Cincinnati Chili & Coney Crawl - May 9, 2009 - The Trip Report - Updated Part #2

First of all this trip report should be titled "I can't believe we ate the WHOLE thing"
 
Saturday morning dawned bright and early at the starting time came quickly.  We scheduled to meet at Dixie Chili in Covington for the first stop of our trip.
 


 
CajunKing got there first followed shortly by Buffettbuster and Mariton.  We sat in the parking lot for a few minutes and chatted.  An employee came out and told us that they would open as soon as the money got there for their change drawer.  Nocarolina pulled in just in time for the doors to open after some introductions.
 

 
Inside Dixie Chili was bright and clean and the workers were extremely friendly and after we told them what we were doing one of them thought we were "NUTS".
 
Jecutter (brand new RFer) and his beautiful daughter Emma showed up and joined us.
 
The group ordered:
 
6-Way (spag, chili, onions, beans, cheese & fresh garlic)
5-Way (spag, chili, onions, beans & cheese)
Alligator Coney (dill spear, wiener, mustard, mayo & cheese on a coney bun)
Several Cheese Coneys with mustard and onion
and a
Taste of Dixie (small bowl of plain chili)
Shortly after we ordered a gentleman walked in and was talking to the workers about eatng chili this early in the morning and a chili tour.  JJJRFoodie was that person, he came to enjoy part of the trip.
 
So after introductions were made it was time for the food:
 
An Alligator Coney

 
Dixie Chili Cheese Coneys

 
Taste of Dixie

 
Buffettbuster or Nocarolina will have to insert their photos of the 5 & 6 Way, I was too busy starting to enjoy my chili.
 
Here is Miss Emma our youngest member of the adventure.  She is four years old.

 
Roadfooders present:  CajunKing, Nocarolina, JeCutter and Miss Emma, JJJRFoodie, Buffettbuster and Mariton
 
This was a good start to the day.  The chili was fresh.  I liked the blend of spices here it had a little more zing to the chili than say Skyline or Gold Star.
 
Dixie Chili was not the first chili parlor in Cincinnati, but Dixie Chili's owner worked for Emperess for a short time before branching out on his on and creating his own chili recipe.  80 years later, that recipe remains a secret and Dixie Chili is the second oldest chili company in the Cincinnati area.  (For the history of Dixie Chili check out their website listed below)
 
Dixie Chili
2421 Madison Ave
Covington, KY
(859)-431-7444
 
http://www.dixiechili.com/
 
 
Moving on to stop number two.
 
Leaving Dixie Chili the group was headed to a Cincinnati Chili LEGEND.  We crossed north over the Ohio river and wound our way to the area called Camp Washington.  In 1789 Fort Washington was built in this area to help protect the village of Losantiville (Modern Day Cincinnati) from the Indians. 220 years later this area is home to Camp Washington Chili.
 
Colerain Ave side of Camp Washington Chili

 
This is one of Buffettbuster's favorite Cincinnati Roadfood locations, and I have to agree, I love this place.  Night or Day the service is good and so is the food.
 
The group ordered:
 
Goetta
3-Way (Spag, Chili & Cheese)
Cheese Coneys
Double Decker with Ham and Ham and Swiss
 
Jecutter and Miss Emma

 
Camp Washington Chili - 3 Way

 
Cheese Coney

 
Goetta

 
Plain Chili

 
The group felt that Camp Washington's chili was a little saltier, spicier and thicker than Dixie Chili.  Out of the two so far we ranked it #1.  The food was good as always, the service was prompt and attentive.
 
We wanted to get a picture with Johnny Johnson the owner, but he was out of the building.  Instead we got a special treat, Mrs. Johnson came over to our table and chatted with us and then posed with us in the picture we had taken.
 
Buffettbuster will have to post his picture, I dont know what happened to mine but it is not on my camera.  :-(
 
Camp Washington Chili first opened their doors in 1940, and have been open 24 hours a day for most of the last 59 years.
 
Camp Washington Chili
3005 Colerain Ave
Cincinnati, OH
(513)-541-0061
 
http://www.campwashingtonchili.com/
 
This is just the beginning we still have 4 more Chili stops, 2 Ice Cream Stops, and Jungle Jim's still to come.
 
