Lindy's Chili

A new Lindy's Chili recently opened on 24th and Laramie, so I stopped by to check it out last week. I was wanting to check out their claim to have "Chicago's best chili." All I can say is I hope not.

The chili was just OK, at best. I suppose I have had worse, but it escapes where at the moment. It was pretty thick, and came with or without beans. I got without. There was meat in it, but I'm not sure what kind. I suspect it was ground beef, but there wasn't much of it. There were no discernible pieces of onion, celery, peppers, etc. Everything was almost pureed. The taste was very bland. It needed a lot more chili powder and other spices to give it a little life. I was not impressed. I also had a hotdog, which was advertised as coming on a steamed bun. But it came on a hard stale bun, with a little onion and relish. No sport peppers, or other garnishes. Does anyone here actually like this chili?

Is the Lindy's at Archer and Western still there? That's the one I've tried and my reaction was pretty similar to yours. Given the hype about it being Chicago's best, and the excitement of the folks who took me there, I was astounded by its blandness. I went a couple of times after that and then just stopped going because I really didn't care for it.

Maybe it was selected as Chicago's best by members of Lindy's family . . .

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Is the Lindy's at Archer and Western still there? That's the one I've tried and my reaction was pretty similar to yours. Given the hype about it being Chicago's best, and the excitement of the folks who took me there, I was astounded by its blandness. I went a couple of times after that and then just stopped going because I really didn't care for it.

Maybe it was selected as Chicago's best by members of Lindy's family . . .

=R=

Yeah, if they were the Swedish branch of the Lindbergh family, I could understand their lack of expertise in chili.

Don't know about the one on Archer and Western being open or not. If I happen to drive by I'll scope it out for signs of life, but I don't think I'll be stopping.

ronnie_suburban wrote:Is the Lindy's at Archer and Western still there? That's the one I've tried and my reaction was pretty similar to yours. Given the hype about it being Chicago's best, and the excitement of the folks who took me there, I was astounded by its blandness.

Yeah its still there.
Oddly enough the best Chili I had in the area came from Sunset Foods in Northbrook.

After buying some Bishop's Chili a few weeks ago...

Bishop's Famous Chili
250 N. Cass Ave
Westmont, IL
(630) 852-5974

... and bringing it home for dinner, my bride and I were discussing it's merits.

It was a somewhat thin with a fine grind ground beef with a few beans for interest. Cumin was very light of existent at all. The bay leaf flavor was a touch heavy.

Bishop's has been around since 1925 and at one point had several restaurants in the Chicago area and now they are down to the one remaining location. They were simple restaurants with a counter and a few tables and the food was kept in 3 steam table pots, two filled with chili and one with elbow macaroni. They also make there own chili sauce of which there were several varieties.

Back to the chili... My bride did not prefer their chili as hers is the chunky kind. A coarser grind of ground beef often with chunks, lots of beans, maybe a few stewed tomato chunks and a good flavor of cumin.

I attempted to convince her that she might like it better as a chili mac but she had already shut it down.

A week ago I was talking to my friend Howard and he mentioned how in Cincinnati there was a chili place practically on every corner and how these chili joints were almost nonexistent in Chicago. I urged him to describe the chili and his description was almost identical to Bishop's and the chili mentioned in this thread. The chili there was often eaten over spaghetti.

I do not mind Bishop's Chili. Good on a hot dog or just plain. Don't get me wrong as I love my wife's chili too.

Just different.

(The chili sauce was awesome on tamales!)

I find Bishop's chili to be just as mediocre as Lindy's. I had Bishop's once from their former Forest Park location, and once from Westmont, just to be sure the first time was not an off-day. It wasn't. I find it amazing that either one of these places actually ever had any legitimate claim to being "Chicago's best" chili. I make better chili without even trying, on a bad day. I don't get it.

Count me, and my family, as one's who likes Lindy's chili, especially at the Archer location. While I understand that for some it is nothing to get excited about, for us it is a family tradition, and one that I hope to long continue.

Even if I'm solo and in the neighborhood and just coming from a large meal, I can't help but belly up to the bar, for a bowl and a beer, as several generations of working class Chicagoans have before me.

-ramon

What is the deal with finely ground meat in chile?

If one starts with a fine grind then slow cook it the bits of meat will explode. However if one cubes the meat (1/2 to 1/3 of an inch) then sear and slow cook it the meat holds up much better.

