Texas five-way…wet

One of the things I have always cherished about living in the actual city (as opposed to “the metro area”) is that DC has been, up until very recently, largely free of chain restaurants. That is to say, national chains like Chili’s, Outback Steakhouse, Applebee’s, TGI Friday’s, and the like.

The rejuvenation of downtown has changed some of that, starting with Fadó Irish Pub, which I’m reliably told by a native Dubliner “isn’t all that bad,” about 10 years ago right through the incongruity of having a Hooters, complete with sign in Chinese, in what used to be DC’s Chinatown. One thing DC does still have in abundance, though, is local chains, i.e. restaurants that started in the DC area and have the bulk of their outlets here.

DC isn’t known for its cuisine despite the numerous and over-priced restaurants that are always popular with the Washington elite, restaurant favoritism varying, of course, by administration, a tradition that goes back to at least the Kennedy era and that group’s absurd affection for a place called Lion D’Or. Grossly mediocre restaurants are consistently given four stars by both The Washington Post and Washingtonian Magazine. If you’re part of the political elite, though, Washington pays attention to where you have lunch.

One little known bit of trivia, there are two restaurants in DC in which quorum calls for votes on the House and Senate floor are routinely issued while Congress is in session. If you know your way around, though, or if you spend enough time looking and you care more about what you eat than where, eventually you get to one of DC’s hidden gems: Hard Times Cafe.

Hard Times started in Alexandria nearly 30 years ago and is unabashedly, first and foremost, a chili parlor. Yes, that’s right, spiced meat, beans, cheese, onions, and hot sauce, that kind of chili. The places are decorated with odds and ends that take you right back to the Western serial/Red Rider bb-gun days of the 1940s and 1950s, and they are unabashedly old-school country. I’m talking pre-Johnny Cash country. In a town not noted for its promotion of individuality, Hard Times is a rarity. Plus, the chili is just damn good.

Four different kinds – Texas, Cincinnati, Terlinga Red (new in the last decade), and Vegetarian – each with its own special taste and texture. The five way is chili mac with everything: spaghetti, beans, cheeses, onions, and, of course, chili. Ordering wet, which is a little off-menu secret, tells the cook not to drain the meat which gives you more spices and, in my opinion, more flavor.

They have other things, of course, like sweet, fluffy corn bread that comes in squares just big enough to be impressive, the best root beer you’ve ever tasted (made with honey not sugar, and caffiene free), burgers, the mandatory chicken sandwich, and a bunch of other stuff. But, for me, the chili is the thing.

Why the big commercial for Hard Times masquerading as a blog entry? Part of the new year’s resolution, I suppose: sharing more things that make me happy. Maybe, just maybe, if I start accentuating the positive there will be fewer down cycles, more up cycles, and more just regular, plain-ole days.