Stay tuned cause part two is coming!  
  
  
  
  
  
 

I was wondering if any of the  cnci chilli chasers have ever been to Park Chilli on Hamilton in College Hill?  Its been there for ever.  In all the posts on the local hotspots, I have never seen it mentioned.  Its gotta be the ultimate dive!

CK-
Mariton and I were so full after the chili crawl, we didn't eat until after 2:00PM on Sunday afternoon in Columbus.  Of course, we pigged out then!

Great start so far and your photos are excellent.  Unfortunately, my photo of the group at Camp Washington is very blurry, but I will go ahead and post it anyway later today.  I can always say, I didn't take it!

Looks like you guys were off to a great start...
 
Again, I wish I could have been there...
 
Anxiously, awaiting more of the report!

I'm so sorry I had to miss seeing and eating with all of you, some last minute problems arose and I had to miss all the fun.
I hope there will be a next time.

CajunKing,

This is a very impressive start and I am sure will become the definitive, "What is Cincinnati chili?" thread of all-time. Thanks for putting this tour together.

Some additional photos from Dixie Chili.  This is one of the more unique chili parlor menu boards

because it offers the 6-Way.
 
This sign

was particularly meaningful to me.  Since I agreed to participate in an event that had us visiting six chili parlors in one day, obviously, I am very health conscious! 
 
Here is the chili girl ladling out our dishes.

 
Nocarolina's 5-Way

and our 6-Way.

Mariton enjoyed the garlic in the chili, but I think it overwhelmed the chili.
 
For ex-pats of the Queen City, Dixie Chili offers chili survival kits.


It was a pleasant surprise to have JJJRFoodie join our group, since none of us were expecting him.  He was a great addition to our group! 

thanks for the report. I enjoyed the Dixie Chile at the Covington location and wished I had been there with you.

I wish I had paid attention and knew about this trip.  I made the trip up to Dayton (from Atlanta, but a Dayton native) a couple weeks ago, and would've switched it to join this trip.  My brother and I did a mini-tour ourselves by hitting Camp Washington and US Chili.  Despite normally preferring Skyline, Camp Washington was great (as usual).  US Chili was better than I thought it'd be (tried to coneys - US Chili is across the street from Camp Washington - always looks closed).
 
We 've done chili trips before, and I really want to go on another.
 

This was a fun report to read.  I will never forget when I first felt that I had to try this style of chili.  I had my mind made up that I would not like it at all,  but I ordered it and enjoyed every bite. 

I have even made it at home and it was very well received.  I guess I am now going to have to make it again, and real soon. 

How much chili did Emma eat? 

Emma was a trooper, she hung in there for four chili stops and Graeters.

I think she had a hot dog at a couple of places and some cheese fries at another.  She certainly deserves a Roadfooder of the Year nomination.

Arrrgh  my puter crashed as I was posting the part 2

I will have to redo it tomorrow  SORRY FOLKS!!

Looks like a fun day! Wish I could have been there.

That bowl of Camp Washington 3 way is a beautiful sight!

They should call it Dixie cheese and ask if you want a splash of Chili.. Way to much cheese............

What is Goetta?? Kinda looks like a spam-thing.

BillyB


They should call it Dixie cheese and ask if you want a splash of Chili.. Way to much cheese............

all of the cincinnati chili joints serve it that way. It really isn't as much as you think it just hasn't melted yet...

I think that the goetta is kinda/sorta like scrapple, but with oats instead of cornmeal added. I think. :D I would like to try it sometime. LOL It's funny, because on facebook my HS classmates and I have been reminiscing about scrapple. "Everything but the squeal" - that's what is in there, from the pig, that is.
 
Great report, btw, Cajun King! That gator dog looks great - wow, all that cheese and it looks so delicious!!

TnTinCT


What is Goetta?? Kinda looks like a spam-thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Goetta&printable=yes

I would have loved to have joined your group.  Just way too far away.  :(

Learned something new, too.

I'd never heard of  Goetta before this.

Great report.

mar52


I would have loved to have joined your group.  Just way too far away.  :(

Learned something new, too.

