"Quite simply...the finest chili anywhere!"™
Each
day we feature 12~15 varieties of our more
than 30 distinctly
unique,
amazingly delicous and healthy Gourmet Chilis!
Our chili flavor list updates THROUGHOUT the day. Please check in often!
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THANK YOU to "Family of Food" for your kind words posted on July 15, 2009: "A Legacy of Soul" THANKS to the producers and "cast" of NBC's "STARTING OVER" for a great shoot the other night here at CHILI MY SOUL. The episode will air sometime in the fall season and we will post the date as soon we find out. We had a blast! ADD SOME "CHILI MY SOUL" TO YOUR BBQ OR PARTY PLANS!!!!! THANK YOU Geoffrey Neil and The Sherman Oaks Sun for the fantastic review of CHILI MY SOUL! (Please see below) RESTAURANT REVIEW - By Geoffrey Neil ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Dilly of a (Demon) Chili by Geoffrey Neil Of all the activities I detest, crawling in rush-hour traffic on the 405 from West LA to the valley is near the top of my list. It falls just beneath packing to move and scouring the LA Times employment section for a job. I refuse to endure this torture, unless the payoff is magnificent. A hankering for great chili and a small restaurant in Encino named Chili My Soul combine for a good reason to get in my car, turn on talk radio and slowly ease over the Sepulveda pass. Located in The Smart & Final Shopping Center on the Northeast corner of Ventura and Balboa Blvds. in Encino, Chili My Soul is a chili connoisseur's paradise. With over 30 flavors, each cooked for a 30 hour, four-stage tenderizing and de-fattening process, you really must taste it to believe it. Twelve to fifteen flavors (including vegetarian) are rotated each day. (Daily menus are available for online perusal at chilimysoul.com.) The restaurant's small mom & pop feel masks the national fame it is gaining after being featured on The Food Network, Esquire Magazine and several local television shows. Upon entering, the bright-colored menus and huge variety of chili decorations blend perfectly with the aroma of multiple chili flavors. The ambiance leaves no doubt that you've stepped into the domain of someone's extreme passion for chili. Owner Randy Hoffman has mastered his passion and the web site's online guestbook is chockfull of praise from chili heads across the nation. Hi! Have you been here before?? Is asked of any new face before the front door can close behind them. At Chili My Soul this question doesn't feel pushy as it would were it coming from an overanxious salesperson. This greeting, as it turns out, is a necessary introduction to the Chili My Soul system a system where undecided customers are encouraged to taste sample cup after sample cup of chili until the perfect flavor, heat level (1-10) and delicious sides can be chosen. My first visit to Chili My Soul was 6 years ago when the restaurant sported only three small tables, encouraging take out. Since then, space next door has been added for a dining room and I've been a regular customer. I've earned kudos from chili-loving friends for introducing them to this restaurant that was once a great secret. Last week I took my wife for some of her favorite chili (Habanero / Mango Chicken). We arrived to find Demon (10+) was also on the menu that day. She normally doesn?t eat beef, but the challenge of tasting a 10+ chili was too much to resist ? so she requested a sample. After 15 seconds and no change in her facial expression, she announced that it was hot and progressively hotter each moment. Eventually she fanned her mouth and succumbed to the power of Demon with some rapid eye blinks and the wow that all chili heads love to exclaim when they taste good hotness. I laughed, and feeling no need to confirm my masculinity, I was happy to order my favorite, Deep Beef (3). We sat in the dining room where our meals were brought to us within two minutes by staff I've found to be consistently courteous. My wife tasted her Habanero / Mango Chicken first. Just unbelievably delicious? I saw her lips whisper with her second bite loaded and ready. I took a bite of my chili and noticed it was a bit warmer than usual. Hmm. Maybe the sip of Sprite made my mouth more sensitive, I thought, so I took another bite to get used to it. In 30 seconds, the initial heat had blossomed into the first blow torch I've ever had in my