There's a place in Tulsa that Will Rogers used to patronize--Ike's Chili.
The chili recipe is probably unchanged since the 1920s. It's a mild chili. If you want it hot, there are 3-4 varieties of hot sauce at the table. IIRC, you can get jalapeno slices on the side.
You can order it much like Skyline chili. In a bowl as chili. Over spaghetti. Over spaghetti with cheese. Over spaghetti with cheese and onions. Etc.
As for the chili itself, it's not like any chili that I fix, but it's good in its own way.
I lost a friend to Parkinson's disease 2 years ago this April. For over 10 years, about 4 out of every 5 Saturdays, we'd go to lunch to eat at locally owned restaurants that served one of the following: BBQ, pizza, Mexican food, hamburgers, or chili. Ike's Chili was on the list.
As far as what is chili and what is not, I defer to the Font of All Wisdom:
Chili con carne (also spelled chilli con carne or chile con carne and shortened to chili or chilli), meaning "chili with meat", is a spicy stew containing chili peppers (sometimes in the form of chili powder), meat (usually beef), tomatoes and often kidney beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. The dish originated in northern Mexico or southern Texas.
Geographic and personal tastes involve different types of meat and other ingredients. Recipes provoke disputes among aficionados, some of whom insist that the word chili applies only to the basic dish, without beans and tomatoes. Chili con carne is a common dish for cook-offs, and may be used as a side, garnish, or ingredient in other dishes, such as soups or salsas.
I prefer mine without beans, FWIW.
