Cincinnati Chili

When our family moved to Aberdeen, Ohio (on the Ohio River) in 1978 I started reading the Cincinnati Enquirer. In the food section I read about Cincinnati chili and one week there was a recipe for it. Expecting something similar to regular chili, the entire family was horrified by the taste and texture. I still remember the looks around the table. I totally skipped the part about serving it over spaghetti, as that seemed just too weird. We probably ate grilled cheese that night.

As the years went by, we adapted to that different kind of chili, probably starting with eating it over hot dogs. Years later, we all love it.

On her recent visit, Sarah asked people about their favorite chili restaurants and got a variety of answers. We visited a couple.

Here's Skyline

And here's Gold Star

The verdict is still out about which was better, but there are others to try on the next visit.

There's Dixie, for example

and Empress and Camp Washington.

Bridget showed up at the door just as Sarah was about to leave for the airport with cans of Gold Star, Dixie, and Empress for Sarah to take back to North Carolina. Thanks, Bridget.

I was pleasantly surprised to find vegetarian options at both Skyline and Gold Star. Skyline's was a beans and rice combo that was wonderfully spicy and Gold Star's actually had a some vegetables and was a little thicker. They were both great with spaghetti and cheese. Who would have thought?