Three hours into Monday's chili tour, I turned to my son and told him events were unfolding according to a protocol devised before he was born.

"You get a bowl of chili. After that, you get a beer," I said. "Then you get another bowl of chili and follow that with two or three more beers."

John said he'd already pretty much figured that out.

Thanks to the Presidents Day holiday, he had the day off from his teaching job. My friend Joe - John's godfather and my longtime chili tour companion - also had the day off, as did I. Throughout the years, Presidents Day has emerged as the tour date of choice. Monday was windy and bitterly cold, perfect weather for driving around Chicago's South Side looking for steaming bowls of spicy meat and beans.

Joe and I began our annual trek in search of the city's best chili in the early 1980s. Back then, there were still a number of places on the South Side that were, first and foremost, chili joints. Some had been in business a very long time. They had names like Bishop's, located at 18th Street and Damen Avenue, and Mexican Joe's, under the el tracks at 18th and State streets. They were no-nonsense establishments that served an honest bowl at a very low price. Read More