I'd never heard of  Goetta before this.

Great report.

...you need to import you some my fine fellow..it is a real treat...

I'm a girl type of fellow.  ;)

I import Boudin so I might have to find a place for some Goetta.

I knew that was coming, Mar52-just didnt feel like being a smart ass...

 High Fives Ann

Nope...  I'm the sMARtass!  <Insert laughy guy here>

Cincinnati Chili & Coney Crawl - May 9, 2009 - The Trip Report - Part Two (I hope)

After leaving Camp Washington we headed to Cincinnati's West Side, the hot bed of Cincy Style Chili.  There are 11 Chili parlors on the west side and that is not including the chains.

Our destination was Price Hill Chili.  PHC has been around since the early 1960's and has had a decent reputation in the past.  I was looking forward to this stop because they make their own goetta.

Price Hill Chili Menu


Roadfooder To be - Miss Emma


JJJRFoodie


The obligatory roadfood picture - A RFer taking a picture of a RFer taking a picture of his food - Buffettbuster


The group ordered:
Goetta
3-Way
4-Way
Coney
Bowl of Chili

Price Hill Chili Cheese Coney


I am hoping others can share their photos of the food here, by this time I was in a chili haze.  OK so I was really thinking about the next stop and forgot to get the other photos.

Price Hill Chili


The food here was mediocre. The chili was bland and did not have that complex blend of spices that Cincy Chili should have.  The goetta was good, they make their own.  It was crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside with just the right amount of seasoning.

Price Hill Chili
4920 Glenway Ave
Cincinnati, OH

(513)-471-9507

http://www.pricehillchili.com/main_page.html

Roadfooders present:
JJJRFoodie
Nocarolina
Buffetbuster and Mariton
Jecutter and Miss Emma
CajunKing

Our next spot on our adventure was one we ALL were looking forward to especially after eating at 3 straight chili parlors.

One of the places Cincinnati is known for is Graeter's Ice Cream.  It is some of THE best ice cream out there.  The make their ice cream using the French Pot Method and ONLY Graeter's uses this method.  the ice cream is dense and creamy, soft mouth feel that let's you know you are eating a scoop of Heaven.

Graeter's Ice Cream - Pastry and Candies


Yes that is right this place not only makes the best ice cream in town, but they also produce fresh pastries and candies.

Bakery & Candy Cases @ Graeter's


Oh I am in luck - They have cheese crowns in the case


What is a cheese crown??  Stay tuned to find out.

JeCutter & Miss Emma


Graeter's Menu Board


Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip on a Pretzel Cone


Graeter's Cheese Crown


Ok, many years ago the bakers at Graeters had one of the comic "Reese's Peanut Butter Cup moments"  "hey you got your chocolate in my peanut butter, no you got your peanut butter in my chocolate"
While making cinnamon buns some cream cheese filling was dropped onto the cinnamon bun.  A STAR WAS BORN.  Cheese crowns are a danish pastry filled half with cinnamon bun filling and half with cream cheese filling and baked then iced.  SUGAR OVERLOAD, but worth every bite.

*****************************************************

I would like to take a serious moment here.  While we planned this adventure we had hoped to meet up with several other Roadfooders, however things come up and plans change.

Chris and Amy (Ayersian) wanted to be there with us, but Amy graduated this weekend.
WanderingJew wanted to be there, but had flight problems
Mayor Al and Janet wanted to be there, but Al was under the weather
CTD wanted to be there too - We Missed You Gregg!

We couldn't think of a better spot to toast our fellow missing roadfooders.

SO, to those who were missed we salute you


*****************************************************

After this stop we were feeling refreshed..... Well all of us but JJJRFoodie who had had enough.  Ok so he had other plans, we still were giving to give him grief for not sticking it out. 
 
Our next stop was Delhi Chili.  I have lived in the area for over 35 years and the place has always been there.  I can remember eating there as a wee lad of four or five.  The place has not changed.
 
Buffettbuster had a smile on his face when he saw the sign that said home made.
 
