BEST CHILI

Joe Rogers’ “The Den” Chili Parlor 820 S. Ninth St., 522-3722 On any given day, the line at Joe Rogers’ Chili Parlor stretches out onto the parking lot. Having stood in that line a time or two, we were not surprised to see that the restaurant, also known as “The Den,” won the best chili category by a landslide. In fact, Joe’s received more votes than the second and third place winners combined. What makes Joe Rogers special is the fact that the meat and beans are cooked separately, allowing diners to customize their chili to suit their taste. Not only can diners select the degree of spiciness (mild, hot, medium hot or firebrand), they also choose the amount of meat, beans and oil, if any at all. While we prefer medium hot, with extra meat and beans and a tamale, we encourage you to experiment a bit and come up with your own concoction. If you’re feeling daring, we challenge you to try a bowl of Joe’s firebrand. Should you succeed in finishing it, your name will be placed on the restaurant’s wall with other brave souls.

BEST DESSERTS

Incredibly Delicious 925 South Seventh St., 528-8548 On a trip to Incredibly Delicious, the winner of this year’s best dessert category, we committed at least two of the seven deadly sins – greed and gluttony. But what do you expect when you’re surrounded by cases of scrumptious cakes, tasty tarts, amazing cheesecakes and yummy cookies and brownies?

After we lustfully stared at the delicious goodies (make that three sins), we settled on a mixed berry tart, raspberry croissant, chocolate mousse, mocha walnut and dried cherry cookies, and a brownie macaroon. We gobbled a couple of the goodies and made arrangements to take the others home for later. To say that they were incredibly delicious is an understatement. As we prepared to leave, we took one last look at the spread of desserts and couldn’t leave without a slice of flourless chocolate cake with ganache. This chocolaty treat is sinful. Incredibly Delicious has a variety of treats, including seven types of cookies, three tarts, four coffee cakes and much more. They also have eight cake flavors, with a choice of eight buttercream frostings and 18 cake fillings. So go ahead. Indulge. And ask for forgiveness later.