Theme Day: Comfort Food

 Frieda's Enchiladas with Venison Chili, served at Texas Chili Parlor. These always bring us comfort. 

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of our colleagues post on this score. 

Good idea!

The sign outside Texas Chili Parlor where we ate this afternoon. They must have had it up
during the cold snap last week. It was warm today. 

Pork Two-Alarm Chili

 Nothing like this on a winter's night to feed the soul. 

Bowl of red.

Sometimes you just need to dial it back and get a bowl of veggie chili at Austin Chili Parlor!

Better ingredients, better chili.

Here was the partial array of ingredients one of the contestants in the chili cook-off behind Jo's Coffee was displaying.

Cheese toast with that chili!

These chefs were dealing out pieces of Texas toast with cheese spread on them to go along with their chili at a recent Chili Cook-off on South Congress.

My Texas Chili Parlor Favorite

Occasionally we walk up to the Texas Chili Parlor near 15th and Lavaca and each order our favorite. Mine is usually Freida's Enchiladas, cheese enchiladas covered with your choice of chili (my choice is meat 1X) with rice and sauteed veggies. I usually get a beer but on this occasion I had water.

A Chili Institution

For over thirty years, this tiny spot, The Texas Chili Parlor, has dealt out 'bowls of red,' Texas chili in three heats (X, XX and XXX) with no beans! Oh, they have other items: burgers, enchiladas. Lots of cold beer. Steeped in tradition and easily accessible from the Capitol (it's between 14th and 15th on Lavaca) and the University, it has fueled political deals, students and UT football fans since 1976. I snapped this picture of the modest front one day as we headed from downtown to the University on a museum crawl. It opened shortly after I made Austin my hometown forever!