Quest Stop #8

Our last stop on the quest was an impromptu visit to Pleasant Ridge Chili, so it had actually been a while since we did our last drawing. There were not any new entries in this drawing, however, there are some restaurants that I have found in my research that may serve Cincinnati style chili, I just need to call them to see if they A) still are in business and B) do serve coneys. If those new places check out, then there will be more than 20 restaurants on the quest!

And now for the drawing of Cincinnati Coney Quest stop #8...

We will be heading west to Delhi Chili for our eighth stop. I can't recall many times I have been in Delhi, look forward to going there and trying their chili!

Poll Results: What Side is the Best Side

In our latest poll we asked readers to weigh in on another long standing debate in Cincinnati: What side of town is the best? One catch was instead of just doing East vs. West, we tried to include all sections of the area. This poll has the most responses of our polls to date, which shows how passionate people are in this area about where they live. The winner of the poll was Northern Kentucky with 40% of the vote. At first this surprised me, but after thinking about how the Cincinnati areas had multiple choices, and how NKY just had one option, it made sense. Do Northern Kentuckians section each other by east and west like those north of the river do, or is everyone united?

To break down the results, Northern Kentucky was the overall winner, but Cincinnati had more total votes.  In East vs. West, the East Side won with 10% more of the votes. Central came in a respectable third place, only losing by a vote to the East. The biggest loser was North with only one vote.

Results of the poll:

NKY 40%
Eastside 23%
Central 20%
Westside 16%
North 3%

Pretzels, Tacos, and Chili

This weekend we had a fun food weekend in Cincinnati, which didn't just involve chili. For people that complain nothing happens in Cincinnati, you're wrong. Yeah, its not NYC or LA, but Cincy isn't as small was we like to make it out to be.  You won't find anything to do by just sitting around and complaining about it. There is plenty to do, just have to go out and find it sometimes.

On Friday we attended OTR Pretzel Fest. This event was a fund raiser for another great Cincinnati event, Bock Fest. To raise money for this years Bock Fest, the organizers held Pretzel Fest, cost of entry was $35 which included a brat/mett ticket and 4 beer tickets.  Various local cooks brought in gourmet pretzels, Taste of Belgium cooked their delicious waffles, Mecklenburg Gardens prepared the sausages and Christian Moerlein beers were served, including the tapping of their bock beer The Emancipator. Entertainment was provided by the local band The Dancing Pigs. Pretzels, brats, beers, music, what's not to like? Photos I took of the event can be found here.

Two years ago when Twitter began to take off, I was hesitant to join. I wasn't quite sure what the point of it was, but decided to give it a try anyway. I am glad that I did. I have become connected to many people that I wouldn't have, I feel it keeps me more aware of whats going on in the community and the world, and a lot of you found out about the Quest via Twitter. On Saturday night, Laura of @CincyNomerati, "hosted" a TweetUp at Tacqueria Mercado Downtown. Obvious name for the event: Tacos and Tequila Tweetup. It was a good opportunity to meet some of the food bloggers I follow and other Cincinnatians whom I have only known via twitter. Bob Schwartz (@5chw4r7z on twitter) has a write up of the tweetup here.

Sunday, Gold Star Chili held a Chili Cookoff at Findlay Market. Findlay Market is one of my favorite Cincinnati landmarks, so I don't need a reason to go, but the cookoff made our Sunday at Findlay Market even more enjoyable. 30 different chili cooks brought their special recipes to Findlay, and local Firefighters served as the judges. Us regular folk were allowed to sample the chili after the firefighters were done. We didn't get to sample all 30, but what we did sample was quite good. Mary Beth Weaver and James Czar were the winners and were declared "Chili Meisters". You can find photos I took of the cookoff and Findlay Market here.

Pleasant Ridge Chili Review

We headed East for Quest Stop #7 which was in impromptu visit to Pleasant Ridge Chili. PRC is one of the most iconic chili parlors in town, however chili isn't the main item they are known for, many go for their gravy cheese fries. However, we did not get a chance to try the gravy fries this trip, I am cutting out fried food for my marathon training, and Alison wasn't hungry enough. Next time we go, we will have to try them.

Pleasant Ridge Chili is probably the smallest parlor we have been to thus far (it does have more tables than US Chili, but appeared to have less square footage). It also has a look and feel of a restaurant that hasn't changed anything in 30 years. I liked this, made us feel like we were stepping back in time. Also as the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Above each table is a picture of Cincinnati and up front by the counter are various magazine and newspaper articles about Pleasant Ridge Chili.

The menu is similar to many of the parlors we have visited, breakfast is available all day, they also feature double decker sandwiches, the previously mentioned gravy cheese fries, and of course all the typical Cincinnati chili dishes. One thing to keep in mind before visiting, PRC only accepts cash, they do have an ATM inside if you don't have cash on you. I would make sure to plan ahead and bring cash so you wont have to deal with any ATM charges.

