Vegetarian Chili from Heartland Cafe

Item Purchased: Vegetarian Chili from Heartland Cafe
Location Purchased: Heartland Cafe / Renegade Craft Fair / 1419 W. Blackhawk / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.00 w/tax

Review: The Renegade Craft Fair was in town again for its winter outing (inning?). This time around, the open air market sought shelter in the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. Utilizing three large rooms in the park's recreational facility, there were a wide selection of craftmakers, D.I.Y. types and a whole lot of yarn being spun. You may recall that I attended the Renegade Fair back in September, when I bought myself some buttons and a bowl. This time around, the fair had a more diverse selection of vendors, with an emphasis on gifts for the holidays and clothing.

Along the way, in one particularly cold section of the field house, the Heartland Cafe (located in Rogers Park and on the far left side of the political spectrum) had a long table set up with offerings of chili and various other snacks. Though the Heartland was offering a Buffalo chili (with actual buffalo meat, not just hot peppers and spices), I opted to go with the vegetarian variety so my girlfriend could help me out.

Though a bit thin, the Chili was tasty. Heavy on the beans and spicy broth, along with a smattering of mushrooms that I happily gave to my girlfriend, this Chili hit the spot, but probably wasn't worth $5.00. The steamed corn torillas that came with the Chili helped bulk the meal up, but I couldn't help feel that it could have used a bit more substance. Maybe I should have gotten the buffalo!

Regardless, Heartland Cafe is a great restaurant with it's heart and mind in the right place... The community. I rarely get up to their neck of the woods, so it is always nice to see them down in mine.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Visit the Forum! / Enter the Dec. 2006 Contest!