Eating in Cincinnati like a local

Skyline Chili!  Graeters!

Yeah, we love those things too, but you can only drip Skyline chili on your Bengal's jersey so many time before you feel gross and boring.  You want a new place.  A place that's still delicious but isn't also available in the freezer section of the supermarket.  So you turn to....

Carl's Deli

Tucked away on a side street of Hyde Park not far from the square is this tiny food shop.  There are two parking spots out front and only a couple tables inside.   Definitely hole-in-th-wall: my favorite kind of place.  I get the #24: 

"The King George, Turkey On Rye with all the Veggies and Honey Mustard - 5.50"

And man is it delicious!  (Says the usually-vegeterian girl who actually isn't a fan of mustard.)  The rye bread has sea salt on the crust, which I believe is what makes the flavor POP...but I'm not exactly a chef so I could be wrong.  All I know is I love it.

You know it's a place the locals frequent when someone is there in scrubs
Photo is from Carl's Deli's webpage. 

The Echo

Another place frequented by those of us wearing scrubs -- Echo is THE place for doctors and nurse's to eat breakfast after a night shift.  Why?  Because they serve alcohol all day!  My coworkers are suckers for their fresh mimosas and sea breezes, but I am partial to their bloody mary (it automatically comes with a snack, how can you not like a bloody mary?).  Literally the only thing I have ordered that I did not like was the pumpkin pie pancakes (but I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin so maybe that was my fault.)

Emma Stone channeling me at Echo

I whole-heartedly recommend the breakfast burrito, breakfast sandwich, chicken salad, potato cakes (ask for Ranch dressing to dip them in, yummmmmmm), cheeseburger, any omelette, and especially the Red White and Blueberries. Only available in the summer, the Red White and Blueberries consists of a croissant dipped in french toast batter and fried, then served with fresh raspberries and blueberries, sprinkled with powdered sugar and has syrup and homemade whipped cream on the side!
Speaking of homemade whipped cream: order the hot cocoa.  It will come with a mug of whipped cream to drizzle the thick hot cocoa over and a large tumbler of this cocoa with which you can refill your mug at least twice.
Everything is customizable at no extra cost.  I can't believe I'm not five thousand pounds living less than fifteen minutes from this place.

Stan the Donut Man

I'm a nurse.  We love donuts more than anyone else does, except maybe police officers, and when someone brings in that non-descript white box of donuts they are GONE faster than you can say "hey there's donuts in the breakroom."  Seriously.  If you have a friend and they are not there when you are lucky enough to come across Stan the Donut Man's donuts, you have to take one for your friend and hide it somewhere so it might still be there when they come for it.  I am not exaggerating.
So let me tell you about Stan.  Stan is so old-school he doesn't even have a proper website, just a facebook.  So Stan may not know much about advertising, but man does he know donuts!!!!  He has this one donut that is an oreo donut.  I can't even really describe it, just picture an oreo as a donut and that is it. 
Oh no, now I am craving an oreo donut.  You guys are making me fat.

Aglamesis

The Aglamesis website showcases
some of their rich natural flavors

Ok, this one can be found in the freezer section at Kroger, but it's not the same as visiting the original 1913 ice cream parlor location in Oakley with its original marble counter tops and Tiffany lamps.  I sat at the counter, watched the soda jerk make me an ice cream soda in his time-period appropriate apparel and wondered if the elderly man hand packing ice cream cartons was a descendent of the original Aglamesis brothers.  It was so quaint (and also gross, I learned I do not like ice cream sodas, despite how my grandma raves about them).  

Skip the soda, do what I did the next time and get their "sincere" ice cream made with egg yolks, fresh cream, pure cane sugar and all sorts of fattening deliciousness.  Heaven is now available in an antique ice cream dish.  

There's also a confectionary so you can pick up some preservative-free chocolates while you are there.  The turtles always call to me from behind the glass.

Deweys

Dewey's has spread to a few other locations but started in Cincinnati so I'll claim them .  Plus they have the best pizza from any chain restaurant.  

If you can't decide between pizzas, you can get two halves for the same price as one whole.  Want a recommendation? My favorites are the Billy Goat and the Green Lantern.

This post is in honor the Taste of Cincinnati going on this upcoming Saturday-Monday.  Tickets are free, make sure you try it out!  If you want some tech help while you're eating great food, there's an app for that!