Cincinnati Coney Quest

Gold Star Veggie Way

2012-02-27T17:59:00.001-05:00

Last week we informed you about the new Skyline Chili Greek Pasta bowl which is being featured during Lent. Now its Gold Star Chili's turn. Gold Star actually has several vegetarian chili options which more closely relate to tradition Cincinnati chili dishes than the Skyline Greek Pasta Bowl. If you are in the mood for a 3-way but can't have meat, you can have it topped with their vegetarian chili instead. This isn't a new product, but it looks like Gold Star is going to promote it more than usual during Lenten season. Dixie Chili is another local chili parlor which features vegetarian chili on their menu. If there are any other local chili parlors with similar options or specials during Lent, please let us know!

Press release below.

Gold Star Chili Invites Cincinnati-style Chili Lovers To “Veg Out”

95-Restaurant Chain Highlights Its Vegetarian Chili Menu Items For Lent &

Year-round Healthy Eating

Cincinnati, Ohio – With the Lenten season upon us, Gold Star Chili, the Flavor of Cincinnati, wants to remind chili lovers that there are two ways to enjoy a Cincinnati-style 3-Way; the regular way (spaghetti topped with chili and shredded cheddar cheese) and the veggie way. Gold Star’s veggie chili variation of the famous Cincinnati-style 3-Way, plus a full line of veggie chili menu options including: a bowl of veggie chili, veggie chili burrito, veggie chili burrito bowl and a veggie chili salad have become increasingly popular year-round items.

“More and more consumers are demanding flavorful, but meatless menu options,” says Gold Star Vice President of Marketing, Charlie Howard. “A bowl of Gold Star veggie chili is only 160 calories, loaded with vegetables, full of fiber and protein and features a spicy, uniquely Gold Star flavor similar to our regular chili. As such, our veggie chili has become the foundation of a whole new line of vegetarian variations of classic Cincinnati-style menu options.”

With a major promotional focus on vegetarian chili menu items, Gold Star hopes to expand its customer base to include those who observe a strict vegetarian diet (Gold Star veggie chili is vegetarian and vegan), those seeking healthier lifestyle choices, regular Cincinnati-style chili lovers who crave the flavor and can now enjoy an additional “guilt-free” chili occasion each week, and in the short-term, people who observe Lent.

“With our emphasis on increasing awareness of our veggie chili, we’re following the lead of many school districts and encouraging the observance of “Meatless Mondays,” says Howard. “With the caveat of observing it with a veggie chili dish at Gold Star Chili, of course.”

Gold Star Chili’s veggie chili 3-Ways and other veggie menu items will be promoted with a six-week advertising campaign utilizing television, radio, billboards, digital and social media elements, beginning February 27^th, just in time for the Lenten season.

Skyline Introduces The Greek Pasta Bowl

2012-02-21T17:24:00.001-05:00

Today is Fat Tuesday which means Lent is upon us. Cincinnati has a large Catholic community, many chili lovers will have to go without their fix the next 6 Fridays, or might even choose give up chili for their Lenten sacrifice. Skyline has introduced a new menu item, the Greek Pasta Bowl, to bring in customers during this season. The Greek Pasta Bowl features warm, meatless pasta dish, which includes kalamata olives, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, feta cheese and Greek dressing. This menu item will be available until April 9.

If any other chili parlors are offering new menu items or specials during Lent, please let us know.

(Press Release Below)

Skyline Chili to Offer Vegetarian Greek Pasta Bowl for Lent

CINCINNATI – Skyline Chili is offering customers a meat-free menu item during this Lenten season. The Greek Pasta Bowl is a warm, meatless pasta dish, which includes signature Skyline Chili Greek salad ingredients, including kalamata olives, tomatoes, pepperoncinis, feta cheese and Greek dressing.

“We wanted to offer our customers who forgo meat for Lent a menu item that they can still enjoy at Skyline locations,” said Sarah Lapham, director of marketing for Skyline Chili. “This dish grew from a test-and-learn with a few select franchisees, and customers really seemed to love it. We’re excited to introduce it to all regional locations this year.”

The Greek Pasta Bowl is available from Feb. 8 to April 9 at Skyline Chili locations in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus. The dish is available in small and regular sizes.

Silver Ladle opening in March

2012-02-15T17:25:00.001-05:00

The newest tenant of Downtown's "Restaurant Row", Silver Ladle, is planing on opening March 12th. Cincinnati style chili will be featured on the menu. One of the items will be an open face, knife and fork coney which I look forward to trying. Cincinnati.com's Polly Campbell has all the latest info: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2012/02/15/silver-ladle-to-open-downtown/

The Silver Ladle website is now live: http://silver-ladle.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=435

Also, it looks like Silver Ladle is hiring for all positions: http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fbh/2852752573.html

Best of Coney Quest: Readers' Poll Winner

2012-02-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

Congrats to Dixie Chili on winning the Cincinnati Coney Quest Readers' Poll! The reader poll results were reversed from ours: we had Price Hill Chili #1 followed by Dixie, while the readers' had Dixie #1 followed by Price Hill. Another one of our favorites, Camp Washington Chili, finished 3rd. However, the voting wasn't very close as Dixie Chili brought in a comanding 41% of the vote. The results did not surprise me since Dixie Chili was the most recommended parlor when we first started the quest.

Best of Coney Quest: Readers' Poll

2012-02-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Over the past year and a half you have followed our quest and read our opinions on the local chili parlors. When it was over, we crowned Price Hill Chili as our favorite. Now, it is time for you to vote for your favorite Cincinnati chili parlor! If your favorite parlor is not listed, please select "Other" and tell us which unlisted parlor is your favorite in the comment section.

Voting will be open until Sunday and we will announce which parlor won the Readers' Poll on Monday.

POLL CLOSED

Price Hill Chili wins Best of Metromix...again

2012-01-31T21:17:00.000-05:00

2012 is starting off well for Price Hill Chili. First we crowned their cheese coney as the best in Cincinnati. Now, they have three-peated as Best Chili Parlor in the Best of Metromix Cincinnati 2012 poll. They are also nominated in the City Beat Best of Cincinnati poll in multiple categories.

Speaking of reader polls, keep an eye out on the blog this week. We will ask our readers which chili parlor in town they think is the best.

Best of Coney Quest: Individual Categories

2012-01-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

Since so much goes into the cheese coney and the Cincinnati chili experience, we decided to do Best of individual categories. In a perfect world we would put all of these together to assemble the perfect cheese coney and Cincinnati chili parlor.

Best Overall Chili - Camp Washington Chili
Along our quest we found the Cincinnati chili flavor ranges from sweet to savory to spicy. The following categories show what we liked the best in each of those and which was the best overall. More details about Camp Washington below.

Best Sweet Chili - Pleasant Ridge Chili
This category had the most contestants as Cincinnati style chili is stereo-typically sweet. Pleasant Ridge was probably the sweetest and it was also the tastiest.
Honorable mention: Skyline Chili, Blue Ash Chili

Best Savory Chili - Dixie Chili
A flavorful chili with a variety of savory spices used. Even though its a complex blend, it is a very well balanced chili.
Honorable mention: Price Hill Chili, Gold Star Chili

Best Spicy Chili - Camp Washington Chili
No, its not so spicy that you will be chugging milk afterward, but there is a good kick there. Not only is this our favorite chili in the spicy category, it is our favorite chili overall. Along with the heat level, there are those classic sweet undertones. The flavor stays very consistent and is the reason Camp Washington is one of our favorites.
Honorable mention: Chili Time, US Chili

Best Cheese - Skyline Chili
Not only is the Skyline cheese very tasty, you also get a heaping amount of cheese on each coney. This is probably the reason I will always appreciate Skyline, even if its no longer my favorite.
Honorable mention: Blue Ash Chili, Covington Chili, J & J Restaurant, Price Hill Chili

Best Hot Dog - Mr. Hanton's
Mr. Hanton's is a hot dog stand, not a chili parlor, so it's no surprise they win the Best Hot Dog category. The big all beef dog is delicious and showed that beef hot dogs can work with Cincinnati style chili.
Honorable mention: Price Hill Chili, Gold Star Chili, Blue Bird Restaurant

Best Bun - Empress Chili
The original Cincinnati chili parlor and the first one we visited, had the best bun by far. Very fresh and the right amount of softness.
Honorable mention: Chili Time, Price Hill Chili, Gold Star Chili

Best Chain Chili Parlor - Dixie Chili
Gold Star and Skyline get the most attention out of the chili parlor chains, but our favorite is Dixie.
Honorable mention: Gold Star Chili, Skyline Chili

Best Independent Chili Parlor - Price Hill Chili
We found out there are a lot more independent parlors than we ever imagined. Obviously our favorite parlor is home to our favorite cheese coney.
Honorable mention: Chili Time, Camp Washington Chili, Pleasant Ridge Chili

Best Ambiance - Camp Washington Chili
Camp Washington Chili has the neatest looking architecture with the giant CHILI sign calling your name. The inside is also impressive as it features a classic and clean diner look. They have a lot of history and let you know it with the various pictures and framed articles along the wall.
Honorable mention: Skyline Chili (Clifton), Dixie Chili (Newport)

Best Ad Campaign - Gold Star Chili and Skyline Chili (tie)
Gold Star and Skyline have the most money and resources, so no surprise they win this category. I couldn't pick just one though as I believe they both do a very good job advertising their product. Skyline has the classic jingle that every Cincinnatian knows. Gold Star does a very good job incorporating various Cincinnati traditions in their ads.

Best Service - Skyline Chili
Luckily along the quest we didn't encounter too much bad service, other than the infamous Mike's Chili and Gyros incident. This was a tough one to choose. Every time we visited the Skyline in Clifton, there was a large staff working and they were very attentive and friendly. We would also like to point out that Dixie Chili had the fastest service, but that is due to it being counter service not wait service.
Honorable mention: Camp Washington, Gold Star Chili, Price Hill Chili

Best Hours - Chili Time
There are only a couple of hours each day that Chili Time is not open, even on Sundays. If you have a severe coney craving, chances are you can satisfy it at Chili Time.
Honorable mention: Camp Washington Chili, Dixie Chili, Skyline Chili (Clifton)

Best Deal- Gourmet Chili
For the most part, cheese coneys make for a pretty cheap meal. This is especially so at Gourmet Chili where their coneys only cost $1.25.
Honorable mention: JK's Chili, Gold Star Chili (during Coney Mania)

Best of Coney Quest: #1 - Price Hill Chili

2012-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

#1 Price Hill Chili

Alison's score: 4.5 out of 5

Clint's score: 4.5 out of 5

Average score: 4.5 out of 5

The west side of Cincinnati is the epicenter of Cincinnati chili. Take a drive on Glenway Avenue you will pass multiple chili parlors, one of those being Price Hill Chili. It's not just a chili parlor, its the ultimate neighborhood family restaurant. The wait staff seems to know every patron that comes in...except for outsiders like us. However, that may change, as the Price Hill Chili cheese coney was our favorite cheese coney of the quest.

Every aspect of the coney was top notch, which is the main reason why Price Hill Chili is our favorite. Some places we went to had great chili but sub-par cheese, others had great cheese but mediocre chili and some had stale buns that ruined would could have been a good product. The Price Hill Chili coney was very good in each individual aspect that makes up the coney. The chili flavor is a sweet and savory blend and has a thicker texture than a Skyline or Gold Star chili. The cheese has a quality freshly shredded sharp flavor taste. They get their hot dogs from Blue Grass Meats, which we found to be our favorite of the local hot dog brands. And finally, the buns were soft, fresh and did a good job holding the coney together.

There isn't much negative to say about the Price Hill cheese coney. Alison did note in her review that if the chili just had a little more boldness, like Camp Washington or Chili Time, then it could have received a perfect 5 out of 5. I did not disagree with that assessment, however it didn't bother me as much since I enjoy the stereotypical sweet Cincinnati chili.

After visiting 29 chili parlors and restaurants, we might not have found the "perfect" cheese coney. However, the Price Hill Chili cheese coney comes as close as you can get in our opinion. We look forward to making more visits and maybe someday trying their breakfast that looks equally as delicious.

Best of City Beat 2012

2012-01-26T17:37:00.000-05:00

Voting is now open for the Best of City Beat 2012. Sadly, Cincinnati Coney Quest did not get nominated for Best Blog...shocking, I know. But feel free to write us in! Congrats to the Cincinnati blogs that are nominated.

Once again, there are chili categories to vote in. Apparently this year the chili categories are not limited to Cincinnati style chili. This means chili lovers of all varieties will have an options, but there are some odd nominees in my opinion.

Best Chili (Chain):

Bob Evans
Dixie Chili
Empress Chili
Frisch's
Gold Star Chili
McAlister's Deli
Panera Bread
Potbelly
Skyline Chili
Steak N' Shake
Wendy's

Best Chili (Non-Chain):

Aquarius Star & Om Cafe
Blue Ash Chili
Camp Washington
Chez Nora
Chicken on the Run
Chili Time
Delhi Chili
Dixie Chili
Empress Chili
Habbits Cafe
J and J Restaurant
Lavomatic
Main Street Cafe
Melt
Pleasant Ridge Chili
Price Hill Chili
Roxy's
Tucker's
Westside Chili
Zip's Cafe

Congrats to Dixie Chili and Empress Chili on being nominated for both Chain and Non-Chain! And congrats to the no longer existent West Side Chili for their nomination. I won't tell anyone how they should vote, but if Bob Evans or Wendy's wins I will be highly disappointed in my fellow Cincinnatians. Snark aside, congrats to those restaurants that are nominated for Best Chili, we did enjoy all the parlors we visited that are nominees.

Other nominations for chili parlors:

Skyline Chili - Best Business Lunch, Best Bang for your Buck, Best Date Restaurant, Best Late Night Eats, Best Takeout

Price Hill Chili - Best Breakfast, Best Bang for your Buck, Best Kid Friendly Restaurant, Best Late Night Eats, Best Subs/Sandwiches

Blue Jay Restaurant - Best Breakfast, Best Bang for your Buck

Blue Ash Chili - Best Bang for your Buck

Pleasant Ridge Chili - Best Bang for your Buck, Best Late Night Eats

Camp Washington Chili - Best Bang for your Buck, Best Late Night Eats

Chili Time - Best Late Night Eats

Best of Coney Quest: #2 - Dixie Chili

2012-01-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

#2 - Dixie Chili

Alison's score: 4 out of 5

Clint's score: 4 out of 5

Average score: 4 out of 5

One of the oldest chili parlors on the quest also happens to be one of our favorites. When we first announced the quest, many followers told us that we must try Dixie Chili. In the battle of chain chili parlors, the South wins. Northern Kentucky's Dixie Chili checks in at #2 on our ratings of favorite cheese coneys.

The previous two parlors in our rankings had some heat level in their chili recipe, this isn't the case at Dixie. Their recipe also isn't as sweet typical Cincinnati style chili either. The Dixie Chili recipe features a savory blend of spices with some sweet undertones. Dixie was founded by a former Empress employee. After having each a couple of times, I can see where the influence comes from. They have a lot of similarities, but Dixie has improved on the original Empress recipe. Alison couldn't pick up on all the spices they use, but really enjoyed their chili because of how complex but well balanced it was.

We also enjoyed the other aspects of the coney. The cheese had a good mild cheddar flavor and appeared to be freshly grated. The cheese lover in me could go for a little more of the cheese, but in reality there is a good cheese to chili ratio.The hot dog could be a little bigger but has a nice grilled flavor. The coney comes out pipping hot and fresh.

Overall, Dixie Chili is now one of our favorite chili parlors. We enjoy the chili, ambiance, and they have great hours (open til 3AM on Weekends).

Best of Coney Quest: #3 - Chili Time

2012-01-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

#3 - Chili Time

Alison's score: 4 out of 5

Clint's score: 3.8 out of 5

Average score: 3.9 out of 5

Chili Time making the Top 3 is a bit of a surprise. When we first visited Chili Time, Alison loved it and I thought it was just a little above average. Alison wanted to make Chili Time one of our revisits and I am glad she did. While it still wasn't my favorite coney, I did enjoy the coney a lot more on the revisit. I upped my score from a 3.5 to a 3.8.

Chili Time is a staple in the St. Bernard community. One thing we learned on our revisit is do not plan a trip there between 11AM-12:30PM on a Sunday, as Chili Time is a popular post-Church spot. Luckily there are plenty of hours in the day to visit Chili Time since they are open til 4AM on most days.

Much like Camp Washington, this is another chili that actually has some heat level to it. Even though they are both on the hotter side of the spectrum, we could tell they use different spices. Also, as Alison noted in her review, Chili Time had a thicker and meatier consistency. It is one of the better chili recipes we tasted on the quest. The cheese and bun were of equal quality as well. The one thing that held the Chili Time coney back was the hot dog, which was a little bland even for Cincinnati cheese coney standards. Despite that, its a very tasty coney and worth a trip to St. Bernard for.

Best of Coney Quest: #4 - Camp Washington Chili

2012-01-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

#4 - Camp Washington Chili

Alison's score: 3.75 out of 5

Clint's score: 4 out of 5

Average score: 3.875 out of 5

Camp Washington Chili is one of the most recognizable food landmarks in Cincinnati. On a recent episode of Travel Chanel's Man vs. Food Nation, out of all the chili parlors in the area, Adam Richman chose Camp Washington Chili for the Cincinnati episode. When we started the quest, this was a parlor we could not wait to try. In our opinion, Camp Washington Chili lived up to the hype.

