Chili Hut

A Clear-Hut Smash

My apologies in extended drought between posts. I actually visited Chili Hut a week or so ago, but have been a little busy so have not made it a priority to post my review. Anyway, due to the nature of this restaurant (being a food truck) there is significantly less to review (no parlor to speak of), etc. so I will call this a “mini-review” instead of classifying it as a full post.

I digress – let me start off by saying that I am elated to know that there is a food truck in Cincinnati that offers her native fare. Having been born and raised in the city, I was fairly surprised to note (with the recent trend of food trucks) that Cincinnati style chili really did not have many wheeled options – that is until I discovered Chili Hut. Chili Hut scoots around the city, often landing in Fountain Square, delivering chili goodness in unique places to enthusiasts like myself. Once I started this blog and discovered Chili Hut, i knew the time would come when I would get the opportunity to try out Cincinnati chili in food truck format. Finally, my hopes were realized when the truck’s schedule placed it within one mile of my work.

The day I went, I was anxious all morning waiting for my opportunity to test Chili Hut, so I bolted from work at 11:00AM and zipped across the street to where Chili Hut had just rolled up. The truck is a bit old and beat up, and the logo and graphics are a bit plain, but it comes together nicely and has a very classic food truck feel. Here is where I unfortunately need to doc some points. As any connoisseur of Cincinnati chili know, it just isn’t the same when it’s not consumed in the restaurant. Well, if the business doesn’t have a restaurant, then what? Look, its a unique offering of chili from a truck, and it is amazing that it exists, it just is not quite the same, and the overall food suffers just a bit as a result. Anyway, I was greeted very pleasantly by the employees of the truck, and was excited to get down to business and order some chili.

The Food

Upon ordering my meal from Chili Hut’s walk up window, I was asked a surprising question – would you like jalapeños with that? Obviously, my answer was yes, so I ordered a chili cheese sandwich with jalapeños and a 3-way, and stepped off to the side to wait for my meal. I was glad to not that they still provided crackers for free, even though they are a food truck – major props! Unfortunately, however, prices are a bit high. Most chili restaurants in the city stick to a fairly similar and standard price scheme. Being a food truck, Chili Hut falls more in line with standard food truck prices, and I ended up paying a tad bit more than I would have for the same food at a chili parlor.

I have to also mention that due to where Chili Hut was set up in relation to my office, I had to take my food to go; I drove with it for about 3 minutes in the seat of my car before I walked it up to my office and finally ate it. As a result, the cheese was a bit too melty for my preference and the ingredients had sloshed around a bit – I cannot fault them for this as I should have just ate it when they handed it over to me.

I will start with the 3-way. The pasta was thick, reminiscent of Empress’ from a couple of reviews ago, and the chili had slightly meaty consistency – far from runny. The flavor of the chili was nothing to write home about; don’t get me wrong, it was good, tasty Cincinnati style chili, it just did not knock my socks off in any direction. Finally, the cheese did not taste particularly fresh, and was just kind of…there (although this could partially be due to the melting from the car ride).

While I enjoyed my 3-way a lot, my sandwich was slightly below average. The chili distribution to cheese was about right, however there was a bit of overkill in the amount of mustard used – some bites tasted more like mustard than chili. The biggest issue with the sandwich, however, is the bun. It was a bit rough (literally), and the corners of it were not soft, rather they were bordering on stale. All in all, though, the food itself was satisfying and hearty, and I would not mind having it again!

Review

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with Chili Hut’s offering. While not a “chili parlor” in the true sense of the word, they certainly serve a faithful and delicious recipe of Cincinnati chili. I will absolutely be going back if I am ever in the area that Chili Hut deigns to drive to, and I am glad to know Cincinnati style chili is mobile and out in the world. Based on the taste of the chili and the food truck experience alone, my final rating is below.

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Final Rating: 3 oyster crackers out of 5

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