pleasant ridge chili

well then one day it was revealed to me by some charitable soul (i can't remember who) that pleasant ridgechiliserved "gravy cheese fries." once i found that out, i had to go there. coincidentally, right around that time i became friends with maggie and

as part of my decades-long research project onchilispaghetti i have recently tried a few 3-ways at blue ashchiliand pleasant ridge chili. neither tastes like skyline, which i've heard is because skyline uses cinnamon and the others don't. i cannot con

there are two primary things that set this venerable, single-location, independentchiliparlor apart from most others - the gravy cheese fries, and the fact that they appeared on food paradise on the travel channel.  i'd argue that the former led to the latter, so really, its the gravy cheese fries.

this may be blasphemy to any cincinnatichilifan - but i really don't get the appeal of this item.  yes, i understand that it could be considered cincinnati's own version of poutine, being that it has fries, cheese (albeit shreds, not curds) and gravy.  i get it.  i just don't think it tastes all that good.  you have fresh from the freezer bag fries covered with very bland gravy and cheese that is itself very nearly as bland as the gravy.  i think this dish could be a lot better, with improvements on each of the three components.  all that said - lots of people love this dish and swear by it, so i do consider myself in the minority here.

their version of cincinnati stylechiliis pretty good, and works well on the coneys, which are topped with an excessive amount of cheese even by cincinnatichiliparlor standards.  i think 4 ounces of cheese were on each coney the last time i ordered them there.

i like that they have been at this location forever and a day, with a very rundown look to the place, and that they serve very close to a typical diner's menu in addition to all the items you find in any localchiliparlor.

plenty of parking, and service is casual and efficient

all in all, pleasant ridgechiliis the only place we’ve tried so far i feel confident saying we’ll eat at again in the next year. now, truth be told, part of the reason is pleasant ridgechiliis only five minutes away versus the otherchilihouses which take a little more effort to visit. i probably wouldn’t drive past a few skylines just to get to the other places we’ve tried so far. pleasant ridge chili, on the right day, could actually lure us away from skyline for a meal.

another late night cincinnatichiliparlor. if you're up my way, it's either early or late and you have a specific...craving. look no further than pleasant ridge chili. open until the wee hours of 4 am this diner will accommodate your every need. a delicious house salad awaits with a copious amount of onion and hard boiled egg. hits the spot when you're not able to hoover down a 4 way. or maybe you'd like a nice steak hoagy with a grilled bun. yum! ok this is serious business. if you have that craving for something messy, warm, gooey, and fried look no further than the gravy cheese fries. crinkle cut fries smothered in cheese and brown gravy. these will hit the spot and stick to your ribs. and last but not least the obligatory 4-way with onion. pleasant ridgechilihas a recipe that is less meaty than others and a little light on the spices. think of it more as a sauce than a chili. it's still really, really good. a delicious trio of beauties. the cheese coneys are definitely worth the

does not deliver. finally went after hearing good things. i hated it. had a ham and beef double decker. very dry. the roast beef is nearly inedible. not enough mayo, overall, a terrible sandwich. had and omelet also and they used cold cuts instead of diced ham, a bad idea and shortcut. i should not need a knife for an omelet, but i did at prc. therechiliis also not good. i was told it was superior to blue ashchiliin all ways, but that was the lie of the century. blue ash double deckers are unbeatable, theirchilihas better flavor and the people there are much nicer. i went to prc expecting a great double decker, but do yourself a favor, go to blue ashchiliinstead. i never had a bad experience at blue ash, but pleasant ridge was a waste of my time and i would not recommend it to anyone. i know it is popular and people will go there, but in my opinion its pretty bad.

for me, this turned out to be a real contender for bestchilion the tour so far.

prc is one of the most iconicchiliparlors in town, howeverchiliisn't the main item they are known for, many go for their gravy cheese fries.

pleasant ridgechiliis one of those quintessential neighborhood dives that looks like it's trapped in the early 1960s and never bothered to escape. it's the kind of "cash only" throwback that doesn't need to advertise