Toons Bar & Grill

Toons Bar & Grill
Chili, $5/$6.50

At first glance, it appears to be your standard Sunday chili: viscous brown stew pockmarked with kidney beans, ground meat, with melted cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Three chilies — bell pepper, jalapeno and poblano — are used. But when you taste it, what's most noticeable is Toons' preference of Italian sausage over beef (and a lot of it). A splash of beer, too, seems to smooth out the chili's edges here, compared to so many renditions elsewhere favoring a gut-punch of assertive spicing. The tortilla chips on the side are fried in house, bless them. 3857 N. Southport Ave., 773-935-1919

February 20, 2013