The Return
Long have you waited for this day; chili fans, rejoice, for your watch is at an end. In the wake of COVID-19 and abject laziness, I have been remiss in fulfilling my obligations of this blog. In all that time, however, my fervor for Cincinnati-style chili has not wavered.
With that said, it seems like I was waiting for something – some sort of signal to beckon me back into the (digital) pages of this blog. That urge was finally satiated this past Thursday. Northside Yacht Club, the nautical-themed exposition of the soul of Northside, Cincinnati, was host for this most recent chili endeavor. While not a chili parlor in the typical sense of the phrase, Northside Yacht Club is gracing this blog for another reason – its annual February special, the Cincinnati Chimichanga.
The deep fried chili cheese coney (seen above), known colloquially as the Cincinnati Chimichanga, is a masterpiece of comestible manipulation. Offered in three different variants (regular, vegetarian, vegan), a deep fried chili cheese coney is pretty much exactly what is sounds like: a fully loaded cheese coney, wrapped in a flour tortilla, stuffed with more cheese and chili between the two, then deep fried to golden-brown perfection. Served in a basket with a side of fries, this part-burrito, part-coney is all-awesome.
What seems more like the creation of the wizards at Taco Bell than the invention of a Northside chef flexing his Cincinnati-inspired culinary muscles, the Cincinnati Chimichanga is indeed delicious. It marries the crispy, fatty decadence of a fried dish with the rich and spicy meatiness of Cincy chili. It is a combination that I never realized I was missing until I had it, but now I wonder why no other restaurant with Cincinnati-style chili has created something in a similar vein. It is a pretty hefty dish, and one plus fries is certainly enough for a meal (compared to 2/3/4 coneys). I had mine with another Northside Yacht Club concoction, the “Baja Blasted” – essentially vodka, mountain dew, blue Powerade. Suffice to say, the Chimichanga was excellent, but I will leave the drink out of my review.
Alongside this dish, Northside Yacht Club offers brave souls a hearty challenge for the month of February. The challenge: 5 deep fried chili cheese coneys, 1 basket of fries, 69 minutes. If you succeed, your picture is placed on the NSYC wall of fame forever and the meal is free. If you fail, you are charged $69 and your picture is placed on the NSYC wall of shame forever. It is a high stakes gamble of gastrointestinal fortitude that sadly neither I nor my companions on the evening were willing to participate in (I will prepare for next year). Believe me when I tell you, this is a very difficult challenge. One of these is a meal by itself and, though delicious, would make the strongest stomach quiver when reaching for number five. Only one has attempted the challenge and succeeded, and his picture hangs proudly on the wall of the Yacht Club, mocking those of us who lack his resilience.
All in all, Northside Yacht Club is a fantastic dive with a superb example of Cincinnati-style chili, prepared in a unique way. I really enjoyed my experience and will be going back regularly for this dish and subsequently the great challenge next year; I highly recommend you do the same. I will leave you with the words of NSYC chef Austin Tepe, himself:
THERE’S NOTHING CERTAIN IN THESE TOUGH TIMES, BUT ONE THING WILL ALWAYS REMAIN CONSTANT: THE DEEP FRIED CHILI CHEESE CONEY WILL RETURN TO THE NORTHSIDE YACHT CLUB EVERY FEBRUARY.
Austin Tepe
The Great Cincinnati Chili Tour 