Thursday, December 8, 2011

Camp Washington Chili

Camp Washington Chili is a local chili parlor located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was recently featured on the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food Nation." Camp Washington Chili opened its doors in 1940, and current owner John Johnson has worked at this place since 1951, making countless batches of their secret Cincinnati-style chili for hungry customers.








Hey, it could get messy, right?
For those not in the know, chili spaghetti is the signature item here. You can get your chili spaghetti as a "3-way" (spaghetti, chili, and cheese), "4-way" (spaghetti, chili, cheese, and choice of onions or beans) or "5-way" (all five components). Being in Cincy, I had to try the "5-way" chili spaghetti. I opted for a small order (using 1/2 pint of chili; $3.30). My chili spaghetti also came with a package of oyster crackers.


Chili menu!
They made it a takeout order automatically for me...
...so I assembled it myself!
I liked the nice, pleasurable hit from the chili itself. Although Cincinnati-style chili is traditionally saucier in nature than most chilis, this one was just a tad too runny for me. The noodles were OK, but on the overcooked side (I prefer my noodles more al dente). The beans were cooked well, while the raw onions and cheese delivered on added flavor and texture. Incorporating the cheese into the chili produced a great visual here...nothing like melted cheese!

The diner-like feel was neat, while the service was not much to write home about. Overall, I'd say it was around an average experience. 6/10

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