CINCINNATI -- Last National Chili Day, a group of foolhardy -- er -- intrepid WCPO staffers set out to eat at nine local chili parlors in one day, a mission we dubbed the Cincinnati Chili Trail.
The route, based on WCPO contributor Julie Niesen's Top 9 Chili Parlors, started at Empress Chili in Alexandria, Kentucky and ended at Blue Ash Chili. (ICYMI, here's a recap.)
That mission marked the day I lost my Cincinnati chili virginity: I had never eaten the stuff before. (WCPO cartoonist Kevin Necessary even captured my first bite for posterity.)
Anyway, we all went, ate and lived to recount the tale. To quote Kevin: "We touched greatness that day. We also had a lot of indigestion and took a few years off our lives, but it was worth it."
Although we're taking a break this year from attempting Chili Trail II, we wanted to re-share the map of our route, in case you wanted to try it yourself! (And if the thousands of you who've looked at the map are any indication, some of you brave souls have.)
Happy National Chili Day!
