As a Matter of Food

If you like venison and have access to it, this dish may become a hit!

I have to say I enjoy a good hearty bowl of chili with a nice kick once in a while. One of my favorites is the Texas Chili from Hard Times Cafe. Boy is it scrumptious! Now, I don’t think it’s particularly good for one’s waistline of cardiac health, but still, once in a blue moon I’d roll into a Hard Times Cafe and order either the Texas Chili Frito Pie or the Texas Chili Mac. One year I got so obsessed with that particular Texas Chili I became determined to make it at home. Luckily when I spoke to my waitress who served us on one of those visits, she told me that they packaged the spice mix and sold it! I felt as if I hit the jackpot that day.

So ever since then I’ve gone out to buy the package and gone home and made it. In order to cut down on our fat intake, I use ground venison instead of ground beef. You can also try it with ground turkey, it’s still delicious. The spices you can get either at Hard Times Cafe or I’ve found it at my local Shoppers Food Warehouse.

Venison Texas Chili Mac

2 lbs ground venison (beef or turkey)

One 2-ounce bag of spice mix

One can beef broth or beer

One can of beans (optional)

1. Cook meat in skillet until tender.
2. Add 1/4 cup spice mix as meat is cooking. Stir well.
3. Transfer to chili pot and add beef broth or beer.
4. Mix in remaining spice mix according to taste and simmer covered for at least 30 minutes.
5. As liquid evaporates add water as needed to completely cover meat.
6. Drain each serving with slotted ladle or spoon.
7. For enhanced flavor, refrigerate over night and reheat in double boiler before serving.

Chili Mac:

In a bowl or on an oval platter layer spaghetti, chili, grated cheese, chopped onions, chopped chives, bacon bits, or whatever it is you want to dress it with. Sprinkle with white vinegar (optional). For extra heat mix chopped raw jalapeño peppers with the onions.

***I got this recipe off of the Hard Times Chili Texas Spice Mix box. I modified it a bit with how I dress the chili before I eat it.

Frito Pie:

In a bowl or on an oval platter follow the instructions for the Chili Mac above but use Fritos (original flavor) instead. This will yield a tasty favorite for game day or any other day, with a nice crunch!

I find this to be the quickest and gratifying chili. I have made different chili over the years from scratch. But when I don’t have the time, this is a precise and yummy way to satisfy my craving for a delicious chili, with a kick.

Last month I visited Shula’s Steakhouse at the Marriott Tysons Corner in Vienna, Virginia.  Once in a while I get a craving for a nice juicy steak.  I had gotten a $25 gift certificate from Restaurants.com and thought I’d try it.

As soon as we walked through the doors we were taken back by the decor.  The walls were a dark rich, either cherry or mahogany, wood.  The lights were dimmed so it gave the dining room an even darker appearance.  I like dimmed lights but honestly cannot say that it gave me a cozy or inviting feeling.  I know my opinion can be considered biased because of the feeling I expect to experience given a certain atmosphere.  I noticed the patrons were very well suited up.  We had never been to Shula’s so we didn’t know what to expect. 

We were seated in a nice booth.  Immediately, my husband and I started to joke about how stuffy it felt.  It was too rigid, in my opinion.  A waitress came and placed a football on a tee, right on my plate, I found it odd but a little intriguing.  It took a good 10 minutes before someone came to get our drink orders, and still no menus.  We ordered a beer and a martini.  I don’t remember which martini it was but remember that it was recommended by our waitress as being her favorite.   I also remember that it wasn’t as great as she thought it’d be and that I could have made a better one.  We waited another 10 minutes until our drinks came back and we ordered appetizers which we were able to find on the drink menu.  Fancy, but we discovered the football which was placed on my plate served as a menu.  I think the football menu is a neat idea which plays part in showcasing Don Shula’s history as a football coach.  I also came to find out that the restaurant is themed after the 1972 Miami Dolphin’s “Perfect Season”.  So it all tied in together well. 

At this point we were starving!  We ordered the beef tips and a salad.  It took 20 minutes for our appetizers to come.  In the mean time we had finished our drinks and a cart of meat with all the different cuts was wheeled to our table.  There were the filet mignon, the N.Y. strip steak, the porterhouse, prime rib, and the Kansas City Strip, and the Cowboy steak to choose from.  I ordered the prime rib and my husband the N.Y. strip steak.  We also put in another order for drinks.  It took, what felt like another eternity for our drinks to come, and then yet another for the entrees.

Overall, the steaks were good.  I didn’t find my meal exceptional.  The prime rib which I was served, had a bit too much fat on it and I had to spend a lot of time trimming the fat off.  I ordered medium rare and got a piece that was more medium.  The N.Y. strip was ordered to be a medium well but was served more well.  The bread was excellent, I must add.  I can’t say that it was a horrible experience.  It wasn’t.  The meal was still good.  However, the wait staff was slow.  We had 3 different waitresses, so if we needed anything we didn’t know who to make eye contact with and get their attention.  It took a little over 2 hours to have our entire meal.  A good thing we didn’t have other plans!  For a $190 bill with gratuities pre-included, and an award-winning restaurant, I expected to have had a much better dining experience to write about.  For less than half of what we paid at Shula’s we could have gone to our usual spot, Outback Steakhouse.  We could have had steaks just as good but cooked according to our specifications.

For those who want to try the restaurant or get more information, please visit www.donshula.com.  Perhaps you’ll have a different experience.  One has to keep in mind certain demographics, individual taste, and the atmosphere one seeks.  Like they say “Different folks, different strokes!”. 

As for me, I will chalk this one up as a one-time visit.