Camp Washington has one of the more unique Cincinnati chili flavors as it has more heat level than most. It's not 5-alarm hot, no Cincinnati chili is, but there is a little kick there. There are also sweet undertones which most would associate with Cincinnati style chili. We like the balance in flavors in Camp Washington's chili a lot. The Camp Washington coney also had a great chili to cheese ratio.

There is one area where Alison believes Camp Washington can improve: their onions and mustard. Alison felt the mustard was "slathered on too thick", the onions were "strong and a little dry" and both took away from the chili flavor. These deficiencies ended up holding the Camp Washington coney from being even higher in our rankings.

Best of Coney Quest: Parlors #5 thru #16

2012-01-23T11:00:00.001-05:00

We kick off Best of Coney Quest week by unveiling the Chili Parlors/Restaurants ranked #5 thru #16. These are all cheese coneys which received an average rating of 3 stars or higher.

#5 - Mr. Hanton's

Not your typical Cincinnati cheese coney, but their delicious hot dog makes this coney among the best.

#6 - Pleasant Ridge Chili

Come for the chili, stay for the gravy cheese fries. Don't forget to bring cash, as credit is not accepted.

#7 - Gold Star Chili

Might not truly be "The Flavor of Cincinnati" but its a top notch coney that won't make us argue too much with that slogan.

#8 - J & J Restaurant

Our 2nd favorite chili parlor on Glenway (aka "3-way Highway").

#9 - Skyline Chili

After being exposed to other parlors we might not make it "Skyline Time" every time we feel good and hungry. However it is still a very tasty coney and we'll still make many Skyline visits.

#10 - Eastside Chili

The newest Cincinnati chili parlor starts out on the right foot by making our Top 10.

#11 - Santorini's

Santorini's features the largest menu we found on the quest. Despite the many options, they don't view chili as an afterthought and do make a solid coney.

#12 - Blue Jay Restaurant

A popular breakfast spot in the heart of Northside also features tasty chili options.

#13 - Covington Chili

Not one of the most well known parlors in town, but is one of the oldest.

#14 - Gourmet Chili

Overshadowed by neighboring Dixie Chili, but is worth a visit as long as you don't mind smoky restaurants.

#15 - Blue Ash Chili

This was the chili parlor featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-In's and Dives.

#16 - Fort Wright Family Restaurant

If you like a heaping amount of cheese on your coney, chances are you will enjoy the coney here.

Best of Coney Quest Week

2012-01-22T19:31:00.000-05:00

The Cincinnati Coney Quest is technically complete. We have visited 29 chili parlors/restaurants and in the past month have revisited some of our favorite parlors. This week will be "Best of Coney Quest" week, where we officially unveil our favorite places to find a cheese coney. This does not mark the end of the blog. We still have a couple of more things to complete: the Canned Chili Challenge and trying out more Cincinnati Chili recipes. We will also pass on any Cincinnati chili related news and deals.

Here is the schedule for this week:

Monday 1/23 - Unveil official rankings of Chili Parlors #5 thru #16
Tuedsay 1/24 - 4th place Parlor
Wednesday 1/25 - 3rd place Parlor
Thursday 1/26 - 2nd place Parlor
Friday 1/27 - 1st place Parlor
Saturday 1/28 - "Best of..." Category winners (e.g. Best Cheese, Best Chili, etc.)

Of course our rankings are just our opinions. If you ask 100 different Cincinnatians their opinion on the local chili parlors you will likely get a wide range of opinions. Hopefully we were able to introduce some new eateries for our readers to try, even if you do end up disagreeing with our opinion. We have had fun on this quest and have found a lot of great places to find Cincinnati chili which was the main goal.

Best of Metromix Cincinnati 2012

2012-01-17T17:19:00.000-05:00

Awards season is upon us and Metromix is asking their readers to vote on this years Best of Metromix Cincinnati poll. Most of the categories pertain to local restaurants, bars, and other entertainment destinations. Once again there is a category for Best Chili Parlor. The same chili parlors are nominated from last year along with one new addition, Pleasant Ridge Chili. This means the two big guys in town, Gold Star and Skyline, are not represented. I stick by what I said last year, I like that the smaller parlors are getting attention. Price Hill Chili won the previous two Best of Metromix polls, will they 3-peat?

The nominees are:

Blue Ash Chili

Camp Washington Chili

Dixie Chili (Erlanger)

Empress Chili (Alexandria)

Pleasant Ridge Chili

Price Hill Chili

I would also like to note that Mr. Hanton's is up for Best Food Truck. While Mr. Hanton's technically is not a Cincinnati chili parlor, they do serve Cincinnati chili cheese coneys, along with many other amazing hot dog options.

Old Cincinnati Chili Parlor Commercials

2012-01-12T19:57:00.001-05:00

Earlier I was on YouTube, don't remember what I was watching (probably something involving dogs, cats or someone taking a football to the groin) but somehow I came across an old commercial for Gold Star Chili. So I thought it would be fun to take a look at past ads for local chili parlors. Most of the ads I found were relatively new but I did find 3 old Gold Star ads (1993, 1998 and 2007), an old Skyline ad (not sure of the year) and an old Channel 12 news feature (young Rob Braun FTW!) on the famous and super catchy Skyline Chili jingle.

Gold Star Hot Mett Coney returns

2012-01-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

Last year Gold Star Chili introduced a new seasonal item to their menu, the Hot Mett Cheese Coney. This coney features a hot mettwurst topped with chili, sriracha sauce and jalapeño cheese. I did not try it when it came out last year, just looking at the pictures give me heartburn, but I heard positive reviews for it. Gold Star is bringing back the hot mett coney for a limited time again, this time its available from January 9th until February 19th. Press release below.

RETURN OF THE BURN!

Gold Star Chili Hot Mett Cheese Coney Is Back

Winter Heat for Spicy Food Lovers, Cincinnati-style

Back by popular demand and for a limited time only (through February 19) Gold Star Chili, The Flavor of Cincinnati, has added a hot and spicy new variation of the classic Cincinnati-style cheese coney to its menu…The Hot Mett Cheese Coney. The Hot Mett Cheese Coney, featuring a hot mettwurst, Gold Star’s famous Cincinnati-style chili, “Firehouse” sriracha sauce and special hot jalapeño cheese, all on a soft steamed bun, is a fusion of two Cincinnati-area traditions and one of the nation’s most popular current dining trends. The cheese coney is a classic Cincinnati-style chili parlor menu item and the use of a mettwurst instead of the traditional hot dog is a nod to Cincinnati’s German heritage. The “heat,” supplied by the spices in the mett, the special Firehouse sauce and jalapeño cheese allows Gold Star to capitalize on the ongoing trend; the increasing numbers of diners who crave new and unique, hot and spicy food.

“Our new product research shows two things,” says Gold Star Chili Vice President of Marketing & Brand Development, Charlie Howard. “Our customers retain their passion and cult-like devotion to our traditional Cincinnati-style chili menu items, yet they still desire some new menu variety. The Hot Mett Cheese Coney is the perfect synthesis of those customer desires.”

The Hot Mett Cheese Coney, like most of Gold Star’s menu items, features the sourcing of local menu ingredients. Gold Star makes all of its chili locally in the commissary at its corporate headquarters. The spicy hot mett is provided by local Bluegrass Quality Meats and the coney buns are baked locally and delivered fresh daily from Klosterman bakery. “It’s hard to get more ‘pure Cincinnati’ than a Gold Star Chili cheese coney, “observes Howard.

Gold Star’s Hot Mett Cheese Coney turns up the heat just when the weather turns colder, on the menu from January 9 – February 20, 2012. Traditional cheese coney lovers need not worry as they can always be found at the top of the Gold Star Chili menu.

SCVNGR at Skyline

2012-01-05T21:24:00.001-05:00

With the rise of smart phones, people "checking in" everywhere they go is one of the latest trends. It appears Skyline is looking to cash in on this with their latest promotion. I spotted this on the door of the Skyline on 4th and Sycamore (sorry for the glare, it was a sunny day):

SCVNGR is a combination of check-in app and game. For those not familiar with SCVNGR, here is a good description from Wikipedia: "By going places and doing challenges, players can earn points. They are also able to broadcast where they are and what they're up to to their friends on Facebook and Twitter. By doing challenges, players can unlock badges and real-world rewards, such as discounts or free items." It appears if you check in to SCVNGR at Skyline, you will earn points which can help you earn free items such as cheese coneys.

This seems like a pretty smart promotion by Skyline. If you logon Facebook or Twitter right now chances are one of your friends have checked in somewhere. I typically do my check-ins on Yelp, but next time I visit a Skyline I will have to try this out. If you want to try it out you need an iPhone or Android device, download the SCVNGR app, and search for SkylineChili. If anyone tries this let us know how it works, would especially love to know how many check-ins it takes to earn free coneys!

Final Phase of the Quest

2012-01-02T16:37:00.001-05:00

First, we would like to wish all of our readers a Happy New Year!

Now onto some quest news. We are now entering the final phase of the Cincinnati Coney Quest. In the past 14 months we have visited 29 parlors, diners and restaurants in search of the best cheese coney in Cincinnati. There are a couple of restaurants that serve cheese coneys we were unfortunately unable to visit (mostly due to them having hours that didn't fit our schedule). Over the next month or so, we will revisit 4 of our favorite chili parlors to see if their ratings still hold up and to crown the best cheese coney in Cincinnati. When we wrap the quest up we will also have a "Best Of..." post which will give props to various parlors who excel in individual categories (e.g. Best Chili, Best Cheese, etc.). There are a couple of cans of chili left in our cupboard for us to try in our "Canned Chili Challenge". We will also still keep you up to date on the latest Cincinnati chili related news and deals. So there will still be plenty of content for the blog in 2012.

As always, thanks to everyone who reads and follows the quest!

Chili Revolution

2011-12-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

Recently one of our readers emailed us and told us they have their own Cincinnati chili spice mix and run the website ChiliRevolution.com. The reader wanted us to try a sample of her Cincinnati chili mix which she claims is the Empress Chili recipe. Since we want to experiment with various Cincinnati chili recipes and love free stuff, we took the reader up on her offer.

About a week later we received the spice mixes in the mail with the following instructions:

Chili ingredients

We followed the instructions exactly as stated (made it a day before serving) and it resulted in a pretty good Cincinnati style chili. The chili was definitely your stereotypical sweet Cincinnati chili, with cinnamon being the most prevalent of the sweet spices. I don't know if it reminded us much of Empress, but that is a bit hard to tell since overall our coneys weren't a copy of Empress'. This recipe called for more tomato sauce than other recipes I've seen. I didn't notice it while eating, but could after I was done. I will need to try one of the other recipes that calls for less sauce to make a verdict about which amount is more appropriate. Onion was the most prevalent of the savory spices and we could even see some onion flakes in the chili.

The one downfall of our coneys was not the fault of the chili. The buns we purchased were sub-par. I do not recommend buying Butternut Golden Honey buns for cheese coneys, they got soggy way too quickly. Our freshly grated medium cheddar cheese and blue grass hot dogs were good and complimented the chili well.

Overall we liked Chili Revolution's take on Cincinnati chili. Even though it requires more effort than opening up a can of chili, we enjoyed the freshness of making it ourselves. We look forward to trying more recipes, and even tweaking some existing recipes, in an attempt to find a perfect homemade Cincinnati chili recipe.

All the ingredients before stirring together

Everything mixed together and simmering on the stove

Freshly grated cheese

Dogs and Chili warming up on the stove

Chili is ready to serve

Chili Dogs

Cheese coneys!

2012 Gold Star Chili Cook-Off

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Good news for those who enjoy all varieties of chili, details of the 2012 Gold Star Chili Cook-Off have been announced. The event will take place at Findlay Market on Sunday January 15, 2012 at Noon. Gold Star Chili sponsors the annual event which features 30 different chili entrants judged by the firefighters from OTR Engine 5. After judges have made their decisions the public is allowed taste all the various chilies from the competition. We attended the 2011 cook-off and enjoyed ourselves. It's a well run event and held at one of our favorite Cincinnati landmarks.

Mr. Hanton's opens storefront

2011-12-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier in the quest we tried the Mr. Hanton's food truck and were really impressed. It was by far the best hot dog we have tasted on the quest thus far. Apparently Mr. Hanton's business is doing very well as over the weekend they opened a store front in White Oak. According to their Facebook page, here are some of the offerings they will have:

Aside from over 30 varieties dogs/sausages we also offer Philly Cheese Steaks, Italian Beefs, Gyros shaved off the cone, Deep fried PB&J, a monster grilled cheese on Texas toast with fried mozzarella, provolone and Marinara, Flatbread Chicken breast salad, Gravy cheese fries, chili cheese fries, bacon cheese fries, sweet potato fries, Mr. Hanton fries. We will also have cheese cake and other fresh baked goodies.

Mr. Hanton's is located on 5826 Cheviot Road and their hours will be 11a.m. - 9p.m. Sunday - Thursday and 11a.m. - 3a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Everything we have tried from Mr. Hanton's has been very tasty and we look forward to visiting their new storefront.

Coney Mania and Cincinnati Chili in Portland

2011-12-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

The other day I came across this flyer and had to make sure to pass the info on to fellow coney lovers. If you are looking for cheese coneys for a good price, Gold Star Chili has you covered next Wednesday. On Wednesday December 7th Gold Star will have another one of their popular Coney Mania specials. 99 cent cheese coneys all day long (limit 10).

If you are in Portland and have a craving for Cincinnati Chili, you are now in luck. The Oregonian reports Sandwich Island, a lunch stop in downtown Portland, recently added Cincinnati style chili to their menu. The Oregonian reporter had positive feedback and there is a 4 star review for the chili on Yelp. Sounds like a good option for any Cincinnati transplants in the Portland area.

Skyline Chili's Crosstown Shootout VIP Party Sweepstakes

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the great Cincinnati sporting events of the year is around the corner, The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout. This year's battle between UC and XU takes place December 10th at Xavier's Cintas Center. There is another great annual event that is attached to the basketball game, The Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout VIP Party. The VIP Party takes place the week of the shootout and as you would expect, features Skyline Chili as the meal, along with appearances by the coaches, cheerleaders and mascots. Attendees also have a chance to win various Crosstown Shootout related door prizes. We attended the party last year and can verify its a very fun and well run event. We will be attending this year as well and are looking forward to the festivities. Free cheese coneys and free beer with college basketball as the backdrop is an excellent night for me.

This year you have a chance of attending the Skyline VIP Party! We are giving away a free invite to one of our lucky readers. Just make a comment on this post that either says "GO MUSKIES!" or "GO BEARCATS!". We will randomly select one as our winner (the winner can also bring one guest). You have until 5 PM on Friday December 2nd to enter. Details about the event are below, only one entry allowed and please do not enter if you cannot attend the party.

The VIP Party is on Thursday December 8th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.The party is located at the Fourth & Sycamore location in Downtown Cincinnati.
Attendees will have the chance to win Crosstown Shootout Prizes and enjoy a Skyline Chili buffet.
Mo Egger of Cincinnati’s 1530 ESPN Radio will broadcast live interviews with Coach Mick Cronin of UC and Coach Chris Mack of Xavier.

Demetrios IV Review

2011-11-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

Until two weeks ago, I had never heard of Demetrios IV. Based on our research it was a family restaurant in Mariemont that also had Cincinnati chili items on their menu. Would Demetrios be a hidden gem or would we end up wishing we had never heard of it?

The best way to describe the atmosphere for Demetrios IV is imagine a rest home that serves cheese coneys. Yes, that sounds a bit harsh, but its the best description I have. We were the youngest patrons there by about 70 years and we could overhear a conversation next to us about hospice care. But, as long as the food is good and everything is sanitary, I don't really care what the age makeup of a restaurant is. The dining area was clean and our waitress was very nice. The menu was a typical Greek family restaurant/diner menu. Along with the chili options there was breakfast, gyros, dinner and gigantic double decker sandwiches. I caught a peek of one of the double deckers and it looked impressive. No, we did not find what the meaning of Demetrios IV was or if there is a Demetrios I, II and III.

Clint's Review

I go into each coney quest stop wanting to find the best cheese coney in town. If that isn't the case, I hope to find some positives of the coney even if other aspects fall short. I want to promote local businesses, last thing I want to do is write a negative review. Unfortunately, I can't think of one good thing to say about the coneys I ate (or attempted to eat) at Demetrios IV.

The chili was not enjoyable at all. I don't know what spices they use, but a new recipe is in order. To make things worse there was tons of chili on each coney. The hot dog tasted like it was nuked in a microwave. Very rubbery texture. The cheese looked good, but couldn't overcome the poor chili and hot dog. This was the only quest stop where I could not finish the food in front of me. I tried very hard to finish, hoping the coneys would get better, but after the first bite of the 2nd coney I threw in the towel...or napkin in this instance. (Alison with the quote of the night: "It looked like you were a contestant on Fear Factor!")

I hate to do this, but I give Demetrios IV a .5 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend the Demetrios IV cheese coneys. Most of the ingredients were subpar. The chili had an odd bitter quality. The hot dogs were rubbery. The buns were not fresh. The onions were cut in long slices rather than diced. I couldn't taste mustard if there was any at all on my coneys. I suppose the cheese was decent, but there was no redemption at this point. And though everything was a little off, I plowed through two coneys simply out of hunger until I looked up at Clint and saw the disgust in this face. In seeing his abhorrence to the coneys, I struggled to take another few bites before giving up, realizing we'd probably be stopping at Frisch's on the way home, anyhow.

