first time i had it it was surprisingly mild.  next time my mouth was on fire.  time after that back to not so bad.  i always get a small order of it to go with my enchiladas and it's funny watching the kids try it. never know what you're gonna get.

Yeah, I had a handyman who used to cook there do some work on my previous house.  He said they only had one chili powder that they made in house, and they just added more to go from X --> XX --> XXX.  That's why the hotter versions are more flavorful, in addition to spicier, because you're getting more garlic powder, cumin, oregano, etc.  But, chiles vary in heat from batch to batch, so it drives some inconsistency.

Edited October 12, 2023 by jimmyjazz

[pyrohornIII 4809]

2 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

A buddy and I thought it would be cool to eat there before seeing Guy at the Union Ballroom one night. We walk in and there’s Guy and Verlon in the back booth having a pre show meal. Shouldn’t have been surprised but we both thought it was cool as shit. 

Think I might have been at that show.  The one I attended was in the fall of 98 or 99?   

There used to be an Italian place catty corner to the Parlor that was pretty good.  RIght next to Rick's(?) which was a pretty cool piano bar.  Long gone now.

[Celery Man 20886]

i'm surprised I don't have a better picture of chili parlor enchiladas somewhere in my archive. man that makes me hungry

Edited October 12, 2023 by Celery Man

[SydneyCarton 47885]

4 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

i'm surprised I don't have a better picture of chili parlor enchiladas somewhere in my archive. man that makes me hungry

You should post that in the Enchilda thread on Food and Travel, and tag IrishTexan. He'd be furious to summon him to the Cloakroom, but homeboy misses him some Dart Bowl enchiladas. The world should be made aware. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by SydneyCarton

[4th&Five 41461]

41 minutes ago, pyrohornIII said:

Think I might have been at that show.  The one I attended was in the fall of 98 or 99?   

There used to be an Italian place catty corner to the Parlor that was pretty good.  RIght next to Rick's(?) which was a pretty cool piano bar.  Long gone now.

This was probably '04 or '05.  JT Van Zandt opened.

[Brisketexan 104628]

Pretty sure I shared this one before.  20+ years ago, I was part of a group of lawyers that put on a show to raise money for volunteer legal services.  Required rehearsals, that sort of thing.  So, one night, we're rehearsing around the corner.  4 of us are in a skit early in the show, and then not in anything till much later.  So, we rehearse our skit, and then have time to kill.  Chili Parlor is a block away.  We scoot on over and sit at the bar -- $1 PBRs.  Gonna be a good night.  We sit there drinking beer and bullshitting.  Are any of us checking the time?  Of course not.

After maybe an hour and a half, we're still sitting there drinking.  It's late on a weeknight, nobody there but us and the bartender.  All of the sudden, like in a damned movie, the front door comes flying open, letting in the outside neon light to shine into the pretty dim bar.  It's one of my buddies' wife (she was also a lawyer, and involved in the show).  "GODDAMMIT BOB SMITH!  WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU.  YOUR PART CAME UP TEN MINUTES AGO.  LET'S GO, NOW!"  Buddy hops up and runs out the door, door swings shut.  Dead silence at the bar.  One of my remaining buddies looks at us, then the bartender, grinning....."that....was fucking AWESOME!"  We all laughed our asses off.  Finished our beers, then walked back over (we got back just in time for the next part of OUR role in the show, no problems).

[SydneyCarton 47885]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Pretty sure I shared this one before.  20+ years ago, I was part of a group of lawyers that put on a show to raise money for volunteer legal services.  Required rehearsals, that sort of thing.  So, one night, we're rehearsing around the corner.  4 of us are in a skit early in the show, and then not in anything till much later.  So, we rehearse our skit, and then have time to kill.  Chili Parlor is a block away.  We scoot on over and sit at the bar -- $1 PBRs.  Gonna be a good night.  We sit there drinking beer and bullshitting.  Are any of us checking the time?  Of course not.

