Cincinatti Chili in Chicago?

I know one probably has to be in Cinci for this delicacy, but does anyone know if there is a good place to get some 3 way cincy style chili in Chicago? I was just in cinci a few weeks ago and now am hankering for some skyline or goldstar. I may have to make the drive.

Mellow Yellow in Hyde Park serves Cincy-style chili, or at least they did in 1993 when I last tried it. The restuarant is still there and I can't imagine that the dish has changed for better or worse. I don't know what the genre is supposed to taste like, but I can say that Mellow Yellow's rendition was safely bland with a note of cinnamon, served on top of overcooked spaghetti. Hopefully someone will provide you with more current information.

Happy eating,
Mumon

Mellow Yellow
1508 E. 53rd St.
Chicago, IL 60615
773-667-2000

MumonA wrote: I don't know what the genre is supposed to taste like, but I can say that Mellow Yellow's rendition was safely bland with a note of cinnamon, served on top of overcooked spaghetti.

So, what's to like?

Good to hear from you again, Mumon.

David

Chili Mac's 5-Way Chili
773/404-2898
3152 N. Broadway
Chicago
http://www.chilimacs.com

As a Cincinnati native, I have never found any chili in Chicago that would compare with what I have eaten in Cincinnati.

I will also say that the Skyline Chili Parlors that I have experienced OUTSIDE of Cincinnati are among some of the ABSOLUTE WORST restaurants that I have ever eaten at. The ones in Cleveland and Columbus have been absolutely horrible as the franchisees care little about authenticity as to either the preparation of the chili or the presentation of the meal. One possible exception - the ones in Dayton were not bad.

You are better off, IMO, buying frozen Cincinnati chili. You might try a Woodman's or a Kroger's as both generally carry the product. Also, Stagner's and Worthington Foods both carry canned Cincinnati chili that is above average.

Personally, I prefer to make my own either using my mother's recipe or one of several I have downloaded on the internet. Two key things. The recipe MUST talk of BOILING the ground beef in water AND the recipe MUST contain chocolate and allspice or cinnamon to get the taste right.

I hope that helps.

Personally I am not a fan of Cinci style chili. I just don't get it. But I spent a week in Cinci right before I got married 2 years ago. The people in our Cinci office knew of my feeling for their beloved chili and they shipped me a gift pack of Gold Star Chili.

You can order online at www.goldstarchili.com

Mellow Yellow makes a decent Cincy Chili now that I think about it... still, nowhere near the cincy-proper Chili spots, nor nearly as good as homeade.

Good cincy chili should have the depth of a good mole and hearty enough to stand up to any meal. I personally love the stuff.

let me first vent my annoyance at the common mis-spelling of Cincinnati (three n's, one single t please).

that felt good, onto chili discussion. I had not heard of Mellow Yellow, it may be worth a visit next time I'm feeling Good and Hungry. I have had Chili Mac on several occasions, and the verdict is that it's passable Cincy chili. I would/will return.

That said, I'm a Skyline man myself and although I agree for the most part with a previous poster who derided non-Cincy Skyline locations, I have to mention that I have on numerous trips home stopped in Indy at the Washington Ave. location just of the southeast corner of I-465. For whatever reason, it's very much like a Cincinnati location in terms of food quality and service. Plus they have a Reds flag hanging in the back, which I appreciate seeing. Surprisingly, Louisville has a good Skyline as well, although I admit my trip to High Street in Columbus left something to be desired.

All that aside, no self-respecting ex-pat from Southwest Ohio would not have at all times either a stash of frozen or canned (which I prefer to frozen) Skyline Chili on hand. This should be used in emergencies to sate a chili craving, or for parties as the key ingredient in Skyline dip (line glass baking dish with cream cheese base, add chili, top with shredded cheddar, bake until cheese melts, cool and serve).

A couple more points ....

There is a place in Milwaukie that I tried recently around the Marquette University campus that has the "feel" of a chili parlor. The chili is not all that great and about 50% higher pricewise than the Cincinnati places.