In all fairness Demetrios had a very nice restaurant and the service was fine. But the coney, which was the worst we've had during the quest, was also one of the most expensive at $1.75. I'm giving this parlor 1 out of 5 stars for their cheese coneys.

Skyline Holiday Gift Card Promotion

2011-11-22T14:44:00.001-05:00

As Thanksgiving approaches so does another event, "Black Friday". After Thanksgiving, holiday shoppers head to the stores to find great deals on gifts for their friends and family...or even themselves if they aren't in a giving mood. Skyline Chili is trying to lure in bargain hunters as well with a new promotion they are running. When someone buys at $25 gift card, Skyline will add another $5 gift certificate. If I remember Skyline's prices correctly, that should be good enough for 3 more coneys. This promotion begins November 22nd and runs til December 26th. (press release at bottom of post)

As always, we here at the Coney Quest give equal opportunity to any chili related deals. If any other chili parlors are running any specials this holiday season, please drop us a line and we will pass the word on.

Skyline Chili Offers Holiday Shoppers Free Gift Certificate with Gift Card Purchase

CINCINNATI – Skyline Chili is offering customers a free $5 gift certificate bonus with every $25 dollar gift card purchase they make this holiday season. The promotion begins tomorrow, Nov. 22 and will run through Dec. 26 – just in time for last-minute shoppers.

“This is a great way to give a little extra to our customers for the holidays,” said Sarah Lapham, director of marketing for Skyline Chili. “The gift cards are great for teacher gifts, holiday parties and gift exchanges, and are fantastic stocking stuffers for cash-strapped college students.”

A few restrictions do apply: the $5 gift certificates will be good at the location of purchase from Jan. 1 to Feb. 29, 2012. The promotion is valid in participating stores and is not available online.

Quest Stop #29

2011-11-14T21:27:00.001-05:00

The next stop on the Coney Quest is a restaurant I just added to our list tonight. We will take a rare eastside quest stop to Mariemont and visit Demetrios IV. I've been to Mariemont many times, but never heard of Demetrios IV until I saw The Chili Report recently visited. Based on what I have read, it seems to have many of the same qualities of a Cincinnati chili parlor, so we decided to add it to our quest. Since it is one of the few remaining parlors on our list with evening hours, we will make it our next stop.

Santorini Review

2011-11-10T20:14:00.001-05:00

Quest Stop #28 took us back west into the heart of Cheviot to try Santorini's Family Restaurant. As soon as you walk into Santorini's you know its a Greek restaurant. There are pictures and paintings of Greece and everything has a blue and white color scheme. The food is just not Greek as the menu indicates they serve Greek and American food. Santorini's probably has the largest menu out of all the restaurants we have visited. Like most family restaurants there is breakfast and American grill items, they also serve Greek specialties like Gyros and Baklava, and they have your standard Cincinnati chili classics. One item we found to be surprising was Pizza. Not often you go to a family or Greek restaurant and see pizza on the menu. The service was very good and friendly.

Alison's Review

Santorini offers a really flavorful coney. I had difficulty telling what kind of hot dog they use, but it had a great smokey flavor to it. The chili was a nice meaty texture and the flavor was pretty decent. The spice level could probably be a little bit bolder. I imagine it might taste a little bland on its own or on a 3-Way, but the overall flavor was a good balance with the tasty hot dog.

The soft, fresh bun was just about as good as they get. The onion and mustard were just strong enough to be tasted but not overwhelming. My only complaint was that the cheese wasn't very neatly shredded, and most of it fell off onto my plate. However, I'll take the fresh grated cheese, in any form, over the pre-packaged stuff any day.

It's great to find another parlor that well represents Cincinnati stye chili. I'm giving Santorini a 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

When I saw how big the Santorini's menu I didn't have high hopes for the coneys to be very good. With such a large menu I was concerned that there wouldn't be too much care put into the coneys. Also I never knew about Santorini's until someone notified us about them in the comments section of a previous post. Luckily, Santorini's cheese coneys turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

The chili itself was ok. Not the most flavorful chili I have enjoyed on the quest, but good enough. It was on the savory side but had some sweet undertones as well. It did have a good thick texture and was not watery. While the chili didn't have a spicy heat level, it did come out piping hot. The cheese was tasty and freshly grated. However, the grating quality could be a little better. It reminded me of the cheese Alison and I grated on our first canned chili experiment. The cheese portion was generous which is something I do approve of. While the hot dog flavor didn't jump out to me as much as it did Alison, I did enjoy the hot dog. Only subpar aspect was the bun, I guess Alison got fresher buns than I did because they didn't seem that soft to me.

Overall Santorini's exceeded my expectations and produced a quality coney. I give them a 3.5 out of 5.

Quest Stop #28

2011-11-08T11:10:00.001-05:00

We have gone about three weeks since our last official coney quest stop. That is just far too long, so this week we will put a stop to that. As it stands now we only have 5 parlors remaining on the quest, but of course as you know by now, that is subject to change. The next stop on the quest we will head back to the westside and visit Santorini, a Greek restaurant in Cheviot that features Cincinnati style chili on their menu. Look for our review later in the week.

Empress Chili Downtown mini-review

2011-10-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

Today I decided to have lunch at The Squirrel and check out their new Empress Chili offerings. When I saw The Squirrel was offering Empress Chili I was a little surprised. However, when I thought about it longer it made a lot of sense. A common menu item at many parlors is the double-decker sandwich. The Squirrel is specializes in double-decker sandwiches, this makes The Squirrel and Empress Chili is a great combo.

Aside from new signs advertising Empress, there isn't anything new with the interior of The Squirrel. So it doesn't have the look or feel of a chili parlor. The cheese coneys are chili parlor quality though. I've been to both the Alexandria and Hartwell Empress locations. Alexandria Empress disappointed me but I enjoyed my visit to Hartwell. Luckily these coneys had more in common with the coneys I had at Hartwell. We have covered the taste of Empress previously, not much new to report there. The chili here tasted good, only difference I noticed were larger red pepper flakes. The cheese was freshly grated and the buns were soft.

This doesn't really count as a true quest stop, but I would give the Empress Chili downtown 3.25 out of 5. If I were in the mood for coneys during my lunch break I would probably stick with Skyline. However, the new Empress downtown is a good option if you want to take a break from Skyline or Gold Star for lunch.

Empress Chili Downtown and other news items

2011-10-23T19:38:00.000-04:00

If you are in Downtown Cincinnati during the work week and in the mood for chili, there is one more option aside from Skyline and Gold Star to fill your chili needs. Earlier this afternoon we were taking our dog on a walk around town and noticed signs for Empress Chili. It appears The Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) on 4th and Walnut now has Empress Chili on their menu. At some point this week I will try to make a visit and will update you on which Empress items are on The Squirrel menu.

Looks like Gold Star is promoting their coney crates as the perfect food to bring to a Bengals tailgating party:

Cincinnati-style chili appears as one of the 15 Beloved Regional Dishes in a recent article on The Huffington Post.

Eastside Chili Review

2011-10-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

As we noted earlier in the quest, the west side of Cincinnati dominates the east when it comes to chili. The west side even has its own "3-way highway" (Glenway Ave) which features various chili parlors, while the east its mainly just Gold Star and Skyline. There is a new chili parlor that hopes to bring Cincinnati chili lovers to the east and is appropriately named Eastside Chili (also known as Fat Timmy's Eastside Chili).

Eastside Chili isn't just east, its pretty far east for many, located in a Withamsville strip mall off of the Beechmont/Amelia exit on 275. The owners of this parlor take pride in their east side roots and it shows on their walls which have various east side landmarks painted on them. You can tell the restaurant is brand new as soon as you walk in. With the newness and bright colors, Eastside has more of a fast food restaurant feel than they typical diner or parlor feel. However you are served by waitresses who were very friendly. The menu is similar to what you would find at the classic Cincinnati chili parlors, it even has gravy fries which another east chili parlor, Pleasant Ridge Chili, is known for. Whomever put the menu together is a fan of sexual innuendo humor, as their Fat Timmy mascot is featured in the menu holding signs stating "Nobody Beats Our Meat!" and "It takes two hand to handle our meat!".

Clint's Review

Born and raised on the east side it slightly pains me to admit the west has our number in the chili game. When I heard a new independent parlor opened on the east I was excited especially since its on the way to my parents house. For the most part Eastside Chili comes through but there is one major deficiency.

The chili was a complex but tasty one. It starts off tasting savory along with the typical Cincinnati chili spices and reminded me of other chilies I have sampled along the quest. At some point in my second coney I began to pick up on some heat. It wasn't spicy like Tex-Mex or even Camp Washington, but there is an underlying heat level there. Another aspect that reminded me of previous parlors was the hot dog. The dog was tasty and I'm fairly certain it was a Blue Grass hot dog, which is used at Gold Star Chili, Price Hill Chili and other Cincinnati chili parlors. The bun was soft enough and did an ok job of holding everything together.

Unfortunately there was one ingredient the Eastside coney fell short in: cheese. One of the big reasons I love cheese coneys is for the mountain of fresh cheddar cheese that lies on top the coney. As soon as I saw the coney I could tell the cheese came from a bag in the cheese section of the grocery store. If I'm at a restaurant that just happens to serve cheese coneys, this is something I can forgive. However, if you are a chili parlor and chili is your main dish, you gotta have fresh shredded cheese in my opinion. The cheese at Eastside didn't necessarily taste bad, but when I go to a chili parlor I just expect better cheese than I have in my refrigerator at home.

Overall I really did enjoy the Eastside Chili cheese coney. There were many things about the coney and parlor to like. I will visit again and hope Eastside does lots of business. It was a good coney, but unfortunately the sub-par cheese kept it from being a great coney. I give Eastside a 3.6 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Eastside Chili has added another highly competitive cheese coney to our quest. The chili, while not spicy, definitely had the zippiness of red pepper. The warm cinnamon undertones were also very apparent, and I would place this chili in the savory category. The hot dogs were very good and were mostly likely the Blue Grass hot dogs that Clint and I have come to prefer. The buns were not the softest we've had, but were still good. Likewise, the cheese was somewhat mediocre compared to the fresh grated cheddar that we've had a several parlors. The onions were exactly as I like them--crunchy but not a bit overpowering.

With a higher quality cheese, I may have ranked this coney in my top three favorites. However, I'm giving Eastside a 3.75 out of 5 stars (which is the same ranking that I've given to a few of the longstanding chili establishments like Goldstar and Camp Washington). Not a bad showing for the newcomer!

Christofields Family Restaurant Review

2011-10-12T10:49:00.000-04:00

Christofield's, originally called Dayton Chili, has been serving chili since 1939. Despite the lengthy history, it was not a restaurant we were familiar with pre-quest. Christofield's is located in Dayton, KY, the block it is located on looks like it has seen better days. They would like to take you back to those days as there is a mural depicting an 1950's diner and sock hop and behind the counter you will find a collection of old model cars. The menu and atmosphere is consistent with the other diners that sell chili we have visited thus far. The service was a bit slow but they were friendly. One moment we witnessed that I must mention, they received a phone call and afterward I heard our waitress tell the other waitress "to make another burger cause someone just called to complain there was a bunch of hair on his." Luckily we did not find any foreign objects in our coneys.

Alison's Review

The Christofield's coney had a few good elements but overall was notone of my favorites. My first impression was that the coney had avery good texture. The bun was soft and not soggy. The cheese wasfreshly shredded. The chili was meaty. And the onions had a nicecrunchy bite to them.

However, the flavor in this coney was really lacking, mostly due tothe chili recipe. The seasoning in the chili was nearly undetectable. The coney could have used a little more chili on it, but even then Idon't think it would have boosted the flavor significantly. Thecheese was also applied pretty lightly, which is a shame because itwas a very good, fresh cheddar.

With a better chili recipe, Christofield's could have produced a muchbetter product. I'm giving them a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

Alison and I walked away from Christofield's with the same thoughts. There were aspects to like but overall it was a below average coney. The biggest complaint I have is the coneys need more of everything. There was not a lot of chili or cheese to be found on each coney. There wasn't anything offensive about the taste of the chili other than it was too bland. The cheese did taste good, the bun was fine and the texture of each component was very good.

With Christofield's chili history I was hoping for a little more but left disappointed. I also give Christofields Family Restaurant a 2.75 out of 5.

October is Chili Month

2011-10-07T11:02:00.000-04:00

October is typically known for the season changing and trick or treating, but it is also National Chili Month. We of course celebrate every month like its Chili Month, but if you wanted another reason to enjoy your favorite chili, here you go.

There is one local parlor, Skyline Chili, that is doing a little extra for NCM, or as they are calling it "National Skyline Month". Skyline is giving away free meals all month long. Every week, 50 winners will be selected at random to receive a free, $10 Skyline Chili gift card and official Skyline Crew shirt. If you would like to enter, follow this link and fill out the form.

If any other parlors have specials going on for National Chili Month please let us know and we will pass the info along to our readers.

Ides of March and Man vs. Food

2011-10-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

Here is some Cincinnati Chili related news that reaches out to a nationwide audience:

"Ides of March" starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling will be at movie theaters nationwide this Friday. As most of our readers know, many scenes in Ides was filmed right here in Cincinnati. Enquirer TV and Media reporter John Kiesewetter talked to the cast of the film about Cincinnati and of course our chili.

As I previously reported, Adam Richman of Man vs. Food was in Cincinnati to film an episode of Man vs. Food Nation. That episode will air next Wednesday (10/13). Travel Channel now has a Cincinnati page up on the MvF website. I look forward to seeing what Adam thinks of Camp Washington Chili and the other Cincinnati restaurants he visited.

Canned Skyline Chilli

2011-10-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

The latest entrant in our canned chili challenge is the one canned product we have previously had, Skyline Chili. However in the past when we bought a can of Skyline it was typically for Skyline Dip, not coneys. Along with the Skyline Chili we also bought a bag of Skyline Chili cheese, Klosterman buns and Blue Grass footlong hot dogs (which we cut in half).

Overall we enjoyed our attempt at recreating a Skyline Chili coney at home, but of course it was not quite parlor quality. The chili definitely had that familiar sweet Skyline taste, however it was a little more watery than the parlor chili (which is pretty watery itself). The Skyline bagged cheese doesn't have much similarity to the parlor version. At the parlor Skyline has one of our favorite cheeses thus far on the quest. The bagged cheese taste fine, but not much different than a bag of Kroger cheese so you can save some money by going that direction.

The Blue Grass footlong hot dogs worked perfectly. When cut in half they are very close to the same sized dog you get at the parlor. We also enjoyed the taste of the Blue Grass dog. The Klosterman hot dog buns were also very good. However we wish stores would sell a hot dog bun more similar to what you find at the parlor as they are smaller and less filling.

The canned Skyline Chili isn't quite parlor quality, but we do recommend it for those who want to make coneys at home or for those who no longer live in Cincinnati and miss their beloved Skyline. Skip the bag of Skyline cheese and grate your own or go with a cheaper bagged option.

Taste of NFL

2011-10-03T19:48:00.002-04:00

Taste of the NFL

Football and food is a great combination. This Thursday the Bengals are holding their annual Taste of the NFL event which benefits the Freestore Foodbank. This is a great event for those who want to try various local foods and even better if you are a Bengals fan. Wine Me, Dine Me Cincinnati is giving away a pair of tickets to the event, so if you haven't already, head over there for a chance to win!

Coney Mania

In cheese coney related news, this Wednesday is Coney Mania at Gold Star Chili. All day long cheese coneys are only 99 cents. (Limit 10 per customer)

Cincinnati Chili on Restaurant Row

2011-09-28T11:12:00.001-04:00

One of the recent developments in Downtown Cincinnati is Restaurant Row, which is the 6th street block between Walnut & Main and has space reserved for restaurants. Currently Bartini's, Trattoria Roma and Mr. Sushi are the only occupants but they will soon get a familiar name as a neighbor.

The Cincinnati Buisness Courier reports Tim Lambrinides will open a fast casual restaurant on Restaurant Row. If you think you recognize the Labrinides name, you should, it is the founding family of Skyline Chili. Tim Lambrinides is the general manager of Nick & Tom's Restaurant and Bar in Bridgetown and surprisingly has never worked for a Skyline restaurant. I don't know if Tim's new venture will have cheese coneys but they will have the Silver Ladle Way which is spaghetti, Cincinnati-style chili, homemade black bean soup, onions, jalapeños, and shredded cheese. Blue Ash Chili now has competition for the most creative "way" in town.

The new restaurant is scheduled to open later this year and if they have coneys on the menu we will give them a shot.

The Remaining Timeline of the Quest

2011-09-26T12:16:00.000-04:00

When we first started the Cincinnati Coney Quest we had a list of 12 parlors and expected to take about 4 months to finish our quest to find the best coney in Cincinnati. We are now a little over a month away from the one year anniversary of the Quest which now features more than 20 chili parlors. Today I made the decision that I would like the quest to end sooner than later. Not to delve to deeply into my personal life, but this is mainly due to me wanting to get back into a more healthy lifestyle which will include cutting back on not so healthy foods such as cheese coneys.