The group ordered:
Goetta
5-Way
3-Way
Cheese Coneys
Chili
Cheese Fries & Slaw
Chocolate Pie  (NO - Buffettbuster didnt order it either, something must have been wrong with him or he was still on a sugar high from Graeters)
 
Delhi Chili Sign

 
Delhi Chili Building

 
JeCutter, Miss Emma and his wife Jennifer

 
Menu Cover

 
Menu Board

 
Delhi Chili Chili

 
Delhi Chili 5-Way

 
Delhi Chili Coney

 
Delhi Chili Goetta

 
Delhi Chili - "Home Made" Chocolate Pie

 
Again the food was mediocre, the goetta was salty, but crunchy and creamy.  The chili was more of a red chili (like Gold Star), not so much of the cincy stye chili spice mix, more bite and zing.
 
Mariton liked the chili because it had more of the zing to it.
 
The chocolate pie was VERY good, but not home made.  The crust was to uniform and bland.  HOWEVER the chocolate filling was OMG RICH!!!
 
Roadfooders Present:
JeCutter and Family
NoCarolina
Buffettbuster and Mariton
CajunKing
 
Delhi Chili
4875 Delhi Ave
Cincinnati, OH
(513)-921-9779
 
No website
 
After this stop we said our good byes to Jecutter's wife and Miss Emma.  There is no way we could make fun of that little trooper she stood toe to toe with the legendary (in his own mind) Buffettbuster. 
 
We made our way the whole 2.1 miles to our next stop, did I mention that the west side of Cincinnati has LOTS of chili parlors?? 
 
We were headed to the BIRTHPLACE of Cincy style chili, Emperess Chili.
Emperess Chili was founded in 1922 by Greek brother Tom and John Kiradjieff.  The original location was in downtown Cincinnati next to the "Emperess" Burlesque Theater.  The brothers used the name because they felt it would give their parlour a known location.  It worked!
 
Many of the Cincinnati style chili parlors and companies got their starts in the kitchen of Emperess.  Skyline, Price Hill, Dixie all have roots back to the Kiradjieff's and Emperess Chili.
 
Emperess Chili

 
Emperess Chili Menu Front

 
Emperess Chili Menu Back

 
The group ordered:
Double Decker with Roast Beef and Turkey on Swiss
5-Way
Coney
Chili
 
Double Decker @ Emperess (Roast beef and Turkey with Swiss)

 
Chili @ Emperess

 
Cheese Coney @ Emperess

 
Nocarolina really liked the chili here, Mariton however did not.  I personally dont like the chili at Emperess so I had the Double Decker.  Which actually is another Cincy Chili Parlor tradition.
 
We were going to give JeCutter a hard time because he disappeared after eating at Delhi Chili, but as we were getting ready to order he walked in and we all had to detract are statements about him being a "Woosie" and not being able to hang.
 
Roadfooders Present:
Nocarolina
Buffettbuster & Mariton
JeCutter
CajunKing
 
Emperess Chili
5675 Rapid Run Road
Cincinnati, OH 45238
(513)-922-6669
 
No Website
 
Our next stop on this grand adventure was a little place called Jungle Jim's International Market.  300,000 sq ft of food extravaganza, with over 75 countries represented.
 
You really have to see this place to believe it.  So they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
 
The entrance to Jungle Jim's

 
There is a greeter at the front door offering maps.... yes I said MAPS this place is really that big.
 








 
You say you like fresh fish??  Well you can't get any fesher than this

 
Fresh Tilapia @ $5.99 a pound  There was also fresh trout, catfish, bass blue gill and other fish all swimming around waiting to be taken home for dinner.
 
Here is a picture of our good friend Buffettbuster and a HUGE Amish Whoopie Pie.  Note the eyes rolled back into his head.

 
The water feature as you leave Jungle Jim's

 
In our shopping adventures we thought about WanderingJew and how we missed him.  However we could not find any Arrogant Bastrad Ale, but we did find this rootbeer for him.

 
You know we love you WJ.
 
After walking around and finding several other goodies from across the globe.  We headed for our final chili stop of the day, Blue Ash Chili.
 
