Skyline Chili

During the brief time I lived in Cincinnati as a kid, I remember having Cincy chily. It was at a restaurant, but I don't recall the name. It was similar to what my mom (from North Jersey) made, so it didn't shock me. It was spaghetti and meat sauce with cheddar cheese instead of parmesan.

From there, we moved to Port Arthur, Texas, and my mouth experienced total culture shock -- mostly in a good way. Even my mom switched to making Texas chili (with Pinto beans).

CD
 
morning glory said:
Of course, I had to look up oyster crackers too. No oysters in them!
Click to expand...

Oyster crackers are popular with seafood chowders and bisques from the Northeast US. I don't think I have seen them used any other way. They have very little flavor on their own.

CD
 
I think if you look at the sales demographics for oyster crackers, they're sold in two areas mainly - New England and southwestern Ohio, for the chowder and the chili.

Even though I don't like Cincy chili, I'll post a recipe, just for those curious souls who want to see it deconstructed. America's Test Kitchen featured it, so I'll post that one.
 
Skyline Chili - the lifeline of substance for many a central / southern Ohio college student back in the day 🤣🤣. Definitely ate my fair share, especially the chili dogs.
 
As promised, pics of Skyline, which was our lunch destination.

That's our Honda sitting out there:
Outside Skyline

Outside Skyline


Here's the inside. In the background is the open kitchen, along with the lunch counter. Skyline prides themselves on being spic-and-span clean, with all the cooking visible to the customers (like Steak -N- Shake):
Inside Skyline

Inside Skyline


As always, greeted with oyster crackers before we even settled in:
Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)

Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)


...and you've got to eat them like a local, with a single drop of hot sauce:
Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati

Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati


Time to order!
Menu Front

Menu Front


Menu 1

Menu 1


Menu 2

Menu 2


Menu 3

Menu 3


Full coney for the wife, everything but the chili for me. These are very small dogs, most people order three as a main or one as a side:
Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries

Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries


Close-up of the dogs:
Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese

Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese


Full Coney With Half-Cheese

Full Coney With Half-Cheese


Dessert:
Red Velvet Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake


And the tally at the end:
The Bill

The Bill


Skyline also takes pride in their table service, so Justice got a very good tip. She brought refills without asking, and my wife mentioned she wanted the dessert "later," and she brought that without having to be reminded. Considering the usual quality of fast-food staff around here, that counted as exceptional.
 
TastyReuben said:
As promised, pics of Skyline, which was our lunch destination.

That's our Honda sitting out there:
Outside Skyline

Outside Skyline


Here's the inside. In the background is the open kitchen, along with the lunch counter. Skyline prides themselves on being spic-and-span clean, with all the cooking visible to the customers (like Steak -N- Shake):
Inside Skyline

Inside Skyline


As always, greeted with oyster crackers before we even settled in:
Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)

Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)


...and you've got to eat them like a local, with a single drop of hot sauce:
Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati

Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati


Time to order!
Menu Front

Menu Front


Menu 1

Menu 1


Menu 2

Menu 2


Menu 3

Menu 3


Full coney for the wife, everything but the chili for me. These are very small dogs, most people order three as a main or one as a side:
Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries

Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries


Close-up of the dogs:
Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese

Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese


Full Coney With Half-Cheese

Full Coney With Half-Cheese


Dessert:
Red Velvet Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake


And the tally at the end:
The Bill

The Bill


Skyline also takes pride in their table service, so Justice got a very good tip. She brought refills without asking, and my wife mentioned she wanted the dessert "later," and she brought that without having to be reminded. Considering the usual quality of fast-food staff around here, that counted as exceptional.
Click to expand...

Comments:
Very good value, price wise, I'd say. I like the fact the menu has calories for each dish. But where are the vegetables/salad (other than chips)?
 
TastyReuben said:
As promised, pics of Skyline, which was our lunch destination.

That's our Honda sitting out there:
Outside Skyline

Outside Skyline


Here's the inside. In the background is the open kitchen, along with the lunch counter. Skyline prides themselves on being spic-and-span clean, with all the cooking visible to the customers (like Steak -N- Shake):
Inside Skyline

Inside Skyline


As always, greeted with oyster crackers before we even settled in:
Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)

Oyster Cracker Appetizer :)


...and you've got to eat them like a local, with a single drop of hot sauce:
Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati

Oyster Cracker And Hot Sauce...Soooo Cincinnati


Time to order!
Menu Front

Menu Front


Menu 1

Menu 1


Menu 2

Menu 2


Menu 3

Menu 3


Full coney for the wife, everything but the chili for me. These are very small dogs, most people order three as a main or one as a side:
Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries

Coney With Half-Cheese, Weiner Bun, And Fries


Close-up of the dogs:
Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese

Weiner Bun + Mustard, Onion, And Cheese


Full Coney With Half-Cheese

Full Coney With Half-Cheese


Dessert:
Red Velvet Cheesecake

Red Velvet Cheesecake


And the tally at the end:
The Bill

The Bill


Skyline also takes pride in their table service, so Justice got a very good tip. She brought refills without asking, and my wife mentioned she wanted the dessert "later," and she brought that without having to be reminded. Considering the usual quality of fast-food staff around here, that counted as exceptional.
Click to expand...

Brilliant pics and description, thank you so much, I had no idea what the chilli was. I would be all over it now I see what it is. And cheap as chips, unbelievable, I would have guessed $30?

Russ
 
morning glory said:
Comments:
Very good value, price wise, I'd say. I like the fact the menu has calories for each dish. But where are the vegetables/salad (other than chips)?
Click to expand...
There's salad on the first page of the menu (Greek salad), but this is a fast-food joint, so nothing else much in the way of veggies.
 
Oh, and I wanted to add that we had sour cream for the fries. There's no mayo in the place. :)

Really, the price isn't out of line with any other fast food place around here, except for Arby's, which I think was recently named the most expensive fast-food restaurant.

Had I eaten there by myself, it would have been $4.50, because I would have skipped the dessert and had water to drink (free).

I can eat at Taco Bell for half that. :)
 
Mountain Cat said:
I think I ate a couple oyster crackers once. That was enough. I'm picky about crackers. And I never want them in soup - they always appear to the side of clam chowder.

I've not ever seen or heard of skyline chili until now. I'll try a taste should I get back to Cincinnati/Ohio. Got to be better than the Red Lobster shrimp I ate once years ago travelling through the state (before the Internet provided a breakdown of places to eat), which left my belly jumping up and down in a most unpleasant fashion (and I'd ordered the steamed, not the fried, shrimp).
Click to expand...

Red Lobster and good seafood should never be mentioned together in the same sentence! :mad:
 
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