That said, Quenchers at Fullerton and Western have a pretty good bowl of chile. Not perfect but I like it.

I would like to make some Texas style chili with nice healthy chunks of beef. Perhaps I could use the Alton Brown goulash method of preparing the meat?

I did a little Wiki walking and I think Lindy's and Bishop's are a traditional Cincinnati chili.

Cincinnati chili (or "Cincinnati-style chili") is a regional style of chili characteristically served over spaghetti or as a coney sauce.

Not bad, just different.

Ever try to eat a chili dog with a chili with beans and chunks of meat. Tastes good but very sloppy.

Panther in the Den wrote:I did a little Wiki walking and I think Lindy's and Bishop's are a traditional Cincinnati chili.

Cincinnati chili (or "Cincinnati-style chili") is a regional style of chili characteristically served over spaghetti or as a coney sauce.

Not bad, just different.

Ever try to eat a chili dog with a chili with beans and chunks of meat. Tastes good but very sloppy.

I think they're somewhat different. I haven't had Bishop's but I've had Lindy's and it's not really the same, flavor-wise. Cincinnati-style chili (Skyline) is almost sweet and has pronounced cinnamon note. Frankly, it reminds me of one component in pastichio.

=R=

Is the texture at Lindy's similar to Cincinnati?

Bishop's is somewhat sweet but bay leaf sweet(?).

From Wiki the Cincinnati chili chains also can and ship their product with these chains being mentioned...

Skyline
Gold Star
Empress
Dixie

I will check the major chain grocery stores when I am out shopping. Has anyone seen these on the shelves?

Panther in the Den wrote:Is the texture about the same?

Bishop's is somewhat sweet but bay leaf sweet(?).

Yes. Similar, uniform texture. Fine grind.

As for Skyline, the cinnamon is really strong. It's not in the background. It's way out front.

=R=

Does anyone know how Lindy's different locations are run? Are they franchised now? I ask because I know the guy who owns the Lindy's on Archer and Natoma and he isn't a Lindy, or a member of the family that originally started the chain, whatever their names may be.

Since the restaurants are not owned by the same people, does the food vary a great deal from location to location?

I work nearby and I'm always looking for lunch options beyond fast food.

Panther in the Den wrote:From Wiki the Cincinnati chili chains also can and ship their product with these chains being mentioned...

Skyline
Gold Star
Empress
Dixie

I will check the major chain grocery stores when I am out shopping. Has anyone seen these on the shelves?

You can generally find Skyline Chili frozen at Meijer's and Woodman's in this area.

Gold Star also sells frozen chili but I have not seen it in this area. Gold Star is also available in cans ... but not currently as it is canned in that plant that was recently closed.

Dixie Chili is a small operation and they do mail order.

Empress has been in decline for years although it was the original.

Stegner Foods canned some of the best Cincinnati Chili (as well as mock and real turtle soups). However, they closed down in 2005 after an ill-advised venture into MREs.

Personally, I have three family recipes that will produce a pretty good Cincinnati chili (and one contains NO cinnamon). Personally, I buy a Cincinnati Brand Chili Mix at the Kroger store in Cincinnati and use that as it is quick and simple (and darned close to all the recipes)

The key to getting the fine texture of the chili is to BOIL the ground beef (without browning the meat). I also feed the ground beef one grind at a time.

Hope that helps.

AngrySarah wrote:What is the deal with finely ground meat in chile?

Like parboiled/baked ribs, some people just prefer the style, that's all. I grew up on chili made with ground meat that's boiled down to a puree-like consistency, so I do have some appreciation for the style. I personally make my chili more towards the Texas purist end of the spectrum, but my friends and family almost don't recognize the resulting stew as chili because, in my neighborhood, chili is soupy, finely ground, and almost always contains beans. It's also very tasty with a Tom-tom tamale thrown into it (the resulting concoction known as a "mother in law" around these parts, although that can also refer to a tamale and chile on a bun.)

Lindy's is most definitely not Cincinnati chili. Maybe consistency wise, but the spice profile is not even close. No cinnamon or all spice. The closest to Cinci that I've found in Chicago is at the Ramova grill. ...and admittedly it's even a stretch.

That being said, I did a comparative tasting of Chili's last year, and I found the bowl of "red" at Chuck's Southern comforts cafe in Burbank, was the best of about 13 places I tried locally. The Mexican chili profile and the chocolate overtones made this one of most interesting and complex bowls around.

