While the Spartan basketball team was fiercely fighting in the NCAA Tournament this weekend, the streets of East Lansing were ablaze with a different kind of heated competition.

The Downtown Chili Cook-Off took place Saturday afternoon with several restaurants offering free samples of home-cooked chili to people walking around the city.

Beggars Banquet, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cosi, Harper’s Restaurant and Brew Pub, HopCat, Leo’s Coney Island, Potbelly Sandwich Shop and What Up Dawg entered the contest and signified this with a pepper-shaped balloon outside their doors.

Those who sampled the chili were asked to fill out a scorecard ranking each chili by its color, aroma, flavor and heat. City officials will tally the results Monday and announce the winner of the Golden Spoon Trophy.

“We are excited to highlight the dining options in downtown East Lansing with this new, exciting event,” East Lansing Downtown Management Board Coordinator Amy Schlusler wrote in a release on the city’s website.

The dish with the most votes will win the title of “Best East Lansing Chili” and the winning restaurant will receive paid advertising from DMB, in addition to the Golden Spoon Trophy and bragging rights.

On Saturday afternoon Hopcat’s spicy chili was bringing in a lot of attention. Students and families alike gathered on the streets to sample the dish.

“We are definitely going for the most votes in the heat department,” general manager Rick Smith said.

For those who were intimidated by the intense heat of some dishes, Potbelly’s chili was more focused on flavor and featured several fresh ingredients.

“We leave the peppers and hot stuff on the side,” Potbelly server Dylan Bambach said. “So people can decide just how hot they want it.”

The DMB will be announcing the overall winners of the cook-off later this week.