when i was in college at michigan state, we used to go to canada all the time because the legal drinking age there is 19 and it was only about an hour and a half away. back then border crossing was easy (you didn't even need a passport) and as long as you could find a car and some sucker willing to volunteer for DD duty, you were good.
eat here nowwe usually went to windsor since it was right across the border but occasionally we would go for a weekend in toronto. when we did, we would always stop at some random little diner to eat poutine. in case you have never had this culinary masterpiece, i will describe it for you. poutine is originally from quebec i think which means it is easier to find the closer you get to quebec (hence why we could get it in toronto but not in windsor). it is just french fries covered in cheese curds and beef gravy. it is damn tasty.
DAMN TASTY! I only had it once when I was in Ottawa back in 2002, but it instantly shot up to my top ten favorite bar foods.
this photo makes me feel super artistici remember reading in a polly campbell blurb at some point that poutine could be found in some little town in northern kentucky. however, poutine is for me really just middle of the night post drinking food so i am not going to haul my ass all the way down there to eat it.
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 that time i became friends with maggie and ryan who are obsessed with pleasant ridge chili.
i can't really remember what was going on hereOur obsession started back in November after a family friend who grew up in Pleasant Ridge told us about his favorite place for Cincinnati chili. I am addicted to coneys so I had to check it out with Ryan. It was love at first bite. In the past 6 months we've been so many times that we lost count. It is the place we go the most in Cincinnati (it helps that it isn't too expensive).
for months maggie and i talked about going there but it never happened. but then last weekend after a long night of westside bar crawling, the time was right and we made our way to pleasant ridge.
the spreadthe first thing you notice about pleasant ridge chili is that it seems as if you have stepped back in time. the restaurant and its employees are straight out of the 60s. then you look around and realize this is maybe one of the most diverse (in every way possible) crowd you have ever seen in cincinnati. then you look at the food people are eating and you think you have died and gone to gravy cheese heaven.
pleasant ridge chili is open mon-sat from 9 am to 4:30 am. yes, 4:30 am. readers, add this place to the short list of late night dining options in cincinnati. we rolled in at around 2:30 and the place was busy. however, the service is fast and friendly even at that hour.
ryan and maggie chow downnow the moment of truth... the food. maggie and i both ordered gravy cheese fries and a cheese coney. ryan was feeling less gluttonous and stuck to a small three way and a coney. the coneys were fine but nothing special.
the cheese fries were amazing. we both got crinkle fries (you could also get thick home fries) and they were completely covered in shredded cheddar cheese and absolutely dripping with gravy. the gravy was good but a little salty. it tasted like kfc gravy which i love so i liked it.
i stuff my faceI think the coneys are special. So special that when I 'forget' my lunch at my job in Norwood, I drive up Montgomery Road, stop at an ATM, order two, drive back and eat them at my desk. I haven't tried Camp Washington or Dixie, but I definitely think these are better than Skyline. The chili has just a hint of cinnamon and the other spices blend together for an overall Delicious taste. I bet that a competitor on Top Chef would have a hard time picking out the subtleties. I love how the waitresses always ask me if I want mustard and onions added to my coney. Also to note about the cheese (used on the gravy cheese fries) is that it is the trademark Cincinnati shredded cheese. I love that stuff and can eat buckets of it. It gets even better when you douse it with gravy.
i could not finish my fries because my belly started to hurt. at that point i just picked off clumps of gravy soaked cheese and crammed them into my mouth. my belly kept hurting so eventually i had to stop.
me attempting to be artistic againwe went home and when i woke up the next morning, i felt great. no hangover. gravy cheese fries are not only delicious but they work miracles. they are not quite as awesome as poutine, but they are damn good and i'll take what i can get.
I think I saw the image of Jesus in my fries. Next time, I'll check for the Virgin Mary.
8 comments:
a friend of mine is obsessed with PRC. we tried to go there after her bachelorette party. they didn't have seating for 12 of us at 3am, so we had to leave. she was really disappointed we ended up at steak and shake, but i was not. i will admit that i've never tried it, but even after a night of drinking, french fries soaked in gravy and topped with cheese does not appeal to me at all. I definitely think i'll need some encouragement to try this (and your description of the gravy as kfc gravy did help).
i love my PRC!!!!!!!
always get the coneys!!!!!
PRC is far and away the best late night restaurant in Cincinnati. Where else can you get a combo of Gravy Cheese Fries and French Toast at 2am? AND they serve chili and double decker sandwiches and dessert and goetta and oh my god I can't believe it took you this long to get there.
Stephanie, the gravy cheese fries are unbelievable. Sure, they might not sound appetizing, but once you dive in you'll question why you ever thought they were unappealing.
Fast and friendly service? Wait until you go back. I'll give you friendly 80% of the time. I'll give you fast 30% of the time. Trust me you caught them on a good night. I have waited over 30 minutes for food before, but it is always worth the wait (and I expect to wait so when service is fast I'm super excited).
Bard's Burger is the poutine place in NKy
stephanie: you must try them. i swear.
sam: ok maybe it wasn't that fast now that i think about it. i was drunk and busy taking pictures so i don't really remember.
tj: thanks, i still have to check that place out.
I'll have to check this out. Just got back from Toronto and Smoke's Poutinerie is awesome. It made me wonder why something similar hasn't become popular, especially with the late night crowd.
What are your feelings on Goldstar Chili?
i tried gold star once just a few months after moving to cincinnati. i thought it tasted the same as skyline and i liked it. but then i told people i thought it tasted the same and they freaked out. i should probably try it again.
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