After maybe an hour and a half, we're still sitting there drinking.  It's late on a weeknight, nobody there but us and the bartender.  All of the sudden, like in a damned movie, the front door comes flying open, letting in the outside neon light to shine into the pretty dim bar.  It's one of my buddies' wife (she was also a lawyer, and involved in the show).  "GODDAMMIT BOB SMITH!  WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU.  YOUR PART CAME UP TEN MINUTES AGO.  LET'S GO, NOW!"  Buddy hops up and runs out the door, door swings shut.  Dead silence at the bar.  One of my remaining buddies looks at us, then the bartender, grinning....."that....was fucking AWESOME!"  We all laughed our asses off.  Finished our beers, then walked back over (we got back just in time for the next part of OUR role in the show, no problems).

Everyone should have thanked you. I'm sure once your performed your grisly version of Fat Guy Kabuki Theater, complete with chili and beer gas, everyone would have wished you'd stayed at the CP. 

[Brisketexan 104628]

Just now, SydneyCarton said:

Everyone should have thanked you. I'm sure once your performed your grisly version of Fat Guy Kabuki Theater, complete with chili and beer gas, everyone would have wished you'd stayed at the CP. 

It's worse.  I'm pretty sure the skit I was in called on me to impersonate Dennis Miller (topical at the time).  I wasn't good.  At all.

Oh, and I didn't eat any chili.  I was just there for the PBR, man.  Priorities.

[SydneyCarton 47885]

18 hours ago, safe sex said:

 

Eh. It's not entirely desolate.

 

 

[Longhorn_Fan68 33843]

6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Love that place.  My only problem is XX isn't hot enough but XXX is too hot for my tastes.  I was hemming and hawing one day and the exasperated waiter said "look, I'll have  them make you a bowl of half and half".

Oh.  Good idea.  It was perfect.  /nocsb

man, you're a priss in real life too? lol, j/k. but seriously, order a bowl of each, mix your own, take the rest home. you got this

[texasdago 7553]

The family has a clear weekend and I'm thinking it might be a good weekend to go get some chili... preferably for dinner when everyone is at ACL.

[jimmyjazz 45560]

On 10/12/2023 at 2:03 PM, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

man, you're a priss in real life too? lol, j/k. but seriously, order a bowl of each, mix your own, take the rest home. you got this

I was headed for Disch-Falk, late spring.  I'm pretty sure those leftovers would have been weapons of mass destruction 4 hours later.

[dcbc 14410]

On 10/12/2023 at 10:14 AM, BeardIP said:

This is insight I could have used.

I've been to TCP 2 or 3x and each time was underwhelmed by the chili. Like, it was mediocre compared to the chili that I and my family have been raised on and made and it was confusing how it was so popular outside of the location and venue and history. 

I'll go back soon adn get the enchiladas next time for sure. Especially after my last trip to El Patio didn't scratch the itch like it used to.

The tamales aren't bad either.

[CooterBrown 17913]

In the late 90s, I sat next to Quentin Tarantino at lunch.  He had the chili enchiladas and a couple of Shiners. Respect.  

[wackawacka 169]

Would love some chili right now. damn, I am missing food in Texas

[UnivTex34 1763]

…

Edited October 21, 2023 by UnivTex34
Wrong thread

[texasdago 7553]

I swear I need to get the family over there this weekend 

[UncleBuck 6446]

On 10/11/2023 at 10:35 PM, Celery Man said:

Interesting - certainly I’d take your word on it but I’d heard from staff several times that it wasn’t a menu item until after the song. Maybe they’re misinformed, or maybe it just wasn’t officially listed on the menu until later.

I don't believe it was a menu item, but it did exist from everything I've heard. If you ordered one, they knew what you were talking about. 

[UncleBuck 6446]

On 10/12/2023 at 7:51 AM, 4th&Five said:

A buddy and I thought it would be cool to eat there before seeing Guy at the Union Ballroom one night. We walk in and there’s Guy and Verlon in the back booth having a pre show meal. Shouldn’t have been surprised but we both thought it was cool as shit. 

I actually emailed Verlon Thompson about a Guy lyric once, as I figured he'd be the best one to ask, and it was easy to find his email address. He answered back in like five minutes with an "I'm not sure," but gave as best of an explanation as he could.