I always hear Folks saying that they just "do not get" Cincinnati chili. Well, generally, unless you are from an area, you generally "don't get" a regional specialty.

Personally, I don't "get" frozen custard when there are so many great ice creams around. I don't "get" the garbage that is called Italian beef. I mean there are so many great beef sandwiches not to have to use one from the bottom round.

I think that I am going to run and duck for a while (g).

I think the main stumbling block people have with Cincinnati chili is the name. Really, you're much better off if you don't think of it as chili. When I made it for my roommates when I lived in Italy, one of them compared it to spaghetti bolognese, a comparison I hadn't thought of but which might be closer to the mark.

That said, I miss Skyline cheese coneys more than I ever miss three-ways--could never stand the thick, overcooked spaghetti; I much prefer my mom's version. And the reason Skyline's coneys rule over Gold Star's: the cheese on top doesn't melt quickly into a greasy mess, but instead stays cool, providing a nice contrast with the heat of the rest of it.

Whenever I've had "Cincinnati chili" outside Cincinnati, though, it's guaranteed be all wrong--usually, by being too much like chili!

Cincinnati chili is more of an emulsion than it is chili, kind of like tar, except that tar tastes better.

The only Cincy chili that I have had is Skyline and Goldstar, but I would suspect that there are better local joints (Camp Washington?). After having cheesesteaks at both Pat's and Geno's, and not being impressed, I was told that there were far better places in the Philly and South Jersey region.

It's kind of like Fluky's hot dogs in Chicago. They seem to be written up often, but they are a very poor representation of Chicago hot dogs, and if I were an out-of-towner and based my opinion on Fluky's, my blanket statement would be "Chicago hot dogs suck".

While there is nothing like eating the real thing in cincinnati, I have found that the canned versions, either skyline or gold star, are pretty darn good. The hardest part for me is recreating the hot dogs and buns for the coneys. the 3-ways are easier, though one must resist the temptation to serve the spaghetti al dente. When we go for our annual trek back to see the family, the cans of chili are tucked in next to the cooler of goetta, and the dry ice packed 12 pack of graeters for the return trip. I think all of this stuff can be ordered from cincinnati-to-you.com.
-WillG

WillG wrote:When we go for our annual trek back to see the family, the cans of chili are tucked in next to the cooler of goetta, and the dry ice packed 12 pack of graeters for the return trip.-WillG

Will, you just ruined me for the rest of the day. I'm craving now.

Oh well, my next Skyline fix is in about 11 days.

I go through Cincinnati a few times a year on my way to climb the very nice rocks that stick out of the ground about an hour south-east of Lexington, KY. (Also home to Mark's Mountain BBQ and Miguel's Pizza - good food in the middle of nowhere. Serioiusly - one of the towns in the area is named Nada!) On one trip, a friend from Cin. took me to a Skyline location there right in the city. It even had actual Cincinnati cops eating there. (Which led to a conversation about shooting people in the back. I have a very "civil liberties" view, she has a very "law and order" view. Things bordered on ugly.)

So I ordered the chili dogs. Enh. I'm not a big fan of chili, and I grew up on Chicago hot dogs (although I am a blaspheming ketchup eater!), so it isn't surprising that I wasn't overwhelmed by the chili dogs. The dog and bun were OK, but nothing special. The chili was soft-ish and not too flavorful. Was the orange shredded stuff on top supposed to be cheese? I don't think it melted on the warm chili, which made me suspicious. I guess that the appeal is that it's warm and soft and doesn't have any potentially objectionable flavors. Tres American, n'est ce pas?

I will say that one point on which Cincinnati has Chicago beat is on buildings containing museums of contemporary art. Chicago turned down designs by the likes of Morphosis (amazing LA architecture firm) and Tadao Ando (leading candidate for 'greatest living architect'), and went with a boring design by some German guy (I can't remember his name). Cincinnati just opened their new museum by Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid - very cool, and right there in the downtown. Skip the chili dogs, and see the museum.

Blasphemer.

Those new to Cincy chili generally agree it takes 2 visits to develop the taste. 3 visits can lead to addiction.