But do not worry loyal coney quest followers, we are not ending the quest. We would just like to ramp up the quest and finish by the end of the year. I have decided to make some cuts to the remaining restaurant list. We are cutting the following restaurants that don't really have a history as a chili parlor, just happen to be restaurants that have coneys on their menu: Lynna's Grill, Mr. Gene's Weenies on Wheels and Papa Dino's Pizza. If anyone does visit any of these three and would like to write a review for the Coney Quest, we would love that.

We still plan to visit the following restaurants that are either chili parlors or at one point in their history were chili parlors: Christofield's Family Restaurant, Cretan's Grill, Moon-Lite Chili, Patrick's Sports Bar and Grill, and East Side Chili (if they open by the end of the year). After we visit these restaurants, we will return to our Top 4 parlors to see if our previous rankings still hold up, then crown the best coney in Cincinnati. We will finish our canned chili challenge and also post any Cincinnati chili related news.

I often get asked if I ever get tired of the quest. I really don't, it has been a fun and mostly tasty journey. However, as delicious as I find cheese coneys, it just isn't in my best health interests to eat coneys so often. After what has become a longer journey than expected, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Poll Results: Cold vs. Melted

2011-09-23T11:01:00.004-04:00

Our latest poll asked if our readers preferred cold cheese or melted cheese on their coneys. This became one of the most lopsided polls we have conducted. 81% said they prefer cold cheese over melted. While I figured cold would win, I did not think it would be by such a wide margin. I would also infer that most prefer the dine in experience, as it is difficult, maybe impossible, to not have the cheese melt if you get your coneys to go.

Angelo's Family Restaurant Review

2011-09-22T10:50:00.000-04:00

When one hears the name Angelo's Family Restaurant for the first time, most likely they imagine an Italian eatery. However this is not the case here as Angelo's in Finneytown is a restaurant with typical American restaurant food with some Greek items as well. Some of those "Greek" items happen to be Cincinnati chili.

The best way to describe the atmosphere at Angelo's is picture a less chain like Bob Evans. There were many homey paintings hung up along the walls and we were definitely the youngest patrons in the restaurant. Angelo's is fairly spacious and was doing good business on the Monday night we visited, so it appears to be a neighborhood favorite.

Clint's Review

I really, really wanted to like the Angelo's coneys, but ultimately they fell short. There was nothing terrible about their coney, but nothing stood out either. Their ultimate downfall is the chili. The chili was on the sweet end of the spectrum but overall I found the taste to be bland. The texture was a bit different too, it wasn't watery but wasn't very meaty either. Kind of like a chili paste, which does sounds a lot more unappealing than it really was, but I can't think of a better word to describe it.

The other aspects of the coney were also very average and not enough to turn an average coney to a good coney. The cheese was freshly shredded, not a store bagged cheese, which is something I will always approve of. However the coneys could have used more cheese. At first Alison felt the buns might have been stale, but I don't think they were. I think the buns might have been slightly warmed up which gave a little crispness to them, but if they were toasted it wasn't for very long (I agree with Alison's assessment of them in her review). The hot dogs were ok, like most of the coney they did not stand out.

I give Angelo's a 2.5 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Angelo's cheese coneys had a good flavor in the first bite. The chili was mildly flavored but a nice combination of warm spices. The mustard and onion acted as complements to the chili, which was surprising because I usually find them to overwhelm milder flavored chilies like this.

Though a good product upfront, I enjoyed it slightly less with each bite. The cheese seemed to be a little harder than typical chili parlor cheese. Maybe it was a lower oil content. The bun had a slight crispiness as if it were kept a little too close to the grill. The chili, though it seemed at first to be more sticky in texture than watery, eventually began to make the inside of the bun a little soggy. Though none of these factors are all that offensive, the overall texture was off.I give Angelo's a 3 out of 5 for their coneys.

Poll: Cold or Melted Cheese

2011-09-21T11:22:00.000-04:00

A while back someone on Twitter (I want to say @chilitownusa, not positive though) asked their followers if they preferred cold* cheese or melted cheese on their coneys. For some reason I was thinking about this the other day and thought since we haven't done a poll in a while, this would be a good question to ask our readers.

So which do you prefer? Do you like a mountain of shredded cheese on top of your coney or do you like it when the cheese is melted? Personally, I like both but prefer cold and that is the main reason I don't get coneys to go very often.

Poll is on right side of page and closes Friday at 11AM.

*By "cold" I really mean not melted, doesn't have to be right out of the refrigerator cold.

Quest Stop #25

2011-09-17T11:26:00.002-04:00

Due to the end of summer being busy and some personal matters we had to take care of, the quest stops weren't as frequent this past month. Luckily after Oktoberfest weekend our schedule opens up and we can visit chili parlors on a more regular basis.

Quest stop #25 will be Angelo's in Finneytown. It sounds like an Italian restaurant but apparently its Greek and has Cincinnati style chili. We shall visit Angelo's early next week and should hopefully have a review by the end of the week.

In other parlor news, thanks to our friends at the Chili Report, we have learned that Crookshank Chili is still in business...kind of. Earlier I crossed them off the list because I saw they were no longer in business. While its true Crookshank Chili does not exist, the restaurant that is there now, Patrick's Sports Bar & Grill, still serves Cincinnati chili. So we will now add Patrick's to our list.

Canned Gold Star Chili

2011-09-13T10:50:00.000-04:00

The 2nd chili in our "Canned Chili Challenge" was the offering from Gold Star Chili. Thanks in part to reader suggestions, we made some adjustments from our last at home experiment. Overall we made solid coneys and the changes did improve the coney, but still not quite chili parlor quality.

Last time we mentioned the hot dogs were a little too large. We wanted to buy the Queen City foot long hot dog as they are similar in size to a chili parlor dog, but Kroger was sold out. So we went with the regular Queen City hot dog and cut them in half. This was an upgrade as it allowed us to put more chili and cheese on our coneys. However, the Queen City dogs were not quite as good as the Blue Grass dog, which is what Gold Star uses at their parlors.

The other area we wanted to improve was the shredded cheese. Last time we should have gone with a finer shred. This time we used a microplane which produced shredded cheese that had more resemblance to the parlor cheese we are used to. Freezing the cheese a half hour before shredding was helpful too. We also went with a medium cheddar cheese and thought it was better than the mild we went with previously.

The Gold Star canned chili was ok, but not quite as good as what you get at the parlor. We thought the Dixie product had a very close resemblance to the parlor product, unfortunately can't say the same for Gold Star's. It definitely taste similar, you could tell it was Gold Star Chili, just not as satisfying. Alison felt the chili tasted salty.

Overall the coneys were an improvement over our previous attempt, but we still aren't quite at parlor quality yet. Even though we didn't love the chili, we would still recommend it to Gold Star fans.

Blue Ash Chili "No Freaking Way" challenge

2011-09-12T11:05:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend a couple of followers on Twitter asked if I would try the Blue Ash Chili "No Freakin' Way" challenge. My answer is simple: No Freakin' Way!!! In this challenge the customer has to finish and 8 pound 4-way. If you finish you get the usual T-shirt, spot on the Wall of Fame and a free meal. Kudos to anyone that can even come close to finishing this gargantuan meal. On the other hand, if someone creates a cheese coney challenge, I may consider it.

Close up photo of the 4-way: http://masonbuzz.com/photos/photo/6129218638/no-freakin-way-challenge.html

In other news, apparently the Darkside enjoys Gold Star Chili: http://twitpic.com/6itatn

Win Gold Star Chili for a year

2011-09-07T11:27:00.000-04:00

The best chili is of course free chili. Here at Cincinnati Coney Quest we like to inform our readers of opportunities to acquire free chili. For those who believe Gold Star Chili is the "Taste of Cincinnati", we found a promotion you might be interested in. Gold Star is currently running a contest where one lucky Cincinnati chili lover can win free Gold Star for a year (it's really a Gold Star gift card for $350). There are also weekly prizes ($50 gift cards). You can also earn a free cheese coney for inviting friends to enter. The sweepstakes run from September 6 - September 30. Visit http://www.goldstarchili.com/winchili to enter.

Blue Jay Restaurant Review

2011-08-31T10:50:00.001-04:00

Just a couple of storefronts down from Park Chili is another Northside institution, Blue Jay Restaurant. While its not a chili parlor, it is a restaurant that serves Cincinnati chili dishes. Blue Jay is your classic greasy spoon breakfast and lunch diner. Along with the chili the menu features standard diner fare. While we were there most were enjoying breakfast dishes that looked quite tasty.

Blue Jay opened in the late 60's and does not appear to have changed much since its open. The walls feature wood paneling and wall paper with an outdoors theme. Newspaper clippings along with photos of Cincinnati and of the restaurant are hung up around the dining area. We arrived around Noon on Saturday and the place was packed. We took the only booth available and could tell right away that Blue Jay is a neighborhood favorite.

Alison's Review

Blue Jay offers a great coney for people who love the chili piled on thick. Surprisingly unmessy, this cheese coney was filled to the top with a warm, flavorful chili sauce. There was so much of it, I thought at first they had forgotten to put a hot dog in my coney! The buried hot dog was fine but not the best we've had. The bun was not the softest, but it held up impressively well against all that chili.

The cheese was clearly fresh grated, a little heavier than usual in consistency, but still very good. The onion and mustard balanced the overall flavor perfectly. Overall, this coney could have been one of my favorites if it had a better hot dog. Still, for a restaurant that is not mentioned a lot when it comes to Cincinnati Chili, Blue Jay pleasantly surprised me.

I'm giving the Blue Jay Restaurant cheese coney a 3.6 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

When arriving at Blue Jay, I wasn't sure what to expect. Since chili is not their specialty I did not know if they would treat the chili as an afterthought or if it would be a pleasant surprise. It had been a while since our last stop so either way I was eager to find out. After the first bite you could tell they don't skimp on the chili. Each coney was filled to max capacity with chili. As Alison pointed out this is a good and a bad thing. Can't complaint too much about a nice sized portion but it does overwhelm other coney ingredients, especially the hot dog. I enjoyed the chili flavor, it was a sweet and savory blend, it also had a good texture.

To once again echo Alison's thoughts, the buns did a great job holding that much chili. I enjoyed the freshly grated cheese, I felt it was a little sharper than your standard coney cheese. I thought there could have been a little more of the cheese. Slightly less chili and a little more cheese would give the coney more balance. The hot dog tasted ok, but needs to be a little larger or have more flavor.

Overall the Blue Jay Restaurant cheese coney was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed it more than the cheese coney at neighboring Park Chili. I give Blue Jay Restaurant a 3.5 out of 5.

Blue Jay Restaurant History

2011-08-30T10:50:00.001-04:00

Like most of Cincinnati's mom-and-pop chili parlors, Blue Jay Restaurant was founded by Greek immigrants. Danny and Kathryn Petropoulos traveled to the U.S. in 1959. For the better part of that decade they worked odd jobs such as making golf clubs at MacGregor. By 1967, though their English was rough and they were beginning to raise a family, the Petropoulos's decided to open a restaurant. Blue Jay, simply named after Danny's bowling team, was founded in the heart of Northside on Hamilton Avenue. Now, 44 years later, the Petropoulos family is still running the restaurant. They stopped serving dinner about 10 years ago, but Blue Jay is still a Northside staple when it comes to breakfast and lunch.

Adam Richman visits Camp Washington

2011-08-22T18:19:00.000-04:00

As most know by now, Adam Richman (of Man vs. Food fame) has been in Cincinnati since last week filming segments for a Cincinnati episode of Man vs. Food Nation. Some of the Cincinnati food institutions Adam has visited include Findlay Market, Izzy's, Senate and Tom & Chee.

Of course the big question many have did he go to a chili parlor? Of course he did! It was assumed he would visit Skyline, but the Enquirer's John Kiesewetter reports Adam visited Camp Washington Chili. Kiesewetter wonders if a food show will ever visit Gold Star or Skyline. Personally, I am happy that smaller parlors such as Camp Washington and Blue Ash have been featured on national food programs. Everyone knows about Gold Star and Skyline, its nice to see the "little" guy get the spotlight for once. Plus, Camp Washington is currently in our Top 3, so Adam made a wise decision.

Image tweeted by @AdamRichman

The Cincinnati episode of Man vs. Food Nation will air in October.

Shelf Stable Skyline thoughts and Delhi Skyline

2011-08-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

Thoughts on the shelf-stable Skyline Original Chili

As previously mentioned, we received a box of the new shelf-stable Skyline product. The box contained 2 of the Original Chili product and 2 of the Chili Spaghetti product. This week we decided to try one of these products. We went with Original Chili, we don't really eat Cincinnati style chili in a bowl like regular chili so we decided to make some Skyline dip.

Overall it tasted pretty decent, not as good as what you would get at the parlor but good for a quick at home meal. Wine Me Dine Me also thought it was pretty good but a little too salty and messy, we agree with both points. I'd assume the high salt is necessary to make it shelf stable, but if possible it would be nice if the salt level could be decreased. The Skyline dip we created with it tasted good as well. If you try the shelf-stable version I'd recommend stirring well and letting it sit for a couple of minutes so it can be less soupy.

Delhi Skyline promotion

I know our readers love a chance to win free chili. The Skyline Chili in Delhi wants to reward their loyal customers and is giving away a $20 gift card in a new promotion. Here is the info if you are interested in entering the contest:

Where has your Delhi Skyline T-shirt been?

Show us where your Delhi Skyline t-shirt has been and receive $20 worth of Delhi Skyline gift cards. Simply take a picture wearing your Delhi Skyline T-shirt (available at 5137 Delhi Pike) against a unique backdrop, and email it to lambrinides.delhi@gmail.com along with your name photo description. In return, you’ll receive a $20 gift card and a chance to see your picture on display at the restaurant as well as on Delhi Skyline’s Facebook page. Delhi Skyline logo must be visible in the photo; t-shirts have logos on the backsides.

Canned Dixie Chili

2011-08-17T10:50:00.001-04:00

Up first in our "Canned Chili Challenge" is Dixie Chili. This was the first time we have had Dixie since our visit very early in the quest. We both enjoyed Dixie so we looked forward to trying their canned product.

What we used:

Dixie Chili
A block of Kroger Mild Cheddar Cheese (which we shredded)
Blue Grass hot dogs
White onion
Kroger yellow mustard
Butternut Golden Honey hot dog buns

We both enjoyed our homemade attempt of recreating the Dixie Chili product. The canned product tasted very good and brought back fond memories of our Dixie visit. However there were some aspects we can definitely improve on as we continue this challenge. The cheese tasted fine, but the texture wasn't the best. Next time we will try freezing the cheese for a half hour before shredding to help reduce the clumpy texture. The Blue Grass dogs tasted great, but are larger than the typical coney dog so we couldn't pour on as much chili as we would have liked. The buns were fine, but we will try other brands. Alison thought the onion was too strong and will try a vidalia onion next time. She thought the mustard was fine.

Overall they were tasty coneys but not quite as good as a parlor made coney. If you are fan of Dixie Chili we recommend buying the canned product if you want to make your own coneys (or -ways) at home. The chili was tasty. Hopefully we will make the appropriate tweaks along the way and come close to recreating that delicious parlor coney. Of course we welcome any suggestions.

New Skyline Chili Grocery Product

2011-08-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

When I was picking up the various canned chili products the other day I saw a heat and serve product from Skyline I had never seen before. It looked similar to their frozen product but was sitting on a shelf. So first I thought, uh-oh someone made a mistake. However after a closer look it was not the frozen product, but a heat and serve shelf-stable product. I hadn't looked in that aisle in a while so I wasn't sure if it was new or had been around for a while.

Apparently it is new because my contact at Skyline emailed me today to notify me of the new shelf-stable product Skyline is selling at local grocery stores. The portable new items don’t require refrigeration and can be heated/served in 90 seconds. You can store them in your pantry or even ship them to a friend who no longer live in Cincy but misses Skyline. We will sample this new product and share our thoughts. Below is the press release from Skyline.

Skyline Chili Introduces Convenient New Grocery Product

CINCINNATI –Skyline Chili officially introduced today a new shelf-stable, microwaveable addition to the Skyline line of grocery products: heat-and-serve original chili and a heat-and-serve chili with spaghetti. The portable new items:

· Do not require refrigeration, making them perfect for shipping and storing;
· Can be heated and served in 90 seconds;
· Can be found in the ready-to-eat aisle of most major supermarket retailers.

“Skyline’s frozen and canned products have been hugely successful since original frozen chili and chili with spaghetti were introduced in 1965, but we saw an opportunity to provide something new for the ‘Microwave Generation,’” said Sarah Lapham, Skyline Chili’s director of marketing. “We’re excited to offer a Skyline dining option that is storable, portable and convenient, but still retains the high-quality ingredients and taste that make Skyline Chili a hometown favorite.”

Other items in Skyline’s grocery line-up include canned chili and chili with beans, classic oyster crackers, hot sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and frozen chili, chili with beans, chili with spaghetti and burritos. According to Lapham, the new addition to Skyline’s supermarket presence has drawn overwhelmingly positive responses from local retailers.

“Shelf-stable products have seen tremendous growth over the last several years,” said Lapham. “Our grocery partners are excited for the local addition to their ready-to-eat options and eager to see how it’s received by the community.”

The new products will retail for $3.99 per serving. Customers who wish to try the new products for themselves should check Sunday’s newspaper for coupons. For more information, visit www.skylinechili.com.

Canned Chili Challenge

2011-08-11T11:18:00.000-04:00

We are inching closer and closer to the finish line. However, one problem we have encountered with the remaining chili parlors are operating hours. Many of the parlors remaining close after lunch and have limited weekend hours. Since I work during the day throughout the week and have a short lunch break this makes things a bit more difficult. Don't worry, we will still visit all the remaining parlors but as you may have noticed, the quest stops haven't been as frequent lately.

