I was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Chicago. I may have only lived in southern Ohio until the age of three, but I have some strong ties to the town. Every visit we would hang with the older cousins, walk around Hyde Park, eat the world’s best dessert, and go nutty over my favorite fast-food joint.
Recently my family and I paid a visit to my brother, Robbie, a junior at Miami in Oxford, Ohio. It’s not Cincinnati, but it’s close enough for me to feel nostalgic. The weekend itinerary included: dinner with the family, tailgating, and a rigorous bike ride. Robbie is just a bit of an outdoorsman, so when he asked if we were up for the afternoon jaunt, we were not surprised and willingly took him up on the offer. I have owned mountain bikes since the age of 10, so I have mountain biked, right? I guess the (suburban) Prairie Path does not constitute as mountain biking… I soon realized. We hit the Oxford trails, which were narrow and completely un-groomed with stumps and roots everywhere. I was tossed around and eventually fell off of my bike. It was certainly a gnarly ride, but it made me earn my excess eats.
I am pretty serious about my Cincinnati food stops. Here’s a quick education for those who are new to the scene: Graeter’s ice cream, is hands down the most delicious cold cream out there. It’s a true ice cream, but has a consistency that rivals gelato. Any of the chipped creams are pretty unreal, because they take a brick of gourmet semi-sweet chocolate and just hack at it** (or so I thought, read the comments)—so you get big chocolate chunks sometimes, and little nibbles others. This ice cream is an irrefutable crowd pleaser. Skyline Chili on the other hand, takes a little getting used to. I grew up on the chili, so it is a comfort dish for me. Cincinnati chili is served a couple of different ways: on a small hot dog, or over a bed of noodles. All are topped with stringy, bright, shredded cheddar cheese. Of course you can add onions, beans, hot sauce, etc., but those are the basics. The chili is thin, savory, and almost sweet.
It is always the Four-Way at Skyline (noodles, chili, cheese, and onions), and a mint chocolate chip soda at Graeter’s. You should know that my family is very paticular about mint sodas. My dad used to tell me to watch the Graeter’s employees as they made my soda. It was quality control more or less to make sure that the staff was doing their job right. Instead of responding with “no way, that’s crazy,” I took the strict orders. I soon found out, that my watchful eye was very necessary for the perfect soda. I can only imagine that my family was marked every time we walked in the neighborhood shop. I am sure that the employee who was the lowest on the totem pole got stuck with us. It is our practice to ensure that there is one scoop of mint chocolate chip, one scoop of chocolate chip and that both chocolate and mint syrups are used. When made properly, the mint soda is fizzy, creamy, minty, and chocolaty; you become smashed on sugar and just happy to be.
Somewhere on that bike ride as I was feeling scared and tough, I realized that there is something so great about connecting with my roots. Even if my roots mean chili that most people would turn their nose up to and ice cream. And it turns out a simple thing like chili or a scoop of cream is all I need to take me away—or bring me back (simple, if it’s made just right).
What food is your ultimate?
Another ultimate (for fall weather): Chicken Noodle Soup
2 bone-in organic chicken breasts
2 yellow onions – small dice
3 celery stalks – small dice
3 carrots – small dice
1 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil (1 TBS reserved)
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
6 oz bag of baby spinach
12 cups chicken stock
s and p
Heat oven to 375 F. Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry (with a paper towel). Place chicken a sheet tray; season with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper. Cook for 40 minutes or until cooked through and tender. Meanwhile, heat a large stockpot over medium to high heat. Melt the butter and olive oil, add the onions and cook for 4 minutes. Add the carrots and celery; cook for another 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, season with s and p (not too much since the chicken stock will add salt) and the other TBS of olive oil. Add the spinach to the stockpot and use a pair of tongs to toss the mixture. Repeat until the spinach is firm but wilted. Add the chicken stock. Cook over medium for a half an hour or more (adding more stock if needed).
Use a two forks to shred the chicken. Add to the soup. Serve with al dente noodles.