skyline chili

It feels very wrong that I wrote about seven other beautiful foods from around the world before I wrote about my beloved Skyline Chili from my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. While some could attest that pouring chili over top of spaghetti and topping that with a stunningly large mound of fluffy shredded cheddar cheese is an acquired taste, it is not. It works. It could surprise some that our chili is a smidge on the sweeter side and on the thinner side (viscosity-wise) than your average chili. But again, it works. The chili doesn’t overwhelm the palate or the stomach with its heftiness like a normal thick and meaty chili would. It soothes and calms. It puts me into a zen state. Could be because I’ve been eating this since birth but that’s hard to say for sure. My British husband also thinks it’s delicious so I choose to believe that it’s not just for locals.

So, in order for you to try the dish that will be my last meal, this means you need to find yourself (or put yourself) in Cincinnati, Ohio which is lightly a feat in itself unless you a) live there b) live in the Midwest c) have family who live there (like I do) or d) go there for work (like I used to do). There may not be a boatload to do for the attraction-focused traveler in Cincinnati but there certainly is a LOT to do for the stomach-focused traveler.

Outside of Skyline Chili, there are also adored eating institutions like Graeter’s Ice Cream, La Rosa’s Pizza, Montgomery Inn BBQ, Busken Bakery, Servatii Pastry Shop & Deli, Aglamesis Bro’s for ice cream + chocolates and quite a lot more. This is where I could/should also list Gold Star Chili (an “alternative” to Skyline Chili) but I will not because loyalty matters.

Cincinnati is actually known as a foodie town among the Midwest cities. And it should be noted that the German heritage here runs deep. This of course means there are some unique meats available like goetta: a meat-and-grain sausage patty that originated in the city — and beer gardens and craft breweries abound. There’s even a lovely indoor market/food hall called Findlay Market located in the old German neighborhood, Over-the-Rhine.

All that being said, if you do go to Cincinnati, this is what you can expect upon walking into one of the MANY Skyline Chili locations and sitting down at a vinyl-cushioned booth. To start, one does not look at the menu at a Skyline. You just know what you want because it is simply what you get at Skyline. You either are going to order a 3-way, 4-way or 5-way. This is spaghetti + chili + cheese to make a 3-way… or that combo plus onions OR beans to make a 4-way. So, to clarify, you must say “4-way onion” or “4-way beans.” And of course a 5-way is all five offered ingredients together. I’m a 4-way onion girl myself but was originally a 3-way until I was college aged. That’s growth, baby. Adding diced onions is maturity.

Alongside your chili spaghetti, you order at least one cheese coney, which is a small chili and cheese hot dog on a bun. Make sure to say “with everything,” so that you will find mustard and onions tucked inside there as well.

Before your meal even arrives, you’ll be given a small white ramekin of oyster crackers. These crackers are also a Skyline specialty as they are fatter and wider than the average oyster cracker… and much better tasting. Cincinnati natives also commonly drop a dot or two of hot sauce on top of their oyster cracker as an appetizer of sorts before the meal arrives.

Drink-wise, you order root beer. Although my friend Jane goes for Mountain Dew, which I’ve never understood. I think it’s a personal rebellion for her.

After the whole meal, you pay at the counter and grab a York peppermint patty to cleanse the palate. To be clear, you grab one for everyone at the table. It’s common courtesy.

And there it is. This is how it’s done. Tens of thousands of us do this routine quite often, potentially multiple times a week even. I sadly cannot enjoy such a luxury since I live far far away from Cincinnati now. I only get to enjoy Skyline at Christmas time and those bites are just about the pinnacle of my eating year.

 Please note that Skyline does sell its chili at the grocery store in certain areas of the country via canned chili and frozen chili — for those of us who can’t access the fresh stuff. While this is helpful, it’s never quite the same as eating it in the restaurant. But it’ll do in a pinch.

The only time the can is preferred over fresh is when making Skyline dip at home: a classic in the Cincinnati recipe arsenal -- and a dish that was, in fact, served at my wedding in the southern countryside of England (further proof that my husband fully approves of Skyline Chili). Jane brought those cans of chili across the pond for us all to enjoy. What a pal.

 To make Skyline dip (because I know you’re curious), start by spreading a layer of room-temp-softened cream cheese across the bottom of a pie dish/cake pan/whatever you’ve got, then cover it with a can of Skyline Chili, then sprinkle diced onions all over that (not necessary but suggested), then top it all with a generous layer of shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for a bit and enjoy. Ideally, use Fritos Scoops as your utensil to get the dip into your gob.

 Now that should cover it all. There is your proper introduction to Skyline Chili for those uninitiated into the cult. However, it seems *highly* likely that if you’ve read this far you are actually already part of the cult. In which case I say to you, “It’s Skyline time!”