I suspect this is an old, pre-WWII style of chili, which is inevitably going to seem bland to modern palates actually raised on Mexican food (which would have been as exotic as African food to the average Chicagoan of northern European ancestry back then).

It's not unlike a famous chili in Wichita, Manning's, which was sold in 1-lb. bricks for parties (their sign often advocated it, only partly joking, for catering at wedding receptions and the like). The stuff seemed bland as hell to me, and Wichita's a lot closer to Texas and jalapenos, geographically and culturally, than Chicago is, but it was hugely popular. Oddly enough, they never exploited the apparent fact that it was delivered by someone who's sung at the Met and La Scala.

I was in Cincy last month. I went to Skyline Chili. It was spaghetti noodles as a base. Thin chili all over and topped with shredded cheddar. The chili was watery and STRONGLY spiced with cinnamon. It was amazing how strong it was. The first bite was strange on the tongue. After that, it was decent. I wouldn't travel for the chili. If you are in Cincy, give it a try.

merkay wrote:Does anyone know how Lindy's different locations are run? Are they franchised now?

Since the restaurants are not owned by the same people, does the food vary a great deal from location to location? .

Looks like a franchse to me.
http://www.lindyschili.com/locations.html

I know when I was little all the places that were gerties became lindys and vice versa

tryingthisout69 wrote:I was in Cincy last month. I went to Skyline Chili. It was spaghetti noodles as a base. Thin chili all over and topped with shredded cheddar. The chili was watery and STRONGLY spiced with cinnamon. It was amazing how strong it was. The first bite was strange on the tongue. After that, it was decent. I wouldn't travel for the chili. If you are in Cincy, give it a try.

I would have tried it, until I read your comments.

OG Lindys location (archer & Western) is back open after being closed for a few months and i couldn't be any happier!

I love this place because its right by my apartment and has a decent bar. Where else can you get a shot, a beer, and the best Mother in Law in Chicago all while watching football and listening to fantastic South Side tavern talk.

See you there tonight!

Thanks for the update! I've been waiting for it to reopen. It's one of our usual weeknight "don't feel like cooking" spots. The chili reminds me of a good version of the Southwest Side hot dog stand chili I grew up with, so I like it well enough. It's good enough to eat on its own, unlike Skyline chili, which is more like a spaghetti sauce. I love that stuff, too, but I really can't see eating it on its own. It needs spaghetti and that mound of shredded cheese at the very least. Or to be put on a hot dog. Skyline hot dogs are kind of terrible, but with the chili, they somehow hit the spot.

The Archer/Natoma location has excellent fries, and a chili fry is about as good of an example of the dish I've had.

The chili seems meatier than ever last night!

Its certainly not the most complex chili, but i love it as a topping for the most part. Last year i had a strange addiction to the Lindys chili on top of a pizza puff to accompany my beer. Lots of heartburn.

I love the fact that you can get it with beans (for the Chow Poodle), or in a proper beanless version for actual chili lovers.

Had lunch here late last week. Pretty underwhelmed with the chilli no beans. Chilli was average at best. Too greasy and no flavor other than tomato. The place just reopened with change in ownership, remodled bath, and coat of paint. Hopefully, the new owners will catch on and things will improve.

mrbrowncanmoo wrote:Had lunch here late last week. Pretty underwhelmed with the chilli no beans. Chilli was average at best. Too greasy and no flavor other than tomato. The place just reopened with change in ownership, remodled bath, and coat of paint. Hopefully, the new owners will catch on and things will improve.

Have you had Lindy's before? Just wondering if you're comparing it to itself or other chilis. Lindy's is generally an underwhelming experience if you're expecting "normal" chili.

Binko wrote:

mrbrowncanmoo wrote:Had lunch here late last week. Pretty underwhelmed with the chilli no beans. Chilli was average at best. Too greasy and no flavor other than tomato. The place just reopened with change in ownership, remodled bath, and coat of paint. Hopefully, the new owners will catch on and things will improve.

Have you had Lindy's before? Just wondering if you're comparing it to itself or other chilis. Lindy's is generally an underwhelming experience if you're expecting "normal" chili.

I enjoy Lindys chilli as more of a topping than anything else. I usually just sit at the bar and have a few beers with a few tom tom tamales covered in chili. Nice winter snack