Right across the street from the Frederick Douglass historical marker is a restaurant that, any way you look at it, should be one of my regular haunts. I mean, IT'S GOT THE WORD "CHILI" RIGHT IN THE NAME! It advertises burgers and Coney Islands in the window. And—and I just noticed this—it claims to have been open since "1920 B.C."
But even though I've lived in Beaver Dam for almost 18 years, I've never once eaten at Chili John's. For one thing, sandwiched between a couple of really ugly buildings, it doesn't look nearly as cool as it looks in this picture. For another, I'd heard the proprietor was grouchy. And then there's the fact that, for most of those 18 years, smoking was allowed. Finally, it's only open for breakfast and lunch, two meals I all too often skip entirely. Now, it's become almost a perverse point of pride that I've never eaten in there. But that's stupid. Chili John's...you're on my list...