throat. I must have been served Demon (10+) by mistake [insert scary organ music]. Much to my wife?s entertainment, I was able to demonstrate (no pun intended) how ineffective fanning, sucking air through my teeth and rocking in my seat can be when seeking relief from Demon. To the credit of Chili My Soul, a correct order of Deep Beef was rushed to me with the apologies of the staff. Some cornbread, water and fresh carrots brought welcome relief while my wife wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes. Fortunately, this experience was truly an exception to my regular visits to Chili My Soul. Demon hits the spot for some but I happen to be a lightweight. If you love chili, want to experience an amazing variety of flavors and don\'t have 30 hours to cook each one yourself, then you must visit Chili My Soul. You won't be sorry. And they won't Demonize you unless you ask them to. Chili My Soul is located at 4928 Balboa Blvd., 7 days a week. (818) 981-SOUL. www.chilimysoul.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sherman Oaks Sun http://www.shermanoakssun.com/ NEW AT CHILI MY SOUL!!! We are now featuring the extraordinary photography of Gustavo Castilla. Mr Castilla specializes in photographing amazing still lifes in vibrant color and deep-toned b&w, and is currently displaying his unique vision of THE CHILE PEPPER in his varied works here, at CHILI MY SOUL. All exquisitely printed and framed original photographs are for sale at CHILI MY SOUL. For more information on the artist, please visit his website at: gcastilla.com If you're "LOW-CARBING" it these days, consider CHILI MY SOUL one of the great low-carb finds in town! Over 80% of our chilis qualify for ultra low-carb status. We also have our new "SoulBurger" Low-Carb style wrapped in crisp Iceberg lettuce - No bun! Check our chili flavor list, and choose any delicious and healthy Gourmet Chili _without_ an asterisk. (Asterisk = "chili with beans.") You'll soon be in low-carb heaven. Did you know... The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has listed the 10 most dangerous foods to eat while driving. In the number 4 position is CHILI!!! Which is why we say... "Live Dangerously...Eat Chili My Soul!" (But please, sit at a table.) THANK YOU "ESQUIRE MAGAZINE" (June 2004) and Scott Raab for featuring CHILI MY SOUL in the article, "Drivin' & Eatin' on VENTURA BLVD." Our Brand New "SOULBURGER!" An amazingly delicious hamburger in Angus Beef, Ground Turkey Breast, or Herbed Vegetarian editions. Served with our famous "SoulSauce" on a dark-baked bun with deliciously mild carmelized onions and a grilled beefsteak tomato with Kosher pickle spears. Add a slice of the best Wisconsin Natural Cheddar and/or a splash of any of our amazing CHILI MY SOUL Gourmet Chilis of the day for an additional charge. No one else does this! *******WHAT A GREAT SHOW!******** THANK YOU "Food Network" and "Food Finds" for naming CHILI MY SOUL one of the BEST COMFORT FOODS in the U.S.! If you're in "The Industry" and would like to make your cast and crew extremely happy, consider serving CHILI MY SOUL at one of your shoots, 2nd meals, parties, etc. Please call MINDY at 818-981-7685 and we'll set it in motion pronto. THANK YOU to Mario Martinoli, The Mario Martinoli Show staff, Producer; Andy Harris, the staff of KFI-AM 640, and Tori of ATP Multimedia (our fantastic web master), for an amazing show! We had a blast, and all of you helped make it a great day for CHILI MY SOUL. "Foodies and chiliheads" from all over Southern California have been calling and driving in, so we definitely know that people were listening! Thanks to UPN's "EX-TREME DATING" for featuring CHILI MY SOUL! Thanks to THE FOOD NETWORK and "MIS PADRES" salsa for recommending CHILI MY SOUL! If you or someone you know needs our flavor list and internet access is unavailable, please use our low-tech "Hot&Spicy Flavor Line" to get all the chili updates! Please call: 818-386-9966. We are open 7 days a week! 11am~9pm Monday-Sunday. We are located on the Northeast corner of Ventura and Balboa in The Smart&Final Shopping Center in Encino. |
Flavors available
today...
Flavors
coming up next...Click
on flavor names above for pop-up descriptions!
Chilis with stars (*) have beans. Chilis with a green
'v' are 100% vegetarian.
Our heat scale of 1 (Mild) - 10 (Fiery Hot!) is only a guide.
Use Caution when ordering above a "5"
