Melt Revival

Mini-Post

I have something a little different for you all today. No, it’s not a chili parlor review; it’s not even an examination of unique spin on Cincinnati-style chili – well, not really, anyway. Today, I want to discuss something I once considered abhorrent, perhaps even sacrilegious – vegetarian Cincinnati-style chili. Regarded in some circles as a bastardization of the form, vegetarian alternatives of cincy-style chili have become increasingly common, so it was time I try one. For my first foray into the world of vegetarian chili, I returned once more to Northside, this time eating at organic restaurant Melt Revival on a date with a very cute girl.

If you have ever wanted to understand the dichotomy that is Northside, Cincinnati, you need look no further than this blog post in comparison to my last. On one side you have Northside Yacht Club – the grungy, seedy dive bar serving beer, ‘well’ cocktails and greasy fried food – and on the other side you have Melt Revival – a vegan paradise serving eclectic, modern dishes with whimsical drink creations. An intriguing intermixing of cultural identities call Northside home, which definitely gives it a certain level of charm – but I digress. I was not planning to try vegetarian chili this day, however when I found myself at Melt and “Cincinnati style vegan black bean chili” was staring back at me on the menu, I knew what I had to do.

“But Alex,” you might say, “how can you have Cincinnati chili without meat?” I agree, on the surface, vegetarian Cincy chili is a perplexing oxymoron. How can you have a spiced meat sauce sans meat? These questions and more I pondered to myself as I anxiously awaited the arrival of my meal at a corner table in Melt’s dining room. When the food did finally arrive, steaming in my server’s hands, I was surprised. Surprised because the smell wafting over me from the bowl was that of Cincinnati-style chili. Intrigued by this revelation, I dug in.

Melt Revival’s iteration of Cincinnati-style chili is a vegan, tomato-based sauce with black beans. Served in various forms such as with mac and cheese, in a bowl, or over nachos, I chose to order the “Vegetarian 3-Way.” For this dish, a heaping portion of Melt’s chili is spooned over a bowl of spaghetti, then topped with freshly grated white cheddar cheese. As you can see from the picture, it is a hearty stew (you can’t even really see the spaghetti) that certainly differs from typical Cincinnati-style chili in appearance. It was slightly thicker, with the tomatoes and other vegetables used in the cooking process left more prevalent than in a typical version of Cincy chili.

Honestly, the food was very good. I do not typically peruse, much less eat, vegetarian options on menus, so having a meal as such that I truly enjoyed was a pleasant surprise. Let me first say, that what I was served should certainly be classified as chili. The flavor profile of the chili was shockingly reminiscent of Cincinnati-style chili even. You could taste the struggle that Melt Revival’s chefs must have suffered through in order to create a meatless dish that bears such a strong resemblance to its meaty counterpart. With that said it did decidedly fall short of the mark to really be considered Cincy-style chili. Without meat, there is a deep richness that is missing from the meal. Though the spices align well with the form, the vegetarian chili fails to replicate the full-flavored, fatty decadence that we all know and love. More often that not, as I continued eating my meal, I could not help but long for the addition of meat and the completion of the flavor that was oh so close.

This is supposed to be a mini post, so I will get to the point. Look, the meal was delicious. Cincinnati-style chili, however, it was not.