Today we are introducing a new segment on the Cincinnati Coney Quest that helps satisfy our coney cravings and keeps the blog active. At local grocers you can find a variety of canned Cincinnati chili options. We are going to try each of these canned options and see if we can come close to replicating an authentic chili parlor coney at home. We won't be giving the canned chili ratings, but we will share our experiences with each brand.

The canned chili challenge "contestants" are:

Gold Star Chili
Cincinnati Recipe
Dixie Chili
Skyline Chili
Worthmore Chili

A couple of other homemade options we will try are Hard Times Cincinnati Chili Spice Mix and Cincinnati Recipe Chili Mix. We are also going to try out some Cincinnati Chili recipes we have found on the internet.

If anyone has any recommendations on how to make the perfect at home Cincinnati cheese coney (e.g. any particular hot dog, hot dog buns, cheese, etc. we should use) please let us know. Up first in the canned chili challenge is Dixie Chili.

Bluebird Restaurant Review

2011-08-04T10:50:00.006-04:00

The 23rd stop on the Coney Quest took us on a rare visit on the east side, Bluebird Restaurant in Norwood. As we noted earlier in the quest, there aren't many non-chain chili parlors on the east side of town. Bluebird is best known for its breakfast, but we were excited to see how their chili stacked up to the competition.

When we first arrived we were a bit worried that Bluebird may not serve cheese coneys. The menu only mentions their ways (which they even have a 6 and a 7 way) but nothing about coneys. Luckily the waitress informed us they do indeed have cheese coneys and of course as soon as she walked away I saw a chalk board that said cheese coneys were on special. We didn't get a long look at the menu, but it looked like standard diner fare, with breakfast being the specialty of course.

From the outside Bluebird looks like a small hole in the wall diner, but its surprisingly big once you enter. Bluebird has the feel of an old fashioned family diner. The walls are decorated with various paintings and other family kitchen decor. And like any good old timey diner there were jukeboxes in each booth.

Clint's Review

This was one of those rare times where me and Alison had very different opinions of the chili flavor. I thought the chili was on the sweet and savory side of the spectrum while Alison thought it had some heat to it. I did not taste any heat level on my coneys. As far as the taste of the chili, I thought it was ok but could have been more flavorful.

The portion of the coney that really excelled was the hot dog. Can't say for sure if it was a Blue Grass dog, but it tasted very similar to the dogs used at Gold Star and Price Hill, which are Blue Grass dogs. The dogs were also freshly grilled. I also thought the buns were soft and fresh (another area that me and Alison disagree on). However the cheese was fairly mediocre.

Great dog, good bun, average chili and mediocre cheese = a 3.0 out of 5

Alison's Review

I've never been a huge lover of mustard or onions. In fact, cheese coneys were the first food product that I consistently ordered with both. In most cases the two condiments blend nicely into the well-spiced chili recipes. However, in the case of the Bluebird coneys, I was overwhelmed by the strength of the mustard and onions. I think the simple problem was that there was just too much of both. It's kind of a shame because I don't think I ever got a good taste of the chili after the onion vapors hit my mouth. I kept thinking I was tasting a chili with a heat level, but since Clint didn't notice that at all it's more likely that my taste buds were being inundated by the strength of the condiments.

From what I could tell the hot dog was very good. I also thought they were probably Blue Grass dogs. But the bun was mediocre and the cheese was on the dry side.

If I ever order a cheese coney from this restaurant again, I will definitely ask them to hold the onions and mustard. The product as I had it this past weekend was only a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Gold Star Buffalo Chicken Dip?

2011-08-02T11:10:00.000-04:00

Since I am a member of the Gold Star eClub I ocassionaly receive emails with various Gold Star discounts and sometimes they want your opinion on their business. Recently they asked people what they thought of their sponsorship of the Cincinnati Bengals. Today I received an email asking for my opinion on Buffalo Chicken Dip. It appears that Gold Star is considering adding Buffalo Chicken Dip to their line of frozen proucts. They indicated the dip would consist of a cream cheese base, with chicken, a signature buffalo sauce, seasoning, and cheese. Whenever we have an office party at work someone usually brings in Buffalo Chicken Dip, so it appears to be a popular dish in the area and could probably work for Gold Star. Click here if you are interested in participating in the 9 question survey.

Empress Chili Giveaway

2011-07-27T15:06:00.003-04:00

It's time once again to give back to our readers. We have a $10 Groupon for the Empress Chili in Hartwell up for grabs. Once again the contest will take place on Facebook and Twitter and the lucky winner will be randomly selected. Same rules apply, one entry per social media network (i.e. you can enter on both Facebook and Twitter, but not more than once on each platform). The Groupon expires on December 24th, 2011.

On Facebook comment on our status that says: "Who wants to win a $10 Groupon for Cincinnati's original chili parlor, Empress Chili?"

On Twitter send out this tweet: RT and follow us for a chance to win a $10 Groupon for @EmpressHartwell from @CincyConeyQuest! http://cincyconeyquest.blogspot.com

Our Facebook page can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/CincyConeyQuest and our Twitter page can be found at http://www.twitter.com/CincyConeyQuest. You have until 4PM Friday to enter. Good luck!

Empress Chili Hartwell

2011-07-26T10:50:00.002-04:00

Recently Joel Miller, the Director of Restaurant Operations for the Crown Trio Restaurants (owner of Empress Hartwell), extended us an invite to try out the recently reopened Empress Chili in Hartwell. We previously visited the Empress Chili in Alexandria and left disappointed. However, as we learned in a poll we ran earlier in the quest, different locations can turn out different results. So we decided to take Joel up on his invitation and check out the renovated Empress Hartwell.

Despite there being a busy lunch time crowd, Joel took some time to chat with us about Empress. This Empress location has been around for 25 years. It has gone through some ownership changes over the years and unfortunately the previous ownership did not put much care into the restaurant. The new ownership group reopened the restaurant in January. Joel described the new owners as "chili fanatics" and affirmed that they put a lot more care into the product. The vision they have for Empress is to make it a combination of chili parlor, cafe and diner. Business has been good since the reopen and it could get even better in the future. The Empress Chili in Delhi will soon close and move to Florence. This will make Empress Hartwell the only Empress Chili on the Cincinnati side of the river. Joel told us as business grows they would love to open an Empress downtown.

We found a lot to like about this Empress Chili location. It really is a complete 180 from the Empress we visited in Alexandria. The Empress in Alexandria felt like a fast food restaurant and they didn't embrace the history of Empress Chili. Empress Hartwell has more of a restaurant feel and they truly embrace the Empress history. Right above our table there was a framed photo of the original Empress in Downtown Cincinnati. They are also creative with their menu. The original Empress was located next to the Empress Burlesque Theater, so Empress Hartwell went with a theater theme for the menu. The menu is separated into categories such as Improv, Early Matinee, Curtain Call and Center Stage. The food was also an improvement. We both felt the coneys were more satisfying than the coneys we had in Alexandria and Alison enjoyed her gyro.

Overall we had a very pleasant experience at the Empress Chili in Hartwell and thank Joel for the invite. Empress Chili Hartwell can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Below are some photos I took and you can view the whole gallery on my flickr page.

Theater themed menu

Coneys

Gyro and fries

Good crowd for lunch

Old photo of the original Empress

Making a 3-way

Souvenir cup!

I felt like getting artsy with my exterior shot of Empress

Burger & Ice Cream Social

2011-07-22T11:14:00.002-04:00

This post isn't about cheese coneys, but its about food and this event took place at Coney Island. That's close enough to warrant a blog post. This week Cincinnati Magazine hosted the Burger and Ice Cream Social at Coney Island. The event featured hamburger and ice cream creations from various local vendors. There were also mixed drinks to be enjoyed, the tequila drink was mighty strong. It was all you can eat and you received some drink tickets all for a very reasonable $10. Even though it happened on the hottest day of the year thus far, it was a perfect summer time event.

If I remember correctly, there were 7 hamburger and 6 ice cream tables. Out of the 7 hamburger stations, I visited 4 of them: Eckerlin Meats, Paula's Cafe, Colonel de Ray and Gabby's Cafe. I enjoyed all 4 burgers, I liked the Gabby's burger the best and it appeared most of the crowd did too as it was the most crowded table throughout the event. I visited each of the ice cream tables, it was hot it so I had to find a way to stay cool! You had your Cincinnati classics such as Grater's and Aglamesis', but there were some unique options as well. There was a Vegan friendly Ice Cream Sandwich from Phrozen that I wouldn't have known was Vegan if I wasn't told before hand. I also enjoyed the Ice Cream Sandwich that was created with Pop Tarts as the "bread".

Overall it was a fun and delicious event for a great price. Despite the heat there was a great turnout and I hope this can become an annual event.

Line for Gabby's

Does red wine go well with a hamburger?

Talenti Gelato

Pop Tart Ice Cream Sandwich!

Park Chili Review

2011-07-20T10:50:00.002-04:00

The neighborhood of Northside has seen many changes throughout the years but one constant since 1937 has been Park Chili. As soon as you walk in you can tell it has been around for a long time. Park Chili has a 1970's greasy spoon diner feel to it. Lots of brown fake wood paneling surrounding the interior. By our booth there was a framed cartoon that said "I'm sorry, the recipe didn't include your opinion!" So I guess it doesn't matter what we think, but we shall review the coneys anyway.

To go along with the look, the menu features your standard greasy spoon items. The hours cater to more of a breakfast and lunch crowd, so breakfast and lunch items seem to be the most popular. Even though it is a chili parlor, I believe we were the only patrons in the restaurant who ordered chili items.

Alison's Review

Park Chili was not bad, but the whole product seemed to come right off the shelves of Kroger. The hot dogs were plain, the cheese was clearly the pre-packaged variety, and the buns were pretty unimpressive. Though the onions were fresh (I saw them chopping up a batch behind the counter), the mustard came out of a big bottle of French's. The hot sauce on the table actually was Kroger brand.

Though I can't confirm it, I do have concerns that the chili just came out of a can. Our coney's were partially assembled behind the counter then taken to a back kitchen area where they appeared with chili on them. Maybe they keep a pipping hot vat of their homemade, secret-recipe in the back. But for all I know, it could have come from a generic brand, 10 pound can of chili that was zapped in the microwave before it was put on our coneys. The taste was not bad, but it was definitely nothing special. It actually reminded me a lot of J&J's Chili but with less spice.

I always hate giving such long-standing parlors a poor review, but this coney was a bit lacking. Park Chili gets a 2.75 out of 5 from me.

Clint's Review

Average...that's about all I have to say about Park Chili's coneys, but I will elaborate. There was nothing bad about their coneys but nothing stood out either. The chili is kind of sweet, kind of savory, not real strong in either category, but it tasted ok. The cheese was not freshly grated and was more of a bagged store bought quality, but it was ok. The buns, could have been a little softer, but were ok. The hot dogs, not the most flavorful we have had, but yes, they were ok.

As you can see, I didn't hate anything about the Park Chili and I didn't think any single aspect of the coney stood out. Might be the most average coneys of the quest, so I will give them a 2.75 out of 5.

Cincinnati Chili Shirt

2011-07-15T15:01:00.000-04:00

Today is the annual t-shirt sale on Fountain Square (runs until 11 PM tonight, if you are reading this on Friday the 15th). The sale features various local shirt producing companies. There are many great Cincinnati themed shirts to be found at the sale. During lunch I stopped by and visited the Look At Me Shirts booth, owned by my friend, comedian and proud new father, Josh Sneed. He has a Whiny Birds shirt, in honor of the hated St. Louis Cardinals on sale for $10, great buy if you are going to any of the Reds-Cards games this weekend. However it was this shirt that I knew I had to get as soon as I saw it.

Quest Stop #22, Queen City Sausage Festival and Wait...What?

2011-07-14T20:32:00.003-04:00

Quest Stop #22
It has been a while since we have held an actual drawing to determine our next stop on the quest. We are now in the portion of the quest where most of our remaining parlors are only open during lunch and have limited weekend hours. So we have had to plan out our recent stops, but I always liked doing random drawings so I brought it back for stop #22. I chose three parlors that I knew would fit in our schedule and the winner is...

Park Chili! This is not our first attempt at visiting Park Chili. If you don't remember, Park was actually going to be our 5th stop of the quest, however we got there too late...or did we? It was a strange experience, hopefully we have better luck this time.

Queen City Sausage Festival
Ok, go ahead and get your giggling about the name out of the way now...we good now? This weekend at Newport's Riverfront Levee is the Queen City Sausage Festival. According to their website the festival will feature "Over 15 delicious ways Queen City Sausages can be enjoyed. Brats, metts and more, including creative dishes will be sold by the area’s best food vendors!" The reason we are mentioning it here, according to the Enquirer's Polly Campbell, one of those "creative dishes" will be an Italian Sausage Coney. Not sure if we will make it down to the festival, but if we do, we will try an Italian Sausage Coney and report back.

Wait...What??? (c) Norm MacDonald
While doing some research for the blog I stumbled across this recent blog post from another blog. Hmm, looks pretty familiar. (Note: Aside from that post, I actually find their blog interesting.)

Skyline Chili All-Star Coney Challenge Recap

2011-07-12T19:12:00.000-04:00

Today on a sweltering hot day in Cincinnati, Skyline Chili held its "All-Star Coney Challenge" on Fountain Square. WCPO's All-Star Sports Director, John Popovich, emceed and provided play-by-play for the event. The goal of this event is to defeat the Skyline Chili "pro" and win a years supply of Skyline Chili. No matter what the temperature was, there are many people that would love to earn a chance at free Skyline!

The Amateurs

WCPO's John Popovich

Popo and Skyline pro Autumn

There were 2 preliminary heats which led to the semi-finals and then the final round where the last amateur standing took on the Skyline professional. To move on through the rounds you had to assemble the most cheese coneys (which included mustard and onions) in a minute. If there was a tie, whoever had the best looking coneys moved on.

Heat 1

Heat 2

The final round featured amateur Mark R. from Mount Washington, KY against the professional Autumn Baird of Northern Kentucky. It was a very tight battle and in the end Mark won in a shocking 6-5 upset!

Stare down!

Stare back!

It's go time!

So close!

Good sports

WINNER!

(This photo is courtesy of Skyline Chili)

For more photos of this event, visit my Flickr gallery.

Mr. Hanton's Review

2011-07-11T10:50:00.001-04:00

A great tradition in Cincinnati is the weekly party that occurs on Sawyer Point every Wednesday. At the party you have some food options to go along with the live music and adult beverages. Mr. Hanton's is one of those options and can be found when it is Party in the Park (the Gold Star Chilimobile can be found at Party on the River. Pretty much the same party, but they alternate weeks...yes, its kind of confusing).

We did a post in June about the Mr. Hanton's food truck, so we won't go into too much detail here. Basically they sell a variety of hot dogs and sandwiches and can be found at various Cincinnati events. I previously had a Philly Cheesesteak from Mr. Hanton's and it was pretty solid. So if chili isn't your thing they will most likely have something on their menu you will like.

Clint's Review

The Mr. Hanton's cheese coney is not your typical cheese coney, and for the most part that is a good thing. It is by far the LARGEST coney of the quest. They use a 1/4 lb. grilled beef hot dog on their coney. After the mediocre coney at Sam's Chili I had wondered if a beef dog could work on a coney. Now I know that yes it can. Since the hot dog is the specialty at Mr. Hanton's, its no surprise that the dog was so tasty. Easily the best tasting dog of the quest thus far. The bun was also very soft, fresh and did a great job of holding together such a big coney.

However, having such a flavorful dog does have some drawbacks. It took a couple of bites to pick up on the flavor of the chili. Eventually I did notice that it was a sweet chili but it does get lost in the flavor of the dog. On its own it was a decent tasting chili, but I would love to taste a stronger chili, like Camp Washington's, on this coney. The cheese was only ok, had more of a store bought bag quality than a freshly grated cheese we have enjoyed at other parlors.

Overall I really enjoyed the coney that Mr. Hanton's served. It definitely isn't your traditional Cincinnati cheese coney, but that's part of its appeal. If you don't like Cincinnati style chili, I highly recommend finding a hot dog on their menu you would like, as their dogs are so good. I give Mr. Hanton's a 4 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Mr. Hanton's, quite simply, offers a great hot dog. No matter what you put on it, it's bound to be delicious. The beef frank turned out to be so large that after Clint's two-coney order came out and we saw the size, I offered to take one off his hands. So this time around I didn't have mustard and onion on my coney.

My thoughts on this cheese coney are consistent with Clint's. The beef frank was the most flavorful dog that we've encountered. The chili, though decent, needed a more powerful kick. It was somewhat difficult to taste. The cheese was mediocre but not bad. The bun was soft and did a great job holding up everything on this humongous coney.

Its not often in our coney quest that the hot dog is the star of the show. If you are a diehard, traditional cheese coney fan, you may not like this product because it is so different. And if you've never really gotten into Cincinnati style chili, this may be an alternative you could get behind. Or you could be like me and enjoy the Mr. Hanton's cheese coney as much as a classic coney. I'm giving them 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Yelp Eats!

