Chili Of Dah Month Club – Texas Chili Parlor

Guy S. did an magnificent job of organizing this UYE with great comrades, delectable delights and stimulating conversation. Texas Chili Parlor not only has great chili but very illustrious history. It has been an Austin institution since 1976 and I was honored to sit at the table with Larry E. who was quite the historian who started patronizing the eatery in 1977. I started with a Bloody Mary whilst I perused the menu. I had an idea what I already wanted but I ordered a sample bowl of the habanero and pinto bean chili with cheese and onions to top it off. The heat was just right and not overwhelming. For my main dish, I ordered the burrito filled with the black bean and Elgin sausage chili and extra onions and topped with queso sauce and Spanish rice and pico de gallo were on the side. It was most delicious and filling. I washed everything down with another Bloody Mary which I swear they used a thimble to measure the vodka. Nevertheless, it was a great luncheon and indeed I’ll return to the Texas Chili Parlor. And a special thanks to Amy for being an excellent server.

This was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Thanks to Guy S. for planning this UYE! He did a wonderful job and the turn out was pretty good for his first UYE too! Kudos!
Now … can we talk about chili for a minute?! I have had this place bookmarked ever since Nina H wrote a review for it. After reading her review I knew I needed to check it out! It’s located within walking distance of the capital building and the business has been around longer than me! It seems kinda like a hole in the wall type of joint but once you get in you will start to see and feel the charm! The server for out table was great and on top of her game! I was at a table with the host himself — Guy S and his friend Serena, Errol M and my husband — Steve H. Guy, Errol and Steve all decided to get the chili sampler which ended up being a common theme for the crew. You can also have gumbo on the sampler so they all did that too. Then you got to choose which chili types you wanted. Steve got the XXX and Guy and Errol both got the XX. I got a chili baked potato with XXX chili on it. The XXX did have a little kick to it, but nothing crazy. As long as you have a drink you are good to go. Everything I tasted was great! Oh and it’s definitely what I call friendly on the purse strings! I will be back for sure!
I had so much fun meeting some new faces and seeing familiar ones! I am looking forward to the next Chili of Dah Month Club meeting. I am waiting in anticipation and wondering where the next meet up will be! Texas Chili Parlor was the perfect place to start us off!

Oh, you gotta love it when a happy Elite Guy throws his very first UYE, and it’s a big success. Good for Guy S. (See what I did with «happy Elite guy» there?)
And if you’re gonna do a chili event, Texas Chili Parlor is a good place to do it. The fifteen of us sampled every chili known to man, which is what this place does. I actually did a double-​take with their gumbo, because it was great. When did they start doing that?
Our server Amy handled us with cheerful aplomb, it’s a pleasure to see other Unilocalers, and it was good to discover Rawhide W has a real name, because I’ll be damned if I call somebody dried cow skin. Right offhand, I can’t think of any other Austin place with lots of chili, so I’m curious what Guy will do for his January gathering. I also feel I should work in «Chili today, Hot tamale» somewhere in this review, but I’m not sure how. Let me think about it.

Come on now. When you throw an event at one of my favorite places. Then throw in some of the best Unilocalers. Then… you make it in the Lord’s day??? What? I will be a regular asset these. Good job Guy.

I had an absolutely great time today at the first of our three planned meetings of the Chili of the Month Club. What a great bunch of people to share time with today. Thanks to everyone for coming out and making this meeting a success; I hope to see y’all, and more, next time.
The chili, of course, was outstanding. I had a sampler of three chilis consisting of gumbo (yup, gumbo) venison, and xx chili. The gumbo was the best and I’ll come back for it again. However, Serena had chili Mac and cheese and I think I’ll try that next time because she said it was outstanding.
Our server, Amy, was a true professional. She obviously knows what she is doing and I have to thank her for taking such good care of our group.

What do you get when you combine chili and alcohol?
A stomach ache, but that’s beside the point.
The XXX is spicy and meaty. (That’s what she said.)

Excellent choice to kick off the three month club better known as the «Chili Of the Month» club. Texas Chili Parlor rules the chili scene in Austin. The company was perfect. The chili was perfect. I did the sampler with Habanero (always my favorite), XX, and, White. All three were excellent choices. We ate, we drank, we cut up on the gossip, we laughed, we drank some more… I just noticed this UYE is listed as Amusement Parks, Cabaret! Yeah. I guess? Let’s analyze shall we. Liza always toots that «Life is a Cabaret». So Cabaret, check. We all had our asses parked in the chairs. So, park, check. There was plenty of amusement. Oh trust me. Some of us were busting a gut on the Highway to Hell. So, Amusement, check. There’s my Unilocal analysis. Fuck it if you disagree! Peace out. Looking forward to January!

OK, now this was damn fun and also interesting. A thousand years ago I used to come here often after it opened in about 76. The present owner has owned it since about 1980 I think (he was a frequent customer before that and that is when I had first met him) and dang if he didn’t recognize me, even as old and decrepit as I have become. The ol’ joint was a perfect venue, with the boards still creaking, and the bar packed with hi class joint junk. My kind of Austin!
The work that went into the event was perfect. There was an area off to the side (which is hard to do) and the service was fantastic! I had brought the Lady with me as there is so much history that took place here and also to meet some of the Unilocalers that are a real riot. The interaction was wonderful.
The food: When it first opened, you basically had a choice; a small, medium or large bowl of chili. If you wanted something else, you went somewhere else. I was kinda lost at first because there were other items on a real menu. So, I thought I would catch up with the times and see what the chili was like now. So I started off with a sampler of XX, XXX, and Hot Pork. No beans of course. All were really good. Then a fine young gentlemen across from me had a plate put in front of him that looked like a cross between a burrito and an enchilada (hard to explain, but it was beautiful), so I grabbed my clean spoon and snatched a bite before I could be stopped. It was really good! (also…thank you Richard for not pulling out your blade and shanking me good in the gut). But, being afraid of breaking my streak of only eating chili there, I got another bowl of XXX. YUM.
The young lady who took care of us was a hoot, and exactly what you need in an old school joint.
The Unilocalers and +1’s were in a joyful and hungry mood and everything worked like clockwork.
The XXX has already said «howdy!» to me and I expect I will get the same greeting tomorrow.
Well done. Damn well done!