Hard Times Cafe: An Uneducated Opinion

It's the ultimate "nature vs nurture" question - how much are our palates defined by our upbringing?

Will no food truly taste as good as mom used to make? Is the pizza you're raised on the pizza you will always love best?

I'm not sure where I fall in this argument. On the one hand, I was raised in Cleveland, and the pizza of my youth was thick-crust, deep-dish, almost fast-food-like in quality. I never lost my inbred notion that pepperoni is the superior pizza topping, but once I moved to NYC for college, I knew I'd found the place that does pizza best.

On the other hand, no Chinese restaurant will ever hold a candle to Dragon Gate, the place 10 minutes down the road that still remembers my order when I'm home visiting my parents. On the one hand, some of the appeal lies in the fact it's the only Chinese-restaurant-ice-cream-parlor-driving-range-mini-golf-course I'm aware of, but I've never found a won ton soup, egg roll or Hong Kong Chicken to top it. Meanwhile, when I eagerly bring friends from different regions to sample the place's cuisine, they deem it mediocre at best.

Chili's one of those foods that seems to have quite a few regional advocates who profess their city's concoction is the greatest. Ohio had its own claim to the crown - the chili-on-spaghetti which Cincinnati made famous. Growing up, I only got the chance to sample this style from the chain restaurant Skyline Chili and my sister and I quickly pronounced it as "sick." So much for regional pride.

Then again, I don't think I'm much of a chili connoisseur. Chili in my house consisted of a can of tomato sauce, ground beef, onions and kidney beans - the only thing it really had going for it was the fact it was always served Halloween night, pre-Trick-or-Treating. My favorite chili recipe now is less-than-authentic, and certainly not grounded in Ohio pride - it's one I've adapted from the queen of cooking shortcuts, Rachael Ray.

So with all these caveats, you can decide how much stock to place on my opinion when I tell you about the chili at Hard Times Cafe in Springfield, Va.

The place seems to enjoy a reputation as one of the top chili haunts in the area, alongside the much-touted Ben's Chili Bowl downtown. Though I was attempting that day to save room for a Restaurant Week dinner at Ceiba, I decided to give the place's signature dish a shot.

I ordered the Chili Bubba, which allows you to pick two of the restaurant's chili styles. Both are smothered with cheese, tomatoes, onions and sour cream, and layered on top two hunks of cornbread.

I went with the traditional Texas style, and decided to "represent" and choose the Cincinnati chili as well. The verdict? Well, I couldn't distinguish much between the two. The Cincinnati style had faint tones of cinnamon and was noticably sweeter, but the recipes didn't veer far from each other.

That said, the meal was hearty and delicious, and the cornbread was a savory compliment, though filling enough to not allow me to finish the dish. I could have used a little more heat, but it's all about personal preference.

I also could have used better service - our waitress took an excrutiatingly long time with the beverages and meals, and made her share of errors, including ignoring all of a companion's South-Beach-motivated requests for her salad, and neglecting to leave off the sour cream on my dish, as I'd asked. It didn't sour the meal for me, but might try the patience of those in a hurry.

That said, the place has an abundant selection of chili options (even that old "On Top Of Spaghetti" standby is there), as well as a fun bar and a number of pool tables. I may not have much of a basis of comparison to rate their chili (other chili fan readers, feel free to weigh in!), but they gave me a good meal and a fun afternoon, so I can't fault them for that.