Wheaton crowds get to the meat of chili cook-off
Chili isn't usually on the menu at Wheaton eateries like Ivy Restaurant, but the warm and meaty stew was the specialty Saturday afternoon during the third annual Chili Cook-off hosted by the Downtown Wheaton Association.
Twelve downtown restaurants cooked up their best chili and ladled it out to hundreds who walked Front and Hale streets sampling recipes.
“It's interesting to compare who uses what kind of beans, what kind of meat, how spicy,” said Diane Oster of Gurnee, who tasted chili blends Saturday afternoon with her daughter, Mary Oster, 31, of Wheaton. “And the servers are so friendly and welcoming.”
The mother-daughter duo made a day of the chili cook-off, stopping at Wheaton's farmers market to buy apples and produce, then visiting a specialty store for chocolate. Mary said she and her mother made sure to begin tasting chili at 1 p.m., right as the event began, because last year, a few restaurants ran out before the pair could try their recipes.
“We're trying to hit the ones we didn't get to last year,” Diane said while finishing her sample from Ivy Restaurant.
Ivy's chili recipe didn't vary much from the blend that earned the most votes from tasters in last year's cook-off, chef and part-owner Brian Goewey said. This year's recipe was flavored with a house-made smoked chili powder made with coriander and cumin and featured prime rib, black beans and kidney beans.
Each restaurant also offered extra mix-ins to heighten the chili's flavor. Ivy served up a spread of cheeses, flavored and regular sour creams, and hot sauces.
The special add-in at Muldoon's Irish-American Pub and Eatery was potato croutons. Many shops such as Suzette's Creperie sold wine or beer to complement the chili.
Suzette's and Genghis Grill served chili samples in an alley behind the restaurants where a DJ and outdoor patio seating created a festival atmosphere for crowds of about 100 throughout the afternoon. Ivy served chili on its patio, where a guitarist serenaded dozens of chili-samplers at a time.
“If this wasn't going on,” said Dick O'Gorman, one of Ivy's owners, “there would be nobody on the patio, there'd be no music.”