Clint's review

One word to describe the flavor of the chili would be SWEET. This is your stereotypical sweet tasting Cincinnati chili. I enjoyed the flavor of the chili a lot. I would've liked a hint of heat level spice, just to give it a little more flavor and balance. However, I did like the sweet spices and flavors they use, it is a very tasty chili. I also liked the texture, wasn't thick but not too thin and watery either.  

The other ingredients of the coney complimented each other very well and you get a generous amount of chili and cheese. The cheese tasted fresh, the buns weren't anything remarkable but they held up for me which was necessary because you do get a lot of chili on each coney. The hot dog was ok, nothing spectacular but not so bland that it took away from the coney. One more plus for Pleasant Ridge Chili is they give you a bag of oyster crackers while you wait for your food. I always assumed this was standard, but at this point its only the second parlor of the quest to do so.

I give Pleasant Ridge Chili a 4 out of 5. The one thing holding PRC back from getting above a 4 (and taking the highest score thus far) is the lack of any heat. Ideally I would like some balance, however it is the best of the sweet category I have had, and they were tasty, so I give them a solid 4.

Alison's review

Pleasant Ridge Chili undisputedly falls into the sweet category. There is no heat in this recipe. Onion and garlic are not abundantly used, and the flavor is very bright. I don't think I could guess what balance of brown sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, paprika, or other sweet ingredients goes into the chili pot, but Pleasant Ridge Chili offers a surprisingly complex and delicious sauce without the need for a tang or zip.

The onion variety used on the cheese coney, which I'm guessing to be vidalia, was the perfect zesty compliment to the sweetness of the sauce. The balance was really great. Every ingredient after this, however, ranks about average. The hot dog was fairly plain. The bun was fresh but fell apart on me a little bit. The cheese was I've come to expect from every chili parlor in town. And the mustard was undetectable. Nothing bad, but nothing outstanding.

At this point in the quest, however, this is my favorite chili of the sweet variety. I give the overall coney a 3.5 out of 5

Poll: What Side is the Best Side?

The latest poll is not about chili, but it is about one of the biggest debates in Cincinnati: What side of town is the best side of town? The argument is always East vs.West, but there are more sides than just East and West in the Cincinnati area. Everyone that lives in the region can get in on this battle. Options are:

Eastside
Westside
Northern Suburbs (e.g. Mason, West Chester, etc)
Central (e.g. Downtown, OTR)
Northern Kentucky

(edit: Just realized there could be some Indiana residents who read the blog as well, its too late for me to edit the poll options, but feel free to write Indiana in if you're a Hoosier)

Eastside, where you at?

Aside from getting to experience and enjoy different takes on Cincinnati chili, one thing we enjoy about the quest is getting to visit communities we don't visit often or have never even been to. While we visited Pleasant Ridge Chili one thing both of us noticed was the lack of chili parlors on the Eastside of town. Sure there are plenty of Skyline's and Gold Star's, but not many independent chili parlors. So far on the quest we have been to the Westside, Uptown, and Northern Kentucky, this was the first parlor on the Eastside and there won't be many more upcoming.


View Cincinnati Coney Quest Locations in a larger map

A little background on us: I was born and raised on the Eastside, then moved over to Northern Kentucky for college, and then Downtown after that. Alison is originally form Northeast Ohio, then went to UC for college, and moved to Mt. Lookout after she graduated. While we live in the city now, if we had to choose battle lines in the Eastside-Westside argument, we are Team Eastside.

As we have both lived in the Eastside we were both disappointed in the lack of non-chain chili parlors on that side of town. Sure there are plenty of quality dining options, especially if you like sushi, but we wished there were more independent chili parlors. Right now we have to admit, the Westside (and even NKY) is kicking the Eastside's butt in the chili category. Step your game up Eastside! Stop being snooty and embrace our chili heritage!

Pleasant Ridge Chili History

There are many "mom and pop" chili parlors in Cincinnati, Pleasant Ridge Chili is one of those and is a long standing landmark on the Eastside of the Cincinnati.

Many Cincinnati chili parlors can trace their roots to other parlors in town, but not Pleasant Ridge Chili. Pleasant Ridge Chili was founded in 1964 by Tony Sideris. It is his special recipe, which is a family secret,  that holds a special place in the hearts, and bellies, of many Cincinnatians. Sadly last year Tony fell ill and passed away, but the restaurant has stayed in the family and is now owned by his son Dan.

The chili isn't the only reason many flock to Pleasant Ridge Chili. The signature item at Pleasant Ridge is not the coneys or the 3-ways, its their gravy cheese fries. If you mention you are going to Pleasant Ridge Chili to a Cincy chili lover, they will likely tell you to make sure to try the gravy cheese fries.