2011-07-06T15:15:00.004-04:00

The good people of Yelp.com have put together a fun and tasty event called Yelp Eats! Restaurant Week. It's a week long event where many restuarants in Cincinnati will have various menu items on sale. To kick off this event Yelp is holding a Yelp Eats Kick-Off Cook-Off this Thursday (cook off event is full, but you can join a waiting list). Some of the top chefs in Cincinnati will be in a cooking competition where they will have to use one of these special ingredients, chosen by Yelp the night of the event:

Frisch's Tartar Sauce
Glier's Goetta
Skyline Chili
Montgomery Inn Saratoga Chips
Eckerlin's Bratwurst

We will be in attendance and obviously think it would be great if Skyline Chili is the secret ingredient, but I'm sure whatever ingredient is chosen the dishes will be delish. If you can't make this event, be sure to check out some of the restaurants taking park in the Yelp Eats Restaurant Week. Our friends over at Wine Me, Dine Me and Cincinnati Nomerati have more details on these great events.

Skyline Chili Hosts “All-Star Coney Challenge”

2011-07-01T10:50:00.001-04:00

It's time for another coney related event on Fountain Square! Skyline is going to have an All-Star Game themed coney competition on Fountain Square on July 12 from 11:30-12:30. This will also be part of the Strauss & Troy’s Market on the Square which happens every Tuesday on Fountain Square (which I recommend checking out). This coney contest will feature "Amateurs" vs. "Skyline All-Star's". It isn't a coney eating contest, it is a coney making contest. If the amateur makes more coneys than the all-star, they win a year’s supply of Skyline Chili. Amateurs will also compete against one another in several heats for an opportunity to win additional prizes, including gift cards and exclusive Skyline Chili prize packs. If you are interested in participating you can register at www.skylinechili.com; registration opens at Noon on Tuesday, July 5 and runs through Noon on Friday, July 8. Press release is below.

Skyline Chili Hosts “All-Star Coney Challenge”

During Strauss & Troy’s Market on the Square

Contest will pit Skyline aficionados against a Skyline Chili coney professional for a chance to win a year’s supply of Skyline Chili

CINCINNATI – As the Major League Baseball All-Star Game looms on next week’s horizon, Skyline Chili is celebrating with the Skyline Chili All-Star Coney Challenge at Strauss & Troy’s Market on the Square on July 12, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Local contestants will compete head-to-head against a Skyline Chili All-Star to determine who can make the most coneys in one minute. Should an “amateur” contestant make more coneys than the Skyline professional, he or she will win a year’s supply of Skyline Chili. Interested participants can register to compete at www.skylinechili.com; registration opens at Noon on Tuesday, July 5.

“The All-Star Game is really exciting for the teams and players, so we wanted to create something fun for Cincinnatians to get excited about a little closer to home,” said Skyline Chili Marketing Director Sarah Lapham. “The All-Star Coney Challenge at Strauss & Troy’s Market on the Square is the perfect opportunity not only celebrate the game and the Cincinnati Reds playing in it, but also to compete for great prizes and a year supply of Skyline Chili. It’s going to be a blast.”

Before the contest begins each contestant will get a crash-course in coney-making as part of Skyline’s “Coney College,” during which the Skyline All-Star will give a brief overview on how to build the perfect coney. Once the contest begins, participants will compete against each other until a finalist is crowned. The finalist will compete against the Skyline Chili Coney All-Star in the final round for the grand prize.
In order to participate, contestants must be at least 18 years of age and available from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the day of the contest. Registration will close at noon on Friday, July 8, 2011, after which contestants will be selected and notified. Some restrictions may apply. For more information and to register, visit www.skylinechili.com.

Gold Star Chilimobile Mini-Review

2011-06-30T17:29:00.000-04:00

Last evening we headed to Party on the River expecting to try Mr. Hanton's cheese coney. However we had our information mixed up and Mr. Hanton's was not there. Mr. Hanton's sets up shop during Party in the Park, the Gold Star Chilimobile sets up during Party on the River. Since we were in the mood for coneys we decided to have a couple of coneys from the Chilimobile.

The Chilimobile is easy to spot, looks like an ice cream truck but has big Gold Star logos, 3-ways and coneys on it. Each coney is $2, this is slightly more expensive than a coney at a Gold Star, but that is to be expected since it cost a little more to maintain a food truck. They also had packets of free oyster crackers which I always approve of.

The coneys were ok but not quite as good as you would get at an actual Gold Star restaurant. The two main problems were the buns weren't as soft and the coneys could have used a little more chili (Alison used the word "dry" to describe her coneys). The chili could have been a little hotter but it certainly wasn't cold and it still tasted good, as did the cheese.

Even though its not quite restaurant quality, we still recommend hitting up the Chilimobile if you are at an outdoor event where it has set up shop at. This is especially true if the event serves alcohol. I imagine had we bought some coneys after enjoying a couple of adult beverages at the party this probably would have turned into the most glowing review ever*.

*Comedian Nick Swardson has a funny take on this phenomenon about 55 seconds into the video posted below.

Jokes.com

Nick Swardson - Drinking

comedians.comedycentral.com

Nick Swardson Stand-Up

Nick Swardson's Pretend Time

Buy tickets to the New York Comedy Festival

Gold Star Introduces New Milk Shake

2011-06-28T11:16:00.000-04:00

If I were to do another food quest after the coney quest, there is a good chance it would be dessert themed. I of course love Cincinnati staples such as Graeter's, Aglamesis', UDF and all the various Creamy Whip's in town.

I haven't found too many dessert offerings at the parlors we have visited, but Gold Star does have a line of milk shakes on their menu. Up until now Gold Star just had the standard Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla shakes. Today they introduce a new shake to their menu: Cookies n' Cream. This is good news as Cookies n' Cream is one of my favorite ice cream flavors. I have only had a Gold Star milk shake once, from what I remember it was pretty good. This shake is only available from now til the end of August. If I find myself in a Gold Star during this time I will have to try one and will let you know what I think.

Below is the press release from Gold Star:

Gold Star Introduces Cookies & Cream Milk Shakes for Summer

Everybody Loves A Milk Shake!

Hand Blended with Real, Premium Ice Cream and Oreo® Cookies

For a limited time only (June – August, 2011), Gold Star Chili, The Flavor of Cincinnati, has added a new flavor, Cookies & Cream, to its line up of hand blended milk shakes, made with real, premium ice cream.

“Of the dozen or so special flavors and add-ins that we taste-tested with consumers, Cookies & Cream, was the favorite, by far,” says Charlie Howard, Gold Star Chili Vice President of Marketing & Brand Development.

The 20 oz. milk shakes feature a vanilla ice cream with real Oreo® cookies hand- blended in; real cream whipped topping is standard for the full flavor experience.

Gold Star’s everyday milk shake line features three flavors: Chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. The restaurant featured a very popular orange cream limited time flavor last fall throughout the Cincinnati Bengals’ football season. Since their introduction last summer, milk shakes have grown to be Gold Star’s best selling dessert item and a popular mid-afternoon or mid-evening snack item.

“We think that our milk shakes are the best-tasting shakes among Greater Cincinnati-area quick service and casual dining restaurants,” says Howard. If fact, we challenge milk shake lovers to find a better one in our dining segment."

Cookies & Cream milk shakes will be available at all participating Gold Star Chili restaurants through August 2011.

J and J Restaurant Review

2011-06-28T10:50:00.002-04:00

Our fourth and final stop on Glenway's "3-way Highway" was at J and J Restaurant. J & J is across the street from the Western Hills Plaza next to Kroger. This is not the original J & J Restaurant as that was demolished for the new Kroger, but it is located very near the original location. As soon as you walk in you can tell it is a newer location. I would say the ambiance of J & J is fast food meets Cincinnati chili parlor. It has your basic booth seating and lots of light, but also has various photos of Cincinnati and Greece hanging on the wall.

The menu is your standard Cincinnati chili parlor menu. A majority of the menu is made up of Cincinnati chili staples and double decker sandwiches. In fact, it appears that the double decker sandwich is their featured menu item. So instead of a chili parlor that has double decker sandwiches, its more of a double decker sandwich shop that has chili. I did not have a double decker, but I saw one and it looked pretty delicious.

Alison's Review

The J&J cheese coney had nothing particularly outstanding about it. However, it did have several elements that were well done. The chili was meaty and warm in flavor. It had fairly traditional spices, but it was a nice blend. The cheese was soft and fresh. Both the chili and the cheese were loaded on pretty heavily, but the soft bun held up well under the weight. The mustard complemented the chili nicely, and the onions were just strong enough to be tasted but not overwhelm the flavor. The dog was pretty standard.

Though J&J made a coney that was above average, it lacked a wow-factor. I'm giving this cheese coney a 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

J & J was the second stop in a row where they load the coneys with an ample amount of cheese. However, the heaping amount of cheese was more satisfying here than it was at Ft. Wright. This is mainly due to it being a lighter, finer shredded cheese. It did make for a pretty filling coney, but I didn't feel like I just ingested an entire block of cheese. The cheese was very fresh and had a good taste.

It was hard to get a read on the chili at first. I wouldn't say the chili was bland but nothing jumped out at me during the first couple of bites. As I ate more I began noticing more savory and sweet flavors, there wasn't any heat level spice. I did like the flavors that were there even if it wasn't the strongest chili. The chili did have a good texture. It was a thicker texture and reminded me a lot of neighboring Price Hill Chili.

Overall I enjoyed the J & J Restaurant cheese coney. While nothing was amazing about the coney, nothing struck me as bad either. It is a quality product which I give a 3.75 out of 5.

Quest Stop #20

2011-06-23T11:10:00.000-04:00

The next stop on the quest will take place on the "3-way Highway" as we visit J and J Restaurant. The "3-way Highway" is Glenway Avenue which features many restaurants that serve Cincinnati style chili. This is our last stop on Glenway as we have already visited Price Hill Chili, Sam's Chili and West Side Chili Parlor. We look forward to finding out how J and J stacks up against their neighboring chili parlors.

Ft. Wright Family Restaurant Review

2011-06-21T10:46:00.001-04:00

Fort Wright Family Restaurant wasn't difficult to find, but it also doesn't jump out at you either. It's tucked away in a strip mall area off the main drag in Ft. Wright. Like the name indicates it isn't really chili parlor, just a restaurant that happens to have Cincinnati style chili on its menu.

Ft. Wright Family Restaurant seems like a place that is popular with the locals, we went there on a random weeknight and there was only one open table upon our arrival. The best way to describe the interior is its very cave like. Lots of grey and black. On the side walls there are two paintings with Greek themes. When we saw the paintings it began to make a little more sense on why Cincinnati style chili is on their menu. There were some other wall decorations as well which helped make it seem a little less dreary, but I still would have liked to see some brighter colors used. Last stop we went to Skyline which had the largest staff working, Ft. Wright was the opposite with only one waitress and one cook. Since it was so crowded the waitress could have used some help, but she was friendly and checked up on us. The menu is what you would expect from a "Family Restaurant". Along with the chili options you had double-decker sandwiches, burgers, steaks, breakfast and other grill items. Everything was priced reasonably and they had dinner specials which I am sure helps bring in the older crowd that was there during our visit.

Clint's Review

I love cheese, it might be my favorite food and I could eat it on just about anything. One of the reasons that made me love cheese coneys was the cheese. So it comes as a great surprise to me to have to say this, Ft. Wright goes a bit too overboard with the cheese. The cheese was heavier than the typical shredded cheese used on coneys, but it tasted fine, there was just a bit too much of it. Felt like there was a pound of cheese on each coney.

Overall everything tasted okay, it was portion control where Ft. Wright fell short. Along with the heaping amount of cheese, there was a poor balance of chili. On two of my coneys there wasn't enough chili and on the 3rd coney there was too much chili. The chili itself tasted fine, it was a smokey and savory chili with a bit of a spicy undertone, not much sweetness in their chili. The chili also had a quality texture, thicker than your typical Cincy chili.

Even though this isn't the most glowing review of the quest, I am going to give Fort Wright Family Restaurant a 3 out of 5. Everything I tasted was fine, they just need to work on the chili and cheese ratio. If they can get that down then they could be a 3.5, but that ratio is very crucial to a quality coney.

Alison's Review

I almost wonder if Fort Wright Family Restaurant has chili on their menu simply because it's the popular thing to do at mom and pop restaurants in Cincinnati. Though the coneys here didn't have anything particularly awful about them, the execution of the product was a bit lacking.

The cheese, though fresh enough, was far too heavy and overpowered the overall texture. I really missed the light and fluffy cheddar here. The chili was very meaty with perhaps a hint of heat, but the spice combination was less than impressive. There was no special and unidentifiable ingredient, and I probably could have imitated the recipe myself. The onions and mustard tended to overwhelm the flavor. I don't have any complaints about the hot dog or bun, but neither was enough to redeem the overall coney.

The overall product came across as a valiant homemade effort to imitate a Cincinnati classic. I'm giving Fort Wright Family Restaurant 3 out of 5 stars.

Skyline hosts "Battle of the Pinstripes"

2011-06-20T14:54:00.000-04:00

If you love Cincinnati chili & the Reds and hate the New York Yankees, Skyline Chili has an event you might be interested in. With the Reds and Yanks set to do battle this week, Skyline is going to host a viewing party on Founrain Square for the Wednesday afternoon game. As you watch the game you can win various prizes from Skyline and the Reds. There will be more viewing parties this season. I will try to stop by during my lunch break, I'm loving the chili related events happening on the square! The full press release is below:

Skyline Chili Hosts “Battle of the Pinstripes” Viewing Party on Fountain Square

CINCINNATI – In anticipation of next week’s classic matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees, Skyline Chili is hosting a “Battle of the Pinstripes” viewing party on Wednesday, June 22 from 11:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fans can join Skyline in support of the home team on Fountain Square to watch the ballgame on the big screen and enter to win several prize packs, featuring Skyline gift cards and exclusive gear from the Cincinnati Reds and Skyline Chili.

“Skyline is a popular lunch destination, especially at the ballpark. But many downtown fans don’t have the opportunity to enjoy their coneys from a seat at the game in Great American Ballpark in the middle of a work day,” said Skyline Chili Marketing Director Sarah Lapham. “The ‘Battle of the Pinstripes’ viewing party gives them the best of both worlds: they can enjoy the Skyline they crave while catching a midday game with other fans. Plus, they’ll have the chance to win exclusive prizes. Skyline is proud of our partnership with the Cincinnati Reds, so we’re eager to rally the community to show support any way we can.”

The “Battle of the Pinstripes” is the first of several viewing parties Skyline has planned at various locations throughout the season, designed to rally support for the Reds and give fans a taste of the ballpark in the middle of a work day. Skyline Chili is the official chili of the Cincinnati Reds, dating back to the opening of Great American Ballpark in 2003. For more information about Skyline Chili, visit www.skylinechili.com.

Fountain Square Coney Eating Contest

2011-06-17T15:48:00.000-04:00

New York is known for their annual 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, in Cincinnati we have the Coney Eating Contest which happened earlier today on Fountain Square. The champion took home a trophy, t-shirt and a $50 Camp Washington gift card. Twelve coney combatants took the stage today and faced off to be crowned the coney eating champion. One of the managers from Camp Washington asked if I was going to go for it, I said no thanks, I've had plenty of coneys the past 6 months. Plus I'm a marathon runner not a sprinter! I opted to take photos instead.

The rules were simple, no dunking the coneys in water, if you puke you are disqualified and whomever eats the most coneys in 3 minutes is the winner. There was a wide range of contestants, some have never done a food competition before and had it on their bucket list, one contestant previously competed in the Fountain Square ice cream eating contest and you had last years winner Joe LaRue. Joe's goal was to eat 15 coneys and repeat as champion.

It was a fun, exciting, spirited, messy and kind of gross 3 minutes of coney eating action. A couple of people put up a good effort but could not take down the reigning champion Joe LaRue. Joe finished with 14 coneys just one shy of his goal of 15, but he did eat that 15th coney as he held up the championship trophy.

Click here to view the entire 2011 Coney Eating Contest photo gallery

Poll Results: Gold Star or Skyline?

2011-06-17T10:52:00.000-04:00

In our latest poll we put the two Cincinnati chili heavyweights, Gold Star Chili and Skyline Chili, against each other and asked our readers which they preferred. This was an interesting poll to keep track of. After the first day Skyline jumped out to a huge lead, things were looking bleak for Gold Star. During this time I also noticed that while Skyline had this big lead, most of the comments in the feedback section were pro-Gold Star. One of the Gold Star supporters attributed this to "there are more people who simply choose Skyline because it's what they grew up with, but Gold Star fans are more passionate and loyal." Then overnight those "passionate and loyal" Gold Star fans showed up and closed the gap from a blowout in Skyline's favor to a tight race.

However, in the end Skyline reigned supreme in this poll. Final results:

Skyline: 55%
Gold Star: 45%

While this certainly isn't a scientific poll, I think its a pretty accurate representation of how Cincinnatians feel about Gold Star vs. Skyline. Just based on my personal experiences, I know more people who prefer Skyline but not an overwhelming amount more than like Gold Star. So a 10% gap sounds about right. And for those of you who aren't a fan of either, and prefer another parlor in town, we will have a poll towards the end of the quest that will feature all the top chili parlors in town.

Mr. Hanton's

2011-06-16T12:26:00.000-04:00

Today I opted to venture out to the 5th & Race food truck area to pick up a burger from Cafe de Wheels. Parked next to The Burger Truck was a food truck I had never seen before. The food truck craze is relatively new to Cincinnati so there are new trucks popping up frequently. This truck is named Mr. Hanton's and they specialize in a wide variety of sandwiches and hot dogs, including Cincinnati style cheese coneys. Mr. Hanton's will now be added to the quest and joins Mr Gene's Dog House Weenies on Wheels as the 2nd food truck on the quest.

