Recipe Friday: Super Bowl Chili!

As you probably know, I consider chili to be one of the major food groups. It's yummy. It's filling.
And it's absolutely perfect for cold weather and Super Bowl parties!

I came to love chili while eating at Hard Times in Alexandria, Virgina. Fortunately for my taste buds (but unfortunately for my waist line), I happened to work within a few blocks of that restaurant for the better part of the decade.

I got to know their four types of chili (Terlingua Red, Texas, Cincinatti, and Vegetarian) very well. As for my favorite -- it was a mix of Terlingua Red and Texas.

For those of you unfamiliar with these types of chilis, I'll do my best to describe them:

Texas chili is cooked in it's own juices, contains no tomato, has strong chili powder and cumin flavors, and is one of the spicier chilis. Terlingua Red is slightly less spicy, and has a tomato base (which gives it the red color).

So, a while ago I decided to try to make a hybrid of these two chilis. And after several tries, I think that I've finally got this one correct!

Click Read More for the details:

Poppas Hot Dogs (Mooresville)

Some of you may remember a recent post that included an article about Poppa's Hot Dogs. What I found strange about that post were the two extremely negative comments, left by readers, who really didn't like Poppas.

So, this made me want to go even more! I mean, would this place make it into my hall of shame??

Short answer: No.

Long answer: I actually enjoyed my meal there......

I walked in, and was greeted by a no-frills hot dog joint. Straight ahead, across a few tables there is the counter and behind it, a small kitchen. The walls are adorned with NASCAR memorabilia -- fenders, autographs, sheet metal from cars, and photos are in plan view. This makes sense, after all, this place is home to the local cable show "The Race Review" -- be sure to visit early to get onto the audience list.

I walked down the line to the left, to place my order. On my way to the register, I walked past a wall mounted menu. In addition to many other types of hot dogs, they also have Chicago, New Jersey, and Carolina style dogs. But I already knew what I wanted -- a chili dog. So I placed my order for two chili dogs (I interpreted the menu to read that the 2 chili dogs were part of one order. It read "Best of two great dogs..." I was wrong and would up paying for two separate chili dogs, this increased the price, but really, they were still cheap).

The dogs were prepared quickly, and in about 3 minutes my order was called. I picked them up and this is what I saw. Two dogs, in steamed buns, covered with chili and nacho cheese. This isn't a specific type of chili, just kinda s general chili. Bot dogs were covered in the perfect amount of chili and cheese. Enough to fill you up, but not enough to make a mess. In fact it was so perfect, I never used the fork and knife!

I gotta admit, these were the best chili dogs that I've had in the greater Charlotte area. I've tried chili dogs in Charlotte, Huntersville, and Davidson, and none of them compare to the chili dogs at Poppas. The buns were soft, but not too mushy. The chili was spicy and meaty. It was great, but didn't overwhelm the flavor of the dog. In addition, the nacho cheese was actually good (and I usually hate nacho cheese)!

All in all, a mouthwatering meal, that left my tummy full, and me letting out a notch on my belt!

Score:
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5 (service was quick, but I'm taking one point for the misleading menu)
Total: 9/15

Price: $
Kid Friendly: Yes

Conclusion: A REALLY good chili dog, for a really good price. This place is no frills, and the napkins are paper towels. But the food delivery speed, flavor, and value are very good.

Restaurant Info:
Poppa's Hot Dogs
510 River Hwy # 13
Mooresville, NC
p) 704-664-7677
http://www.gtkdata.com/

Hot Dogs and Chili in Mooresville...

Hey everybody, I'm swamped today, so I won't be able to post a restaurant review. BUT, I did want to share a GREAT article by Joe Marusak at the Charlotte Observer. It talks about Poppa's Hot Dogs -- a hot dog and Chili place on 150 in Mooresville.

Personally, I think this place sounds great. And since I love me a chili dog, I'll be going here soon.

But I'd like to hear from you... have you been to Poppa's Hot Dogs? How was it??

Here's the link:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/275/story/982178.html

Lupie's Cafe (Huntersville)

Over the past 18 months, I've grown to like it here. The winters are mild, the backyards are big, and the people are friendly. But I just found another reason to like the Lake Norman area -- Lupie's Cafe.

I walked in to Lupie's yesterday not knowing what I'd find. I knew only two things about Lupie's Cafe. 1) It's across the street from the Huntersville City Hall, and 2) It's across the parking lot from Toast. So, with that limited knowledge, I walked in the door hoping to find a good meal. But I found something even better... CHILI!!

In case you didn't know, I love me some chili. For the better part of a decade, I worked near a chili restaurant called Hard Times. Hard Times has some amazing chili that is put on everything from fries and salads, to burgers and hot dogs. You name it, they'll top it with chili. So, after I moved here, I suffered some serious chili withdrawal. And on the few occasions that I ordered chili dogs in area restaurants, I was seriously disappointed.

Until yesterday, that is.

After I took a seat at Lupie's and ordered a sweet tea, I looked over the menu. I quickly settled on a Big Dog with Texas Chili. I was excited, the last time I had a good Chili Dog was when I last visited Hard Times, so I was anxious to see if an area restaurant could deliver the goods. Fortunately, they did.

The Big Dog is at least 1/4 lb of meat in a large toasted hot-dog bun with sesame seeds. It was then topped with Texas style chili, onions, and cheese. (Thank goodness I wasn't on a date with my wife -- after this meal, my breath would have made her run for the hills!) One of the things I liked most about this dog was the fact that I didn't need a fork to eat it. The bun was large enough to contain the chili so I could eat it with my hands without spilling. Truly an amazing feat of hot dog engineering!

Remaining true to the Texas style, this chili wasn't made with tomatoes, and apparently was simmered with beer for six hours. The chili had plenty of flavor and a slight kick of heat. Enough heat so I could notice, but not enough so that my tongue was on fire. I'll definitely need to try their chili mac when I get a chance.

The only disappointment during the meal was the generic potato chips. A chili dog needs fries, IMHO. However, the chili dog was big enough to fill me up, so I only had a couple of chips anyhow.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/15
Price: $ (meal AND drink were under $6)
Kid Friendly: Yes. But you might want to think twice about feeding your child chili if he/she is still in diapers!

Conclusion: One of the best values around. The service was quick and friendly. And the food was quite tasty. I'll definitely recommend this place to my friends.

Restaurant Info:
Lupie's Cafe
101-A Old Statesville Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-948-3959
http://www.lupiescafe.com/