pleasant ridge chili

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

there are two primary things that set this venerable, single-location, independent chili parlor 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 cincinnati chili fan - 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 style chili is pretty good, and works well on the coneys, which are topped with an excessive amount of cheese even by cincinnati chili parlor standards.  i think 4 ounces of cheese were on each coney the lasttimei 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 local chili parlor.

plenty of parking, and service is casual and efficient

i love prc!! the gravy cheese fries are yummy, as well as pretty much everything else on the menu. the only complaint i have is that there is a certain waitress there who has an attitude issue and seems like she hates her job. she is a longtimeemployee who may need to find another job instead of complaining all the time.

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. there chili is also not good. i was told it was superior to blue ash chili in all ways, but that was the lie of the century. blue ash double deckers are unbeatable, their chili has 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 ash chili instead. i never had a bad experience at blue ash, but pleasant ridge was a waste of mytimeand i would not recommend it to anyone. i know it is popular and people will go there, but in my opinion its pretty bad.

don't eat here sober!. they say you can't go back.
this used to be a regular stop for me after partying all night in oakley, pleasant ridge, or norwood. it was cheap and delicious. the crowd was fun and rowdy.
i recently stopped in for the firsttimein over 15 years. my wife and i ordered chili. it was luke-warm at best and too salty for my taste. the crackers were sealed in plastic bags, but somehow still incredibly stale. the cheese was lumpy.
i guess my memories of prc are clouded bytimeand too many beers.

oh baby, sweet gravy!. i have lived in pleasant ridge my whole life. people would always say go to prc and try the gravy cheese fries! it never sounded appetizing and always looked gross in the pictures. also my dad had a bad experience with the owner there once so we never went as a family. sophmore year a friend and i decided to try it walking home from the bus one day. it was amazing! we started going every friday and some mondays after school, just for the fries. its been over 3 years now, we stopped going so often but i look forward to going everytime. the feeling everytimei walk in, is like we are going back to the 60's. the waitress is always sweet and the food is always fast cheap and tasty.


**the chili, burgers, sandwiches and breakfasts are pretty damn good too.