I chatted with the owner for a minute and he informed me they can be found at 5th and Race on Thursdays & Fridays and are at Party at the Park on Wednesdays. Judging by their twitter feed (@MrHantons) they are occasionally in Mt Adams late night.

We both like a lot of the food trucks that have opened in the past year and look forward to trying Mr. Hanton's.

Happy Hot Dog Man

2011-06-14T21:08:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this is real...I'm speechless.

Poll: Gold Star or Skyline?

2011-06-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

We have now officially visited the two biggest chili parlor chains in Cincinnati, Gold Star Chili and Skyline Chili. Clint preferred Skyline (he gave Skyline a 3.9 and Gold Star a 3.75) while Alison, who only ate Skyline pre-quest, preferred Gold Star (she gave Gold Star a 3.75 and Skyline a 3.5).

Now its time to ask our readers, which big name in Cincinnati chili do you prefer? Do you believe that Gold Star is "The flavor of Cincinnati" or when you are "Feeling good and hungry" is it Skyline time?

At the end of the quest we will do a poll on all the top parlors in town, but for now we just want to know which Cincy chili heavyweight reigns supreme amongst our readers.

Enter the Fountain Square Coney Eating Contest

2011-06-13T11:15:00.000-04:00

If you love cheese coneys and food competitions, then Fountain Square has the event for you. Friday June 17th is the annual Fountain Square Coney Eating Contest. One of our favorite chili parlors, Camp Washington Chili, will provide the coneys. Whoever eats the most coneys in 3 minutes wins a $50 Camp Washington Chili gift card, a t-shirt and a trophy. If you are interested, you have until 5PM Tuesday June 14th to enter. You can find more information and the entry form here. Neither of us are entering, but we will be there taking photos of the event, so feel free to say hi to us if you are on the Square watching the event.

Skyline Chili Review

2011-06-10T10:50:00.002-04:00

When many people think of Cincinnati chili the restaurant that comes to mind is Skyline Chili. Like how many Southerners will refer to all soft drinks as "Coke", many refer to Cincinnati style chili as "Skyline". To further expand on that, Skyline Chili is the #1 brand associated with the entire city of Cincinnati. When people visit Cincinnati they make sure to try this Skyline Chili they have heard so much about. On my Tweet Deck feed I have a search dedicated to Cincinnati chili, its always fun to see peoples reactions to their first Skyline experience. We haven't had Skyline since December so it was a fun experience to go back and look at their chili in a new way. Would we still enjoy it like we did pre-quest or has it fallen behind some of the other parlors we have visited?

We visited the Skyline on Ludlow in Clifton, near UC's campus. We chose this location because it is one of the oldest Skyline's and many say it is their favorite Skyline location. The exterior has a cool retro look with the original sign while the inside is more modern looking like most Skyline locations. The interior is decorated with various images from Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati and pictures of celebrities who have visited such as local stars Nick Lachey and Sarah Jessica Parker. This is one of the busiest Skyline locations and they are prepared for the large crowd as we have never seen such a large staff working at any other parlor we have visited.

Skyline features a large menu and pretty unique compared to other parlors. Of course you have your typical items like cheese coneys and ways. If you like potatoes and chili, Skyline has you covered with chili cheese fries and a 3/4/5-way potato. If you just don't like Cincinnati chili but your friends drag you to Skyline, there are some options for you, such as a variety of wraps, burritos and salads. One of our favorite items at Skyline isn't on the menu, its the complimentary oyster crackers. Before the quest we just assumed that every parlor would give you oyster crackers, but we have found it to be surprisingly rare for a parlor to give you oyster crackers while you wait for your food.

Clint's Review

Even though I go past two Skyline's almost every weekday (3 if you count the Fountain Square location), I have resisted the urge to visit Skyline during the quest. It had been 5 months since my last Skyline coney and it was nice to visit an old friend. Since we have tasted such a wide variety of coneys during those 5 months the differences between Skyline and the other 16 parlors stood out as soon as I took my first bite.

For better or worse, most of the preconceptions and descriptions people apply to Cincinnati chili can be attributed to Skyline Chili . It is one of the sweeter chilies we have had on the quest, not much heat level here. This is always one of the dividing points on weather or not someone enjoys Skyline. I do like the sweetness, but I grew up on Skyline. It is different and more pronounced at Skyline than others, so I can understand why an outsider might not enjoy it. Another complaint some have about Skyline is their chili is too watery. I do agree with this complaint and its the one thing I would change about Skyline's chili. It is not the meatiest chili you will find, even for Cincinnati chili standards, definitely more of a sauce like consistency. However, there was an ample amount of chili on each coney.

I enjoyed all the other aspects of the Skyline coney as well. One area where the Skyline coney excels is their cheese. Much like the chili, you get a large amount of cheese on each coney and it has a good freshly shredded cheddar taste. They are also very consistent with the cheese, I can't think of one Skyline visit where the cheese disappointed me. The hot dog could be a little plumper, maybe the amount of chili and cheese makes the hot dog seem even smaller, but I felt it had a good flavor. The buns were soft and fresh.

Overall I still enjoy Skyline Chili a lot. They put together a solid coney. Looking at it through a different perspective I can see why some love Skyline more than anything else in Cincinnati, but I can also see why others just don't like it at all. In my opinion they are still one of the best parlors in town, however I do not believe they are THE best in town.

I give Skyline a 3.9 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Before the quest began Skyline had been the only chili parlor I had been to. It was incredibly interesting to sample 16 other varieties of Cincinnati style chili and then come back to the brand that first introduced me to the cheese coney.

Skyline's flavor is very distinct to me. Though it's has a lot of similarities to many of the other sweet chilis we've sampled, I could pick it out of a blind taste test pretty easily. It has a lot of warm, cinnamony overtones. But the flavor is all in the forefront, and by the second coney the taste is somewhat lost. The added mustard is essential and boosts the base flavor a little. The onions are mostly unnoticeable.

Skyline's cheese is delicious, and it's really loaded on. Unfortunately, the buns do not hold up well against the generous amounts of cheese and chili, and all three of my coneys were spilling apart. The hot dogs were decent but not the most flavorful.

Skyline coneys will always bring back a lot of memories for me. Its an iconic institution, and I have no qualms about introducing Cincinnati style chili to a non-native here. In the quest for the best coney, Skyline gets a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars from me.

Skyline Chili History

2011-06-08T08:14:00.001-04:00

This year, a poll ranking the Business Courier's Top 100 Cincinnati Brands placed Skyline Chili at number one, beating out brands such as the Reds, Bengals, LaRosa's, Graeter's and P&G. (No other chili parlors made the top 25.) For the majority of people, Skyline Chili is the face of Cincinnati style chili.

Skyline's emergence, however, was as humble as any other Cincinnati chili parlor's. Greek immigrant, Nicholas Lambrinides scraped together a living by using his cooking skills in local dining establishments. After working at Empress Chili for awhile, Lambrinides and his sons opened a restaurant in 1949. Located on Glenway Avenue, the parlor overlooked the city, which inspired the name Skyline. It gained a strong local following. It was said to be especially busy on Thursdays and Saturdays since the neighborhood was predominantly Catholics who observed meatless Fridays.

A second restaurant was opened in 1953, and the franchise continued to steadily grow for the next few decades, including the introduction of frozen chili into grocery stores. In the 1980's a man named Thomas Bell became chief executive and lead a passionate campaign to make Skyline a national chain. With attempts to push into markets where there was little Skyline name recognition, such as Washingotn D.C., the company lost money and stocks went public. During the 1900s the company pulled out of these markets and focused on growth in Cincinnati.

Lambrinides died in 1962, and the original Glenway location was demolished in 2002. But the Skyline legacy continues with over a hundred locations and name recognition as the "official chili" of the Reds, Columbus Blue Jackets, Kings Island, and the Crosstown Shootout.

A New Location and Promotion From Gold Star

2011-06-06T20:45:00.000-04:00

Typically if most people receive an email with "3-way mania" in the subject, they assume some junk got past their spam filter. But of course I am a Cincinnatian and chili is the first thought we have when we hear "3-way", so I knew the email would have some good and tasty news.

Earlier in the year Gold Star Chili had a "Coney Mania" promotion where cheese coneys only cost 99 cents. "3-way Mania" is in the same vein, all day long Gold Star is selling their 3-ways for $3. If you are a fan of Gold Star Chili and their 3-way's, this sounds like a good promotion to take advantage of.

In more Gold Star news, one of our twitter followers informed us that Gold Star is opening a new location in Ashland, KY on June 7th. With "3-way Mania" the following day, this opening is great timing for those in Ashland.

HONK!!!

2011-06-05T11:25:00.001-04:00

Quest Stop #17 Drawing

2011-06-01T18:49:00.003-04:00

We did not make a Coney Quest stop this past weekend and instead chose to stuff our faces at Taste of Cincinnati. Even though it was a very hot weekend, we both enjoyed ourselves during our multiple visits to Taste. It does kind of surprise me that there is no Cincinnati chili to be found at Taste, but it doesn't really upset me either since if there was a Skyline or Gold Star booth I would make fun of it like I do the LaRosa's booth (nothing against LaRosa's, but people should branch out and try the other pizza joints there). I do think one of the smaller chili parlors could do well at Taste, but I am sure there are logistic and costs reasons why they don't.

I could on and on but what I did and did not like at Taste, but this blog is about cheese coneys, so lets get back to that. Stop #17 will take us to the furthest eastern location of the Quest: Moon-Lite Chili in Batavia. Moon-Lite finds themselves in a good spot as they follow the Mike's Chili disaster, we can only go up from there!

***UPDATE*** We planned on going to Moon-Lite Chili this past Sunday, it is located in Batavia, which isn't very convenient to us, so I decided to call to see what their hours were. I tried a couple of times but no one ever answered. Since so many chili parlors are family owned it can be risky to plan a quest stop on a Sunday when many family owned restaurants are closed. We really wanted coneys on Sunday so we decided to choose a different parlor to go to. The one chili parlor we knew for sure would be open was Skyline, thus we postponed Moon-Lite and made Skyline our 17th stop on the Quest. We will have a history post and review posted sometime this week. If anyone knows the hours Moon-Lite is open please pass them along, I will try calling them tomorrow afternoon.

In one more chili related note, be sure to check out the Puddintopia 3-Way Thursday posts, as they are out to find the best 3-way in Cincinnati. They recently made their first stop at Empress and had some of the same thoughts we had during our visit.

Extreme Habanero Cheese Now A Permanent Menu Item at Skyline

2011-05-31T16:45:00.000-04:00

Back in April we ran a poll that asked our readers if they preferred a hot or mild coney. While it was a very close poll, hot did edge out mild with 52% of the votes. This showed there is definitely a market in Cincinnati for spicier options at the local chili parlors. For a couple of years now, Skyline Chili has occasionally offered Extreme Habanero Cheese as an option for coneys and 3-ways. For those who prefer that spicier option we have some good news to pass on, Skyline is now adding the Extreme Habanero Cheese as a permanent fixture to their menu. I know lots of people who enjoy the habenero cheese and are always disappointed when it goes away, this news should make them happy. Below is the press release from Skyline.

CINCINNATI – Due to repeated widespread requests and mouthwatering demands from the Skyline Nation, the ever-popular and often-coveted Spicy Habanero cheese has been permanently added to the Skyline Chili menu. Now customers can enjoy the spicy goodness atop their Skyline Chili anywhere, anytime.

“Extreme Habanero cheese has always been a favorite with Skyline customers, so this is our way of saying, ‘We hear you loud and clear,’” said Skyline Chili marketing manager Sarah Lapham. “Whether they’re craving a vegetarian bean burrito, a three, four or five-way or a classic cheese coney, the Spicy Habanero cheese will be there when they want it most.”

For more information on Skyline Chili or Extreme Habanero cheese, visit their website at www.skylinechili.com.

Skyline Chili Gift Card Giveaway

2011-05-25T11:17:00.002-04:00

Since we have had a record breaking number of hits this week, we have decided to give away a $20 gift card to Skyline Chili to one of our fans. We are going to use Twitter and Facebook for this contest. Here is how you enter:

On twitter post: "The @CincyConeyQuest is giving away a $20 @Skyline_Chili gift card! http://tinyurl.com/coneyquest RT & follow to win"

On Facebook post a comment on our wall that indicates you want to win the gift card. (e.g. something as simple as "I want the Skyline card!" will suffice)

This will be a random drawing like our Gold Star give away was. One entry per social media platform. If you post on Twitter and Facebook that will count as 2 entries. Two entries is the most you can have (i.e. if you RT or post on our wall multiple times it will still only count as one entry). The contest will go on until Friday at 4PM. Good luck!

So how were Mike's coneys?

2011-05-24T18:18:00.000-04:00

While discussing the incident at Mike's Chili & Gyros one of the most common questions I receive is "so, how were the coneys?" Since everything that happened soured our experience, it is impossible for us to give them a full review. Sure the issue was ultimately resolved, but its still the worst dining experience we had so we can't really give Mike's a review. Maybe someday we will take Sam up on his offer of coneys and photos at the other location, but of course it also would be hard to rate a place when we are obviously getting some special treatment.

Anyway, we will mention how we felt about the coneys. We both felt they were ok, since it was so out of the way for us its not a place we would have returned to even if the incident didn't happen, but the coneys were decent. Best comparison we could make is they tasted like a lower quality version of the Gold Star coneys we had earlier in the quest.

There is our "review" of Mike's. They receive a "N/A" since they have been disqualified from the rankings.

The Mike's Chili and Gyros Incident

2011-05-23T09:00:00.010-04:00

When planning out our quest to find the best cheese coney in Cincinnati we knew it would be filled with some ups and downs. However, what happened at Mike's is something we never imagined occurring on the quest. We knew that at some point we might upset someone if we made a negative review of their restaurant. We did not know that even before leaving a restaurant we would anger someone so much that they would call the police on us. It was quite an experience but it at least did end on a good note.

Here is a blow by blow recap of the events at Mike's Chili & Gyros that led to the police being called:

Usually when we go out to a restaurant for the quest I just use my cell phone to take pictures. However this time my phone was low on juice so I decided to take my small point and shoot camera. We were the only customers inside the restaurant which made me happy cause I wouldn't have to worry about taking pictures around customers. The employee working there (who I assume is in the family ownership) noticed me taking a picture, which led to this conversation:

Server: Not to be nosey, but I noticed you were taking pictures.
Me: Yeah, we are visiting all the chili parlors in Cincinnati. I was just taking pictures to document our experiences.
Sever: Oh. I have never seen anyone taking pictures in here before.
Me: Yeah I was just taking a picture of the restaurant and of the food.
Server: Ok.

She then walked away, she seemed a little confused but gave no indication that she was upset nor that she wanted us to stop taking pictures. If she asked us to stop taking pictures I wouldn't have a problem with it, its her business and I respect that right.

After we left finished the meal I went outside to get a picture of the exterior of the restaurant and that is when the fireworks were set off:

Server: *storms out the front door* I need to know why you are taking these pictures!!!
Me: We are just documenting our experience when all the chili parlors. We run a food blog about Cincinnati chili. (Alison then chimes in and further explains what Cincinnati Coney Quest is)
Server: NO! You can not take pictures!
Me: Ok I'm sorry, we did not mean to offend you. We can delete the pictures.
Server: Yes delete the photos!
Me: *deletes pics* Ok, I deleted them. Once again we are sorry.
Server: Let me see!!!

At this point I go over to her and try to show that there were no pictures of her establishment on my camera. As I am scrolling through she is trying to hit random buttons and then attempts to snatch the camera from me. This is when I blow up:

Me: GET THE F-CK OFF MY CAMERA! WE ARE LEAVING!
Server: No! I'm getting your info and calling the police!

I probably could have been a bit more tactful there, but I was very upset and frustrated at this point. We walk back towards our car and she storms out the back door to write down our license number. I apologized for the language I used and for the whole situation but she wasn't having any of it and called the cops. We waited around for a little bit for the cops but after no arrival we decided to go to a nearby park to go for a walk and calm down. During this time Alison had the good idea of calling the cops to let them know what happened and our contact info.

About 5 minutes later the cops called Alison. Alison explained everything that happened above. Apparently the employee told the police that she thought we were taking pictures of the restaurants security (this will make a little more sense later) and that she told us stop taking pictures (which was a lie). Luckily the cop was very friendly and understanding. He explained to her that we weren't up to anything sinister and that we were just documenting our experiences.

She gave the cop her number so we can call and apologize to her. Yes you read that correctly. This further angered us. Luckily, a couple of hours later (coincidentally as I was writing this post) we received one more phone call, this time from Sam, the owner of Mike's Chili and Gyros. Alison told him what happened, what that Cincinnati Coney Quest is and that we did not intend to offend or harm the woman working or the restaurant. He apologized for the misunderstanding and our bad experience. He also told us that there have been a number of break ins at that location recently which is why the woman working was suspicious of us. Sam seemed to have a better understand of what CCQ is all about and was very interested in our blog and our quest to find the best cheese coney. He said we can visit his west side location of Mike's anytime, he will give us coneys and gyros and will even pose for a picture for us! We do appreciate this gesture, that being said, we have heard complaints about rude service at the east side location and he should get that under control.