Jungle Jim's International Markets
5440 Dixie Highway
Fairfield, Ohio
(513)-674-6000
http://www.junglejims.com/
 
 
 
This is the point we should have FIRED buffettbuster's GPS.  After a bit of a round about trip we ended up at Blue Ash Chili.
 
Blue Ash Chili Sign

 
Buffettbuster showing he is ready to handle some more chili

 
We found a table that fit our ever expanding waistline and looked over the menu.  Bryan our server was very attentive and helpful, and after he heard what we had done during the day he uttered the phrase of the day.
 
"I don't question the motives, I just bring you the chili"
 
I was going to use that quote as the title for this thread but decided against it.
 
The group ordered:
3-Way
6-Way (5-Way + Jalapeno Bottle Caps)
Coney
Goetta
Dogless Popper
Turkey Sandwich on a Pretzel Bun
Root Beer Float
 
Menu @ Blue Ash Chili

 
Goetta @ BAC - Voted #1 of the WHOLE trip

 
3-Way @ BAC - Voted #1 of the WHOLE trip

 
Turkey Sandwich with Pretzel Bun @ BAC

 
Dogless Popper

 
Cheese Coney - Voted #1 of the WHOLE trip

 
Blue Ash Chili ROCKS!!
We voted this the #1 in:
Goetta
Chili
3-Way
Cheese Coney
Chili
 
Roadfooders present:
Nocarolina
Buffettbuster & Mariton
JeCutter
CajunKing
 
 
Blue Ash Chili
9565 Kenwood Rd
Blue Ash, OH
(513)-984-6107
www.blueashchili.com
 
After this stop Jecutter called it quits, he was finished, through, put a fork in him, NO MORE!!  So of course we gave him a hard time about being a "Woosie" like JJJRFoodie. 
 
We were down to four.  Our last stop on the mammouth eating adventure was Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream.
 
What a wonderful old fashioned ice cream shoppe and candy maker.
 

 
Inside Aglamesis Brothers

 
Our soda jerk Buzz

 
He had his routine down from dips flips and slams he was fluid in his motions and delivery fun to watch.
 
Nocarolina Bob

 
NOW THIS SHOT is cool
 
A picture of the person taking the person from the persons own picture and Buffettbuster and Mariton

 
We ordered:
 
Banana Classique

 
Raspberry Hot Fudge Sundae

 
Butter Pecan

 
Fresh Banana

 
Aglamesis Brother's Ice Cream & Candy
Oakley Square
3046 Madison Road
Cincinnati, Ohio
(513)-531-5196
 
http://www.aglamesis.com/
 
 
 
 
I also picked up a half pound of Maple Cream Candy for a special someone, but forgot to take the picture of them and now you wouldnt want to see thepicture of where they are now. 
 
This was a fantastic trip with some very special friends and Jason. 
 
We were over stuffed but it was well worth it.
 
I would like to thank
 
Nocarolina Bob for making the journey from Chi-Town
Buffettbuster and Mariton - It was awesome to meet Mariton
JJJRFoodie - It was good to meet you
JeCutter and Miss Emma - Thank You for joining RF and coming out for this adventure.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

One of my hugest regrets about moving way east of Cinci 5 years ago is that I am now 65 miles away from Jungle Jim's.

Great job on the report and the scope of the day's activities ! Sorry we were not able to participate.

We used to make semi-annual trips to JJ's and Costco in Cincinnati before the Louisville Costco opened. Now we have some of the chain Chili-Parlors and a couple of Graeters Ice Cream Parlors too!

I love scanning the weekly ad from JJ's. Always something good on sale!

Great report and fantastic pictures.  I have never had Cincinnati chili but am now plotting ways to travel to the area (I know - just get in the car and drive).  Thanks for all the work on this report.

CK, a great report on a great weekend. I had a blast and wouldn't have missed it for anything. But all those bad photos of me? Sheesh!! They make me look like a pot-bellied old man. Oh, wait... I AM a pot-bellied old man ( forgot for a moment! )

See, I was right about Blue Ash Chili, I always said it was my favorite of all the Cincinnati Chili Parlors I've visited (hey aren't I always right?)

Thanks for thinking of me in my absence, however I do see myself as more of an ARROGANT BASTARD than a rat bastard