New Requests for the Burger War Team

[PapaJoe8]

OK, sounds like we can talk here till the season starts but...

I did start 2 threads in the Hill Top section... about BBQ and Chili. All welcome to chime in. :~)

Oh, I was once a cook at El Chico. That was long ago when they had some great Tex Mex.
Joe

[PapaJoe8]

A humble request for the mods. There are only a few of us left who actually had Shanghai Jimmy's great chili rice. If we can talk here for a while that's great. If this needs to be moved to the hill top that's fine also. Just please don't delete it.
Thanks, :~)
Joe

[LakeHighlandsPony]

Where was Shanghai Jimmys located? I ate there as a kid.

[No Quarter]

Re: Chili Rice. Closest location ever to SMU was a branch, operated by "Archie" ca 1956-1957. It was on the north side of University in a space that was once the Mustang Grill, I think. Nowadays its a botique store of some kind, unless the old buildng is gone. Main location, operated by Jimmy, wqs a roathole of a place downtown, celebrated by Esquire magazine in 1954 or so as one of the top restaurants in America.

Jimmy kept loosing his lease and going on vacation for a while and coming back. He was in a suburban skating rink for a while and it went broke. He was on Oak Lawn for a while in place that previously had been a hanburger stand or fish and chips. As an older man he "piggy backed" in other food service operations. One was downtown with a German woman who sold potato soup and sandwiches near the original Sangers's and courthouse, etc. Ditto the Ashburn's (?) Mashburns (?)ice cream stpre on Knox and that was a vegetarian version of chili using blackeye peas. You had to be a real icecream lover or chili rice lover to go there - really an odd combination of smells there with the chili on top of dairy. Last place was on the north side of Bachman's lake, across NW Hwy and again at one end of some sort of a hamburger or sandwich stand.

The above probably includes the place you visited, but I have missed at least a couple of places in the list above, locations I never visted. Some of them did not last long.

There were also seasonal operations at Fair Park and still may be, but no longer the real deal, so far as I know, If you go away back Jimmy's original location was near the old Ford plant in East Dallas. I never visited there. Prior to that he was in Tyler, first with a brother and later by himself. I was never there either. Jimmy and his brother are probably as well remembered in Tyler as he is in Dallas.

Prior to 1949 and the communist takeover Jimmy had been a successful businessman in China for more than twenty years, with time out for part of World War II when he was in a Jap camp. The Japs got mad when in 1942 he put on a big Christmas dinner for POWs in China including the Mqarines who had surrendured at Wake. He is remembered on the North China Marines website for that dinner.

Very interesting man. He was about 5-2 and 1/2, barely made the height requirement for the USA in 1919. Exceptional good chili.

[PapaJoe8]

LHP, do you remember any details about the chili rice?

Nice info NoQ! I knew you looked familiar. :~)

The two places that sell chili rice at the fair are;

The Texas Cafe inside the main food building

The other is in the old Gebhartd's booth, inside the Embarcadero building.

I rarely miss a visit to both but usually just get a foot long chili dog, and a Shiner Bock, at the cafe.
Joe

[Topper]

I am glad that someone raised the issue of chili. I travel all over this state on business, and I can rarely find a decent bowl of the stuff. Isnt it the state dish? I have my own recipe that I got from an old BBQ guy who used to have a place in Irving. Simple to make. I make when I have time, and it doesnt include beans or tomatoes. I am only interested in honest to God Texas style stuff that is made up of meat and spices. In Dallas, the closest thing I can find to traditional Texas chili is at Dunston's restaurant. The one out near Prestonwood CC off of Harry Hines. It is pretty nice with an ice cold beer. If anyone else knows of a place that serves something authentic anywhere in Texas let me know.

[Topper]

Im getting old. Dunstons is near Brookhollow not Prestonwood CC

[No Quarter]

Try Tolbert's in Grapevine, right on Main Street. They make a thick meaty traditional chili that meets your general requirements and of course this is from the family of Frank Tolbert, the long time DMN "Texas" columnist who was one of the chili competition organizers. Their chili is well skimmed. I am told there is a frozen version sold at Whole foods that may not be so good.

Going further west, check and see if Ryfsky's (sp?) in Fort Worth is still in business. There used to be two locations and IMO their chili was better than Tolbert's, blasphemous as that may seem to a Dallasite. They had frozen chili for take out as well as in the restaurant.

You might also try the chili at the El Fenix restaurant chain. It was pretty decent the last time I had some.