Today was a very hectic, unpleasant and stressful day but we are happy there was an amicable resolution. I don't know what the protocol is for taking pictures in restaurants (fellow food bloggers feel free to chime in) but in the future we could ask the parlors staff if its ok that we take pictures. We typically don't like to tell people we are there for a blog before we eat our meal because we don't want any special treatment. However in this case it might have led to less confusion and maybe the police wouldn't have been involved. Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered at all. Regardless, we are very appreciative that Sam reached out to us and that both sides can put this incident behind us and concentrate on what we love, Cincinnati chili. Someday we may take him up on his offer for coneys and pictures.

ONN on Cincinnati Chili

2011-05-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

Ohio News Network recently put together a video about our beloved Cincinnati Chili. The video discusses the history of Cincinnati chili, why we love it and the various options at the chili parlors. I found it funny the person they had to demonstrate how to properly eat a 3-way ate his in a way I have never seen before: inverted (cheese on the bottom). So right off the bat I think he is eating his 3-way improperly, cheese goes on top! In college I once had a roommate who put chili on the bun before the hot dog meanwhile his girlfriend twirled her 3-way, this did not make me and the other roommates happy.

Click here to view the ONN video. It is 7 and a half minutes long but a fun watch if you have the time. Also you might crave chili immediately after watching the video.

Covington Chili Review

2011-05-19T10:45:00.002-04:00

Despite being one of the most established parlors in town (opened in 1936), Covington Chili does not get brought up often when Cincinnati chili parlors are discussed. In fact, I'm not sure if I have ever heard anyone mention Covington Chili before going on the quest. It was time for us to find out if there was good reason Covington Chili is never mentioned or if we may have found a diamond in the rough.

Covington Chili is located on Madison across from the Madison Theater which is a prime location for anyone wanting to catch meal before or after attending a show. It doesn't appear much has changed in the restaurant since it opened in 1936. It's another hole in the wall diner, paintings of food and pictures of chili products hang on the walls. There are jukeboxes in some of the booths like you would see in an old fashioned diner and a large jukebox by the front door, not sure if any are operational though. Our waitress was extremely friendly, probably the nicest we have encountered thus far. Nothing really stands out on their menu, its your typical greasy spoon diner menu, breakfast is served all day. The prices are in line with most of the parlors we have visited.

Clint's Review

After my unpleasant experience at our previous stop on the quest, I was really looking forward to some good coneys and for the most part Covington came through. The chili has a good blend of savory spices and sweet spices. I would take one bite and notice how savory it was and then the next bite the sweetness would come through. It's not the best chili I've had on the quest but I enjoyed the flavor.

The cheese was fresh and the hot dog was freshly made on the griddle. To continue with this fresh theme, I thought the buns could have been softer, but they weren't so bad that it detracted from the coney. These coneys were also very filling, although that did not stop me from taking on a giant cream puff at Maifest afterward.

Nothing stood out in the coneys as great but nothing was terrible about the coneys either, overall its a good product. I give Covington Chili a 3.25 out of 5.

Alison's Review

I'm always thrilled to find good food in the little hole-in-the-wall diners I've unknowingly driven past numerous times. It's like finding a hidden gem in Cincinnati's culinary jungle. Though Covington Chili may not have the best cheese coney in Cincinnati, it still offers a quality product that I'm surprised I haven't heard about before the quest.

The dog and bun were decent. No complaints here. The really solid components of this cheese coney were the chili, cheese, and onions. The chili was both very familiar and very different from any other parlor's chili. The classic savoy spices were all there, but there was just a little undertone of smokiness. The cheese was soft, fresh and piled on high. The onions were also fresh and flavorful, complementing the chili nicely. Overall, it was a pretty solid product. I'm giving Covington Chili a 3.75 out of 5 stars.

Covington Chili History

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Though Dixie Chili is often considered a staple of Northern Kentucky's chili history, another parlor established just seven years later still holds its own in the Covington neighborhood. Covington Chili, serving chili since 1936, has a loyal following of regulars in the region. Recognizing the charm of this neighborhood institution, George Stamatakos bought the restaurant in 1995. Like a majority of local chili parlors, Covington Chili features a secret blend of spices to make the chili. They also use 140 pounds of ground beef every day. Though Stamatakos expanded the menu and made some minor renovations, he credits the long-standing patronage to the low prices and the fact that very little has changed about the restaurant over the years.

Quest Stop #17

2011-05-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

Yes I know, we haven't posted our review for Covington Chili yet (it's coming Thursday, a Covington Chili history post is coming on Wednesday) but we went ahead and drew the next stop on the quest. This drawing featured four new parlors: Bluebird Restaurant, Fort Wright Restaurant, Mike's Chili and Gyros and Papa Dino's Pizza. We discovered Crookshank and Finneytown Chili are no longer in business, I still need to check if Lynna's has cheese coneys.

And the 17th stop on the Cincinnati Coney Quest will be:

In their first time in the drawing, Mike's Chili and Gyros was selected. Mike's has two locations, one in East Hamilton and one in West Hamilton. We will be visiting the East Hamilton location.

Yes, more quest locations

2011-05-16T07:42:00.003-04:00

Before going to Covington Chili I said we are down to nine stops left on the Coney Quest. It appears I may have spoke too soon. Recently chatted with someone on twitter who is a part of a group also on a quest to try all the Cincinnati chili spots. They started a website called The Chili Report and while looking at their list of locations I noticed some spots that we left out:

Mike's Chili and Gyros
Finneytown Chili
Bluebird Restaurant
Fort Wright Family Restaurant
Lynna's Grill
Papa Dino's Pizza
Crookshank Chili

Of course I will call ahead to make sure that these places are still open and do serve cheese coneys. If these places check out, the Cincinnati Coney Quest parlor list will expand to 32 restaurants!

*update* A reader notified us that Crookshank is no longer in business. I still need to check on Fort Wright, Lynna's and Finneytown.

*update 2* Fort Wright checks out but Finneytown appears to be out of business. Still need to verify Lynna's.

Give Blood, Receive Coney

2011-05-13T15:53:00.000-04:00

Two Cincinnati institutions are teaming up for a great cause this summer. Hoxworth Blood Center and Gold Star Chili are teaming up for a blood drive. They are calling it the "Give Blood...Cincinnati Style, Summer Blood Drive Tour". They are making many stops along the Tri-State area and everyone who registers will receive a free t-shirt and a FREE CONEY!

For more information about the blood drive and when it will come near you visit http://www.hoxworth.org/groups/goldstar.html.

Survey: What is your favorite festival?

2011-05-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately Blogger has experienced some problems in the last 24 hours which led to the last two posts to disappear. One of those happened to be the latest poll where we asked what is your favorite Cincinnati festival. Since I no longer have that post or what the latest results were, I will re-ask this question, but in survey form. Post in the comment section what your favorite festival is.

As a reminder here are the options we had on the poll:
MaiFest, CincItalia, Taste of Cincinnati, Newport Italian Fest, Newport Seafood Festival, Panegyri Greek Festival, St. Rita Festival, West Fest, A Church Festival, Oktoberfest, Riverfest (WEBN Fireworks), Harvest Home Fair, Red, White and Blue Ash, Taste of Blue Ash and Other.

Last time I saw the results, Other had a big lead, so maybe this is better in survey form anyway. We definitely are looking forward to going to festivals this summer and would love to hear what your favorites are.

Quest Stop #16

2011-05-11T19:56:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of Quest stops we just chose where we were going based on convenience. For stop #16 we decided to go back to the random drawing to determine our destination. There is a big addition to the drawings: Skyline Chili. We had avoided Skyline since we were so familiar with the taste but enough time as passed since our last Skyline experience we figured it was a good time to add them to the mix. Barring any last second discoveries, we are down to 9 chili parlors on the quest.

Cincinnati Coney Quest stop #16 is:

We are heading back across the river this time to try out Covington Chili. Surprisingly, despite my many adventures in the Covington area during my college years I know very little about Covington Chili. We look forward to seeing if its a diamond in the rough or if there is a good reason I don't know much about them.

Main Street Diner Review

2011-05-09T17:32:00.000-04:00

Even though Cincinnati style chili was first concocted in Downtown Cincinnati, there aren't as many options Downtown to satisfy your coney craving as there once was. There are three Skyline's (4th and Sycamore, 7th and Vine, Court and Vine) and a Gold Star (Tower Place food court). However, we found out that there is one more restaurant in the Downtown area that serves Cincinnati chili, Main Street Diner.

Main Street Diner (also known as B/G Restuarant) is located next to the Courthouse on 9th and Main. Decor wise there really isn't much to talk about. Its a hole in the wall diner that probably hasn't changed since the day it opened. However with its location there is definitely some character to be found here. During our visit we overheard one conversation about someone getting ripped off with fake money orders on craigslist and another where a woman was talking about how she dated a "CERTIFIED crack head". I would describe Main Street Diner as a Waffle House that also serves Cincinnati chili.

Also not much to discuss about their menu. Very similar to other greasy spoon diners we have visited. A variety of breakfast and lunch options. Everything was reasonably priced.

Alison's Review

The Main Street Diner chili fell into the sweet category for me. I was noticing a lot of cinnamon and some more earthy spices, like cumin. I wasn't picking up any heat level. It was dryer than a lot of other chili we've tried. Overall, I liked it.

The bun was soft and fresh. The onions were also really fresh, as if they'd be chopped as the coneys were being made. The mustard was run-of-the-mill. The hot dog had a little bit of flavor, but it was definitely not as good as some we've had. The cheese was subpar because it was a little on the dry side.

This coney fell into the average category for me. The best traits were not outstanding, but the worst traits were not all that terrible. I enjoyed my lunch but doubt that I will go back. I'm giving Main Street Diner 3 out of 5 stars.

Clint's Review

As we leave the parlors we visit, me and Alison always discuss our opinions on our experiences. Thus far we usually have similar opinions, there are some differences but typically our thoughts are in the same ball park. As we discussed Main Street Diner it was as if we went to completely different restaurants.

While Alison felt the chili was sweet, I thought it was spicy and did not pick up much sweet flavor. It was not extremely spicy like a Tex-Mex chili but something in their recipe tasted hot to me. Whatever it was, I did not enjoy it. It wasn't because I thought it was too hot (Camp Washington is on the spicier side and is one of my favorites) I just did not enjoy the flavor. It was a struggle for me to even finish the coneys, luckily I only ordered 2 coneys instead of my usual 3.

Me and Alison do agree on other features of the coney. The cheese was not very enjoyable and did not appear to be fresh. The hot dog and bun were fine but not good enough to save the coney for me.

It had been a couple of weeks since we had coneys so I was really looking forward to Main Street Diner. Living and working Downtown it was nice to discover another place that serves Cincinnati style chili. Unfortunately the coneys missed the mark for me. I give Main Street Diner a 1 out of 5.

Marathon and Quest Stop 15

2011-05-03T14:38:00.000-04:00

We had to take a slight break from the quest but for a good reason. Over the weekend I ran in the Flying Pig Marathon. I have ran in some half marathons but this was my first, and maybe only, full marathon. I had to put aside the coneys and ingest some good carbs. Of course the famous Cincinnati 3-way includes spaghetti but I don't think that counts as good pre-race food.

There really isn't such thing as an easy marathon, and the Flying Pig is especially difficult due to the hills. I now hate Eden Park...ok that's a bit harsh, but I will have bad flashbacks next time I visit Eden. I did not have a time goal for the marathon, I just wanted to finish. I ended up finishing in 6 hours, 6 grueling and exhausting hours. Despite all the struggles of finishing a marathon, it was a fun and rewarding race. Cincinnatians do such a great job of supporting the runners, whenever I felt a little down there would be people there to root me on and lift my spirits. I'm not sure if a full marathon is something I will ever do again, but I am very happy to say that I have completed one.

One of the best things about completing a marathon is you can spend the next couple of days eating whatever you want and feel no guilt about it. This means the quest continues! Earlier today we went on stop #15, Main Street Diner (also known as B/G Restaurant) in Downtown. We left the diner with very different opinions, stay tuned for what should be an interesting review later in the week.

Poll Results: Hot or Mild

2011-04-25T11:04:00.000-04:00

In our latest poll we asked our readers if they preferred a hot/spicy cheese coney or a mild coney. This turned out to be one of our closest polls yet as there was only a one vote difference. Hot ended up victorious with 52% while Mild finished with 48% of the vote.

A recent trend at the local parlors is the launching of hotter chili options. Based on this completely unscientific survey, it appears there is definitely a market for these spicier choices. There are also almost as many who prefer to stick with the standard coney option. The newly launched Gold Star Hot Mett Coney is only available for a limited time, it will be interesting to see if it can be successful enough to find itself on the menu permanently.

West Side Chili Parlor Review

2011-04-20T10:50:00.002-04:00

For Quest stop #14 we once again returned to Glenway Avenue, this time to try the West Side Chili Parlor which is located in Bridgetown. West Side Chili is relatively new to the Cincinnati chili scene, July 10th will be their 4 year anniversary.

When we first approached West Side Chili we had flashbacks to JK's Chili, both were located in a small strip mall and both have similar window fronts. However the interiors couldn't be more different. West Side has a nice homey, brand new look inside. One of the very few, maybe only, places we have visited that has a carpeted floor. West Side embraces that it is a Cincinnati restaurant as the walls are covered in photos of Cincinnati, there is even a painting of Union Terminal on one wall. When we visited there were only two people working. Our waitress was very nice but we did have to wait for our food a bit longer than usual. This might have caused a problem with Alison's coneys (more on that in her review).

West Side Chili is best known for the variety of chilies they serve. Along with the standard Cincinnati style chili, there is spicy, Tex-Mex, vegetarian and spicy vegetarian. If you would like to try all 5 chilies you can order their chili sampler. If a standard cheese coney is just too "healthy" for you, then West Side has an alternative you may enjoy. "The Ripper" is a deep fried cheese coney! I guess you really can deep fry anything. They also feature a really hot coney called the "Atomic" coney. Another unique item on their menu is the Glennway, which is their 6-way. Diced hot dogs are the addition to this way. If you have ever wanted to combine a coney with a way, you now have that choice. Aside from the chili dishes, their menu is the standard Cincinnati chili diner menu, which is double deckers and grilled items like burgers.

Clint's Review

While West Side Chili features 5 varieties of chili, I stuck with the standard Cincinnati style for my coneys. Their standard chili is on the sweet side of the Cincinnati chili spectrum. I thought the chili tasted fine, but there was one problem I had: the amount. Much like at Empress, our very first quest stop, I felt there was not enough chili on the coneys. I enjoyed what I tasted just wished there was more of it on the coney. Balance is very important that can make or break a coney.

One standout feature on the coney was the cheese, it appeared to be a freshly grated sharp cheddar. Typically you get mild cheddar at chili parlors, I liked this unique touch of sharp instead of mild. Nothing else too noteworthy with my coneys. I felt the buns could have been a little softer but didn't think they were too hard either.

I really like what West Side Chili Parlor is trying to do here. Being a newcomer they do a lot to stick out from the other chili parlors in town. Overall I liked their product but left wanting more. I give West Side a 3 out of 5.

Alison's Review

Since Westside Chili is known for their multiple chili options, I opted to try three different types on our visit--Cincinnati Style, Cincinnati Spicy, and Tex Mex. I've heard a lot of good things about their vegetarian chilies, but knowing very little about going meatless, I will let someone with better veggie tastebuds review those varieties.

The Cincinnati Style was a simple and sweet chili. Nothing too complex or outstanding, but not bad. The Cincinnati Spicy had a pretty big kick to it. I couldn't pick up much flavor behind what just tasted like a lot of hot sauce. The Tex Mex was also hot, though not as much, and it wasn't particularly interesting. It very well might be the Cincinnati Style with ground beef chunks, beans, and jalapenos mixed in.

The hot dog, mustard, and onion were all pretty good, but again, nothing particularly special. The fresh-grated cheese was a little better than average.

Leave it at that and Westside might have gotten a solid middle-of-the-road ranking from me. But there was one factor that really distracted me throughout my meal. The fastest way to ruin a cheese coney is to let it sit more than a minute before it gets to the customer. Especially with more watery chili, the bun can become soggy and doughy pretty fast. I'm not sure if I'm bothered by this more than most people, but this single factor really detracted from the quality of the overall product. I'm giving the Westside Chili cheese coneys a 2.75 out of 5 starts.

Poll: Hot or Mild

2011-04-18T11:08:00.001-04:00

A popular trend at the local chili parlors are spicier options for those who enjoy their chili with more kick. Today Gold Star launches their Spicy Hot Mett Coney and at Skyline you can add Extreme Habanero Cheese to your coney or way. We visited West Side Chili Parlor over the weekend and they feature a spicy variation of Cincinnati style chili along with 4 other chili options.

In this poll we would like to know if you prefer hot options like those mentioned above or if you prefer to stick with a milder* cheese coney?

*Using "mild" as a generic term here. If you prefer the standard cheese coney over a specialty "hot" coney, this would be your vote.

New Coney from Gold Star Chili

2011-04-15T06:44:00.002-04:00

I recently took a look at the Gold Star Chili Facebook page and noticed a new interesting product. Apparently they are introducing a new cheese coney. If you are a looking for a hot and spicy coney, this might be the one for you. It is called the Spicy Hot Mett Chesse Coney. It features a hot mett, jalapeño cheese, and hot sauce. The new coney will be available Monday April 18th.