July 7: Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack and Watering Hole

It's the first Friday in a while where Ryan (the master of the Weyer's lunch map) and I have both been in the office, so we took a trip down the road to Georgetown Brewing, where we each picked up a growler for the weekend. For lunch, we headed a few blocks west to Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack and Watering Hole. Ryan had been there before with another co-worker; this was my first visit.

On-street parking was plentiful. If I had to get there without a ride, I'd probably end up using Uber ($10 each way before discount) or Car2Go ($16/hour). No buses run along 1st Avenue down there, so public transit would require riding through some of the more sketchy areas along 4th and hoofing it over a few blocks.

We grabbed a table inside; the picnic tables on the lawn outside were nearly full. The owners of the three motorcycles parked out front were in place at the bar; a few other groups were scattered around the place. Pretty good crowd, really, but not crowded. The record player needle didn't scratch to a halt when we entered, so that's a good sign.

The tattooed waitress took our drink orders quickly, while I skimmed through the menu. I decided on the Texas Red chili over jalapeno mac 'n cheese, with a side of cornbread. Ryan decided on a "Kobe" beef hot dog. Those scare quotes are mine, not Slim's, as it's really a mis-advertised American-style Kobe beef. It'd be a shame to cook true Kobe beef into a hot dog.

We chatted a bit about how this place would be ruined if hipsters discovered it, well aware of the irony that we'd be the hipsters, if only we were 20 years younger, tolerated PBR, and had a hankering for facial hair. Judging from some of the photos on Slim's web site, maybe it's already turned and we're just the lunch crowd.

The food arrived quickly and I dug in. My first impression of my first bite was "this chili is pure, standard, regular ol' chili." Not overpowering, nothing fancy, nothing remarkable, nothing offensive. Later bites elevated my opinion slightly: it's much better than you'd get out of a can. If there's a Platonic ideal of chili, this is pretty close. Ground beef, spices, tomato base, and that's about it, perfectly executed. The small bit of jalapeno mac 'n cheese was buried underneath, hard to actually find in the mix. The cheddar cheese on top was stringy and gooey, messing up my chin more than a few times. Cornbread was served with a honey butter; the mini-loaf wasn't a crumbly as I expected, but good nonetheless.

Ryan said his hot dog was a definite fork-and-knife job, despite the sideways looks he might have received from tough-guy bikers for using silverware on a hot dog. It was so good, he said, "maybe I should have ordered two."

Service was perfect, with drink refills arriving before I realized I needed one, and plates being cleared as soon as we were done. The sound of a Harley pulling away made me realize that I needed to get back to work, too.

Slim's Last Chance
5606 1st Ave. S.
Texas Red chili, jalapeno mac 'n cheese, cornbread, Coke, around $19