It happened. It finally dropped below 70 degrees in DC this week. Naturally, this meant it was time for a bowl of chili.
After a fruitful jam sesh I truly wanted nothing more than some beans in a stew. So a friend and I ordered some food from one of the few places still open past 10pm (Thunder Burger & Bar in Georgetown). I ordered the vegetarian chili because I’ve been trying to eat less meat, and any chili fan knows that meat is by no means a requirement for a stellar bowl of chili.
Our GrubHub delivery guy promptly arrived with our food (on a bike) and so began the beginning of chili season for 2022-2023.
Appearance
I mean, it was beautiful. But I was also really hungry, so that could have warped my judgement. Looking back it wasn’t the most appetizing-looking bowl of chili, but this could also be attributed to my shitty iPhone XR camera. See for yourself:
I know what you’re gonna say. I should have used flash. And you are correct. But this isn’t a food photography blog, OKAY?
As you can see, the chili came with a generous serving of tortilla chips. This is key. Since it was my dinner, I was thankful to have some more carbs involved. As for appearance, it was simple but luxurious and easy to open up and immediately dig into. They didn’t give me a spoon but thankfully I had access to one. The tortilla chips acted like little spoons anyway.
Note the multitude of colors present in the chili. And that was before I mixed anything. You take one look at that and you know you’re getting your daily serving of some key vitamins. Yes, it’s all in plastic but I ordered takeout and I’m sure the presentation at the actual place would have been much prettier.
Appearance rating: 4/5
Texture
Amazing mouthfeel. Absolutely no complaints. The vegetables were cooked to perfection and everything had the same soft texture that you would expect in a bowl of chili. The beans were the star of the show, but that is usually the case so I wasn’t shocked. One thing I would say is that you always need some crunch, but that was achieved by tortilla chips on the side. They were a little stale, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the chili and I really think it would be unfair to judge a chili bowl by its side tortilla chips, wouldn’t you agree?
Texture rating: 5/5
Flavor
Okay. Wow. I already mentioned I was really hungry upon eating this so AGAIN, you may need to take this with a grain salt, but this shit was pretty good. Not too salty, and there was the tiniest bit of spice (almost like they sprinkled in a little cayenne pepper). The vegetables (specifically the carrots, celery, and zucchini, a.k.a. the wet ass vegetables) really pulled their weight in the flavor absorption category. I cannot say the same for the chickpeas but honestly, I didn’t mind. The chickpeas were kind of a rogue move if you ask me, but it worked. Especially since they bring in a certain level of heartiness.
There also seemed to be a little depth of flavor achieved by some sort of sweetness? I couldn’t tell what it was. But I have added honey to chili before so I support this kind of decision.
I will be honest though, after the first few bites satisfied my hunger, I realized that it was kind of bland. Like, they could have gone much farther with the flavor. The subsequent bites didn’t wow me as much as the first. But I guess that’s just life.
Flavor rating: 3.5/5
The Food Dance Factor
Yes. The Food Dance Factor was achieved. There was also music playing at the time, but there is always music playing in my brain anyway so that’s not really a factor. Since this is a five point scale though, I’m gonna subtract a point because this didn’t make me literally stand up out of my seat. I have yet to meet a bowl of chili (or anything, really) that could achieve this.
Food Dance rating: 4/5
Overall satisfaction
I gotta say, I felt very satisfied both during and after this meal. It was just enough food where I didn’t want to immediately take a food nap after eating it, so it was perfect as a base for a night out. And the almost-perfect ratio of tortilla chips to chili made the meal a fun little race (tortilla chips won).
I didn’t really give the chili any more thought after finishing it, which I suspect might have happened if it was better. But that’s okay. That would have been a distraction. I also wouldn’t go back to Thunder Bar for the sole purpose of ordering this chili again, and if I somehow found myself back there I would probably order a burger (they have a Free Bird burger so that should be self-explanatory). To me, this chili felt like a hot meal when you’re still in college and eating crappy food. Nothing heart-stoppingly amazing, but enough to put a smile on your face. And that it did.
Overall rating: 16.5/20