Mark and Matt's Chili Trek
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Restaurant NameBrewhaus
Address3128 Orchard Lake Road
City, State ZIPKeego Harbor, MI 48320
Phone248 738 5167
Website
GPS Coordinates LAT 42.6049 LONG -83.3468

Restaurant AtmosphereImagine the dirtiest worker bar you've ever been in.
Chili HeatSpicy
Chili FlavorSome
Chili TextureSoupy
Chili PricesVery reasonable $1.50 for a cup, $2.50 for a bowl
Chili Fixin'sA cup of fresh chopped onions and a cup of shredded cheese included standard

Comments by Matt Fuerst
Rating: 6
Oh, where to begin. I spent an hour inside of The Brewhaus and I have more stories than Aesop's Fables. Very few of them revolve around the chili. The Brewhaus is a total dive/workers bar located right on Orchard Lake Road. It's definitely the sort of place you would not likely walk into unless someone was dragging you in. Above the bar are copies of every Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue from the late 60's until 1987. It's not a coincidence that their collection stopped in 1987 since all changes to the interior stopped dead in their tracks in 87 too. The place was pretty busy for a Tuesday afternoon, and we grabbed a table. Now's a good time to mention that me and Mark were definitely the only two customers in the place not drinking alcoholic beverages. Every table has their own 13" tv sticking out from the wall, with a bit of insulation exposed behind it. Completely awesome. Other highlights include several deer head mounted on the wall (complete with Mardi Gras beads), the cover of the menu which featured a nearly naked woman whose proportions would make Pamela Anderson blush and the bartender who was wearing less than your typical Hooters waitress. Please don't get me wrong, none of these are complaints, I love this homey atmosphere. Great stuff.

So, we each ordered up some chili and accompanying sandwiches. Both the chili and the sandwiches were very reasonably priced, which made me (being a bit tight with a buck) very happy. We eagerly awaited our chili arrival. We were teased shortly with the arrival of two cups, one loaded to the brim with shredded cheese, another with chopped onions. I was very eager at this point, this was very original in our travels and a really nice touch. Thereafter, our chili arrived. The chili had the look of CJ's. It was soupy in it's consistency, with chunks of goodness floating or heaped in it. The chili was very heavy in tomato chunks, which I knew wasn't Mark's favorite ingredient but we both agreed it looked promising. Sadly, the taste, while flavorful, wasn't what I really enjoy in a chili. I have to give Brewhaus credit, there was taste, and shock of all shocks, some actual spice to the chili, but strangely the flavor just wasn't exactly what I look for in a bowl of chili. I have to give Brewhaus a ton of credit: the "help-yourself" style for the cheese and onions, a great price, some real spice in the mix, and flavor, but an oddly weird flavor.

This is going to be a bit of a weird review, but I would encourage you to give Brewhaus a shot because it really is an odd entry into our chili annals. I would honestly prefer a cup of Wendy's (the stock chili I compare all others to) but I am going to give Brewhaus a little better rating. I really think this could be a chili that some people take a liking to.

As far as my main course, I got what I call the "Itty Bitty Girlie Burger" which turned out to be pretty gosh darn big. And it was only 2 bones with chips. And it tasted awesome! Matty like!

Just as a quick warning, call ahead if you really have your heart set on the chili. It's a seasonal thing, and even if they have it on the menu, when they sell out, they might not make another batch for a bit.
Comments by Mark Everest
Rating: 4
After getting skunked at 59 West yesterday, I broke down and called the Brewhaus to inquire if they had homemade chili. They did, and if there was enough, they would be some Tuesday as well. Sold.

Brewhaus is an old dirty little bar in Keego Harbor that has enough decorations to keep the average drunk entertained for hours. It has a pool table and dart boards and a small TV to watch sports highlights at every table. Deer heads with necklaces and icicle Christmas lights. The place has windows but shouldn't. Most importantly however, they have honest homemade chili.

I got a preview of the chili from one of the ex-cons (literally) at the next table and it looked pretty good. Because of the no Man Date rule recently established, I ordered a cup of chili and a chicken sandwich. Matt, trying to be more of a man than myself, ordered a Bowl of chili but chickened out and got a girl sized burger.

The cook definitely tried when making this chili. Although I'm not a big fan of huge chunks of tomatoes, it was nice to see a cup of chili that didn't look like it came out of a can. The big chunks of beef, vegetables and beans were in there but were separate from the watery base. I immediately smelled the spices and seasoning that made up the unique flavor. It even had an uncommon feature of having a little spicy heat to it. Matt claims that I'm alone on this but I was a little disappointed that they gave me a skimpy plastic spoon for the chili.

I'm having some mental discord with myself because the chili is homemade, tastes unique, and smells good, its just the flavor doesn't sit right with me. I can see how other people would just love it. I don't. I would recommend it to others but I don't think I would order it again.


Visitor Comments on Brewhaus
VanessaWhere we you guys today? I had the chef make up a batch of his famous chili just for you and it was going to be on the house. Plus you were both so cute I was hoping I'd get to smooch at least one of you!


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