Finally, you might try contacting Bud Kennedy at the Fort Worth Star Telegram. He writes opinion columns including restaurant reviews and I think his opinions about Texas food can be trusted. Ask him for his current Fort Worth chili recommendations. He might have opinions for Dallas chili and state wide for that matter. He worked in Dallas at one time, years ago, and I wish he had stayed in Big D.

Would also appreciate you sharing your recipe.

Above all, please post your findings about chili places in this space.

[jtstang]

Would also appreciate you sharing your recipe.

Yes, please.

[No Quarter]

This for Topper and perhaps others about chili -

I've tried to give a link to Tolbert's menu. This is just out the north entrance to DFW if you fly in.

http://www.tolbertsrestaurant.com/menu/menu.htm

It is Riscky's in fort Worth, etc., not "Ryfskys" or however I had it before. They have a lot of locations and I've tried to give a link to a place where the brick chili is available. Some years back I brought hot chili in another location, but I'd check first.

http://www.risckys.com/test/deli.asp

[Topper]

I appreciate the input. I have heard of Risckys (sp?) and I certainly dont mind going to FTW. And I will try Tolberts.

My recipe:

Chop up 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 5 jalapeno peppers and 5 cloves of garlic in a food processer.

Grind up 1" cubes of a 2 lb chuck roast in the food processer until it is a little more coarse than hamburger.

In a dutch oven, render the fat from 1/3 lb of bacon. Make a blt cause the chili takes 4 hours to cook.

Brown the ground chuck in small batches in the bacon fat. Remove as each batch is browned.

Saute the vegetables. Add back in the meat. Add chicken stock, water, beef stock or beer (or any combination thereof) until the mixture is covered.

Season with kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, and plenty of cumin to taste.

Cook at 325 in the oven with the lid on the dutch oven for about 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before you take out of oven, add the chili powder blend that you like best.

Thicken with masa harina flour (you can get it in most markets).

Serve as a main dish, put on hotdogs, make enchiladas and chili pie for a week with this batch.

[No Quarter]

THANK YOU FOR THE RECIPE. i LIKE A LOT OF CUMIN AND GARLIC IN CHILI ALSO.

Again, I hope you will pass judgement on Tolbert's and Riscky's and even El Fenix's for us and in the future also name places around the state where where you have found good chili.

Also, I also hope the burger team will look into the chili issue although I recognize that very personal ideas of what tastes good come into play.

[jtstang]

I appreciate the input. I have heard of Risckys (sp?) and I certainly dont mind going to FTW. And I will try Tolberts.

My recipe:

Chop up 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 5 jalapeno peppers and 5 cloves of garlic in a food processer.

Grind up 1" cubes of a 2 lb chuck roast in the food processer until it is a little more coarse than hamburger.

In a dutch oven, render the fat from 1/3 lb of bacon. Make a blt cause the chili takes 4 hours to cook.

Brown the ground chuck in small batches in the bacon fat. Remove as each batch is browned.

Saute the vegetables. Add back in the meat. Add chicken stock, water, beef stock or beer (or any combination thereof) until the mixture is covered.

Season with kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, and plenty of cumin to taste.

Cook at 325 in the oven with the lid on the dutch oven for about 4 hours.

About 30 minutes before you take out of oven, add the chili powder blend that you like best.

Thicken with masa harina flour (you can get it in most markets).

Serve as a main dish, put on hotdogs, make enchiladas and chili pie for a week with this batch.

Try adding a couple or trhee chipotles in adobo in your veggie mixture.

[No Quarter]

we are talking about recipes. It comes to mind that in years past I remember reading notices that BUS was going to put on a big feed during colder weather. Maybe XTC had a hand in that and made gumbo. Don't know if they ever had chili or not. BUT - if BUS ever takes up a subject other than the need for big men (with which I agree) and if XTC gets past the erudite criticism of the program (with which I also agree to the extent I understand it) then I hope they will share the gumbo recipe.

And if they have a chili recipe also, well I hope to see that one also.

[Topper]

Cant believe we are trading recipes. Maybe the Mustangs will go to a bowl next year and we can talk about that instead.

But as long as No Quarter asks about decent chili in Texas:

Austin: Try the Frisco Shop on Burnet Road. But be sure to tell them you dont want beans or the cooks will put a big spoonful in your bowl. Otherwise, this is some fairly authentic stuff.

Avoid the Texas Chili Parlor downtown. It is decent, but not worth the trouble.

I am gonna be in FTW soon and will definitely try Risckeys