Chili Reception

My family and I don’t get back to LA much anymore.

But when we do, I always know where we are going first.

When we left the city of angels in 2005, I made a promise to the kids.

Anytime we go back.

Anytime!

The first stop will be... Tommy’s.

Don’t pass go.

Don’t collect $200.

Just get to Tommy’s.

As quickly as possible.

Tommy’s is an LA-based hamburger joint.

And I mean joint with all due respect.

The first Tommy’s opened in 1946.

The corner of Beverly and Rampart.

And it’s still there.

In fact, the last time I had the two big kids with me in LA.

That’s the Tommy’s we went to.

Right from the airport.

Last spring my eldest daughter and I had a layover at LAX.

So I had a friend pick us up.

Take us to Tommy’s.

In Santa Monica.

And we got back in time for our connecting flight.

Do you believe me now?

Nowadays there are 34 “Original” Tommy’s spread throughout Southern California.

And two more in Nevada. 

In N’ Out Burger is definitely more popular.

But Tommy’s is definitely more better.

I learned that in college.

Right about 27 years ago.

To the day.

I had just accepted my bid to a fraternity.

It was Rush Week.

And what an eye opener that was.

I remember doing things I had never done before.

Seeing things I had never seen before.

And eating things I had never eaten before.

Like Tommy’s.

There was a location about ten minutes from my school.

Bad news.

Open 24/7.

Really bad news.

And we went there every night during Rush Week.

EVERY night.

At the same exact time.

Immediately after 2AM.

That’s when we got there.

I guess technically that’s EVERY morning, not night.

But there was a reason why we went at exactly that time.

That’s because at 2AM.

Every night.

Tommy’s cleaned the grill.

And as a 17-year old college freshman.

Eating healthy was very important to me.

Still is.

If you don’t believe me.

Maybe you’ll believe my standard order at Tommy’s:

• Double-Chili Cheeseburger
• Chili-Cheese Fries
• And a Chili Diet Coke

Ok, the last part is a joke.

But my kids laugh.

Every time.

This week I was out in So Cal visiting some friends.

And even though my kids weren’t with me.

I still kept up the tradition.

Plane landed at John Wayne Airport at 11:34am.

At 12:30 exactly I was at Tommy’s in Fountain Valley.

It was the first time I ate at that location.

But if you’ve been to one Tommy’s.

You’ve been to them all.

Not much creativity going on.

And there really doesn’t need to be.

Although they did have something brand new on the menu.

They call it a “California Classic.”

I call it an In N’ Out Double-Double.

Like I said, not much creativity.

And there really doesn’t need to be.

Tommy’s has perfected the fast food, greasy, slimy, disgustingly amazing incredible burger.

So why change it?

Just order a burger, any burger, and you’ll get:

• Pickles
• Onions
• Mustard
• Beef Steak Tomato

And... Chili!

Every burger at Tommy’s comes with Chili.

Well it’s called Chili.

Technically, “Tommy’s Famous Chili.”

It’s more like brown slime.

Or the stuff you scrape off the bottom of a pan after you’ve baked a meat loaf.

Although I’m not sure there’s any actual meat in Tommy’s Chili.

But it tastes just like... home.

Just as good as it was 27 years ago.

Every time we go there, I tell my kids “it looks the same going in as it does coming out.”

They laugh at that too.

Every time.

If you don’t fall in love with the chili at Tommy’s the first time you have it.

You don’t know how to love.

Although I must say there was a terribly disturbing development during my most recent trip.

I guess some vegan lawmaker decided that restaurants must now post a calorie count for everything on the menu.

Nothing against vegans.

But that law sucks.

And what sucks even more is that when I gobbled down my food last week.

I had to live with the guilt of knowing that my “standard” meal was 1630 calories.

And that’s with a DIET Coke.

And when I ordered the Tommy’s Chili Dog to wash it down.

That was another 570 calories.

Ouch.


2200 calories at one meal?


Take that Golden Corral!

According to the burgerista, the hot dog calorie count was so high because they use “two scoops of chili.”

Oh, is that what that was?

Nice.

Thankfully I no longer live within 1000 miles of my favorite burger joint.

And I don’t always eat double chili cheesburgers.

But when I do.

I prefer Tommy’s.

Stay hungry my friends.