Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hometown Dish
203
Cincinnati Chili
5-Way on a Coney
Cincinnati, Ohio
When it comes to chili, Cincinnatians speak
their own language. Around here, chili
comes served over spaghetti or a hot dog
(a “coney”); you can order a 3-Way (with
shredded cheddar cheese), a 4-Way (with
cheese and diced onions), or a 5-Way
(with cheese, onions, and red beans and
a side of oyster crackers—the works). But
however they order it, Cincinnatians con-
sume more chili per capita than any other
city in the country.
Cincinnati-style chili isn't chili con carne
like you'd get in Texas—it's its own special
dish, a thin but savory stew of finely
ground beef spiced with aromatic ingredi-
ents such as chocolate and cinnamon
rather than hot peppers. That's not sur-
prising once you learn that Cincinnati chili
was refined at diners owned by Greek and
Macedonian immigrants—it's really an
adaptation of Mediterranean peasant reci-
pes. The first classic chili parlor,
Empress
Chili,
opened downtown on Vine Street in
1922; chili chefs from Empress eventually
started their own chili restaurants with
slightly different recipes:
Dixie Chili
(opened in 1929 south across the river in
Kentucky) and
Skyline Chili
(opened in
1949). The other major force in town,
Gold Star Chili,
opened in 1965. All these
diners have spawned chains—Skyline and
Gold Star, in fact, each have more than
100 locations, all over Ohio, Indiana, and
northern Kentucky. Each has its own zeal-
ously guarded “secret” chili recipe, and
though they look like fast-food joints, the
chili is generally superb (Gold Star's tends
to be a little thicker and chunkier). To com-
pare them, head to the Hartwell section on
the north side, where you'll find an
Empress Chili
at 8340 Vine St. (
&
513/
761-5599
), a
Gold Star Chili
around the
corner at 21 E. Galbraith Rd. (
&
513/761-
8633
), and a
Skyline Chili
a few blocks
east in Arlington Heights, just north of
Galbraith at 8506 Reading Rd. (
&
513/821-
1800
).
Still, there's no way a chain can com-
pete with the quality of chili served at
small independent restaurants.
Camp
Washington Chili
(3005 Colerain Ave.;
&
513/541-0061;
www.campwashington
chili.com) has been around since 1940, in
its original building until 2000, when it
moved across the street. Like the chains,
it's run by a Greek immigrant family; unlike
the chains, it's been cited by the James
Chili comes on spaghetti or a hot dog at Camp
Washington Chili in Cincinnati.
