Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Poll: What is your background and view on Cincinnati Chili?

In this poll we would like to know what our readers background is and how they feel about Cincinnati style chili. By background I mean are you a native or a transplant? This blog features a combination of native and transplant, as I was born and raised in Cincinnati, while Alison moved here 5 years ago for school. Along with this info, we are interested in how that might effect your view on Cincy chili. Are you a native Cincinnatian who loves it, or one of the rare ones that don't care for it? Are you like Alison and a transplant that didn't care for it at first but then eventually fell in love with it, a transplant that just doesn't like it and thinks people are crazy for liking it, or did you actually love it at first bite?

Like last time, the poll can be found on the right side of the page and will stay up for a week.

4 comments:

  1. I grew up about an hour and a half outside of Cincy. We got our first Cincy chili joint (a Gold Star) when I was in ... middle school, I think? And I never once turned my nose up at it. I've loved Cincinnati-style chili since the first day I've tried it, though I gotta admit I've been stuck in a Skyline rut since there's one less than 5 minutes from both my apartment and my office.

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  2. I'm an out of town visitor with 4 visits to the area with my wife. Each time we passed through we've had a meal at one of the chili parlors. The first time I tried it, I really liked c-chili, same with my wife. It reminded me of some of the greek foods I’ve had growing up. I really like the complex taste of c-chili, since I love cinncamon, cloves and allspice, but we weren't so thrilled with the coneys we have had in Cincy sadly. It always seemed like the chili was masking the mediocre hot dog underneath it.

    Having eaten good Hot Dogs all my life from various places, the hot dogs weren't as flavorful being that they were the pork variety at each place we ate. Every time we tried a coney we would think, this would taste way better if it was a beef hot dog. Besides the mediocre coneys though, we love the chili spaghetti and besides the chili, the double decker sandwiches in the area are great too.

    The first place we ever tried Cincy chili was Camp Washington, which was a really cool experience. I can remember going in there, seeing all the history and the regular who were there to enjoy a heaping mound of chili goodness. That first experience was really great cause I was like, WOW…this what Cincy chili is all about! I remember LOVING all that cheese that just melted down into the chili and noodles.

    On our second visit, we headed to Blue Ash Chili, great small diner, great atmosphere and people were very friendly. The chili there was a little thicker and I enjoyed the differences between the previous visit to Camp Washington. We also tried a HUGE double decker sandwich that was really good.

    In Chicago I’ve only had c-chili at home once and it was the frozen Skyline variety, it was OK in a pinch.

    We also have a couple of places here in Chicago that makes c-chili. Chili Mac’s parlor which I’ve tried a while back was pretty good, if a little greasy. http://www.yelp.com/biz/chili-macs-chicago-2#query:Five-way%20chili

    There’s also a place near us that I’ve been meaning to try but haven’t yet called Cinners http://www.yelp.com/biz/cinners-chicago#query:Cincy%27s

    And north of here in Milwaukee, I always wanted to try Real Chili, but never made it yet.there.http://www.yelp.com/biz/real-chili-restaurant-milwaukee

    Overall, we think Cincinnati Chili is an awesome regional food and we’ll always have a place and taste for it in our hearts.

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  3. I moved here 6 years ago. My boss took me to Skyline on day 2 and I thought it was gross. A year later some friends wanted to go - so I went - begrudgingly. I ordered a coney and something non-chili related. Suddenly - I LIKED IT!

    Been on the train ever since.

    Although the hubby is now turning me into a Gold Star fan - their hot dogs are WAY better!

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  4. I lived in Cincinnati from the time I was 4, until I was 23, and I HATED the stuff, until I'd lived in Columbus for about 2 or 3 years. I found a new appreciation for it, and now that I live in South Dakota, I miss it even more. Whenever I make it back home to visit my dad who lives in Price Hill, we visit Skyline at least once, and I try to visit a different chili parlor whenever I can.

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