| Mascot
Muddonna entertains fans in between innings at Fifth
Third Field during a Toledo Mud Hens minor league
baseball game. |
 |
CHICAGO
— Ohio had puzzled me. On the map I saw a sprawling
state, presumably rich with history. It has the
seventh-highest population and big cities — but it had
never been suggested to me as a vacation possibility. As a
city guy, I was intrigued.
I
decided to road trip with some friends, cramming as much
Ohio as possible into three days. Mostly, that came in the
way of food.
We
left Chicago on a Thursday afternoon, taking Interstate
Highways 65 and then 74 through Indiana, arriving in
Cincinnati, at the bottom of the state, after 2 a.m.
"You
guys are from Chicago?" a native greeted us.
"Why would you come to Cincinnati?" He and his
friends provided — and later joined us for — the
answer: Skyline Chili (several locations, skylinechili.com),
the famous and unglamorous chain.
The
5-Way ($5.89) — chili, onions and beans on a mountain of
spaghetti topped with a mop of shredded cheddar —
initially seemed watery and bland. But the sweet cinnamon
taste grew on me. If that wasn’t enough, we had a new
friend, who triumphantly showed off his biceps tattooed
with Reds and Bengals logos. Ohio pride is strong.
Cincinnati,
with art deco and Italianate architecture, was more than
just inked chili enthusiasts. We figured breakfast the
next morning held more gluttonous potential. So we
followed up on a local’s assurance that the best meal
would be found at Camp Washington Chili (3005 Colerain
Ave., 513-541-0061, campwashingtonchili.com), whose tiled
floors and plastic chairs made clear it holds dear to the
simple motif of its 1940 founding. We hit the road, our
stomachs stuffed with another 5-Way helping even though we
took a pass on heaping sides of cheese favored by
Cincinnatians at the next table.
Yes,
we had eaten the exact same meal in less than 12 hours.
We
drove north on Interstate Highway 75 to Dayton, which
provided a brief stop for some flying history in the form
of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force (1100 Spaatz
St., 937-255-3286,
).
Inside, a volunteer said it takes three days to see all
the planes and exhibits. We fit in two hours.
Columbus,
where we arrived midafternoon, is a vibrant college town
where trendy bars and restaurants line the streets. We
spent the most time there, a whopping 18 hours.
The
Short North Tavern (674 N. High St., 614-221-2432), a
neighborhood favorite, tantalized us with spicy hot wings
and tangy pulled pork served on checkered tablecloths. We
chased that with craft brews nearby at Bodega (1044 N.
High St., 614-299-9399, columbusbodega.com), sampling from
an eclectic collection and mingling with an artsy crowd
with a respectable football knowledge.
The
next morning we returned to I-75, but our visit to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame (2121 George Halas Drive Northwest,
Canton; 330-456-8207; profootballhof.com) was delayed
after we missed an exit on Interstate Highway 71 and
stumbled upon Grandpa’s Cheesebarn (668 U.S. Highway
250, 800-745-7091, grandpascheesebarn.com).
Grandpa’s,
which opened in 1978 as a small cheese house, is not a
tourist trap selling candles and trinkets. Upstairs are
150 cheeses, 50 smoked meats and scores of jams and
sauces, many affordably priced at less than $5 and
available to sample. We tried most items, which allowed us
to skip a sit-down lunch and return to the road. Grandpa,
83, soft-spoken and white-haired, is Dick Baum, who works
the register. How much cheese does he sell in a week?
"I never counted that." A grin grew across his
face. "Probably a ton."
The
night was spent in sleepy Kent along the Cuyahoga River. I
loved Ray’s Place (135 Franklin Ave., 330-673-2233,
raysplacekent.com), a storefront neighborhood bar since
1937 with worn, wooden booths and local beer and a slew of
homemade offerings, such as a juicy burger stuffed with
mushrooms ($7.50) and meatloaf ($7.95) that offered our
palates a break from chili.
We
were short on reasons to visit Akron (the Rubber City
peaked long ago), but our trip coincided with the National
Hamburger Festival (hamburgerfestival.com). Mark your
calendar for next August. Deep-fried cheeseburgers and
chocolate-covered buckeyes (items for under $6) sounded
like good reasons to pull off the highway for a few hours.
They tasted great too.
The
festival’s Burger Queen was a student who looked the
part with a sash and standing under a pink umbrella. I
asked if this was the high point of Akron. "This is
my highlight of the year of Akron," she said
matter-of-factly.
Returning
to Interstate Highway 77, we passed on through Cleveland,
where the emerging food scene was way too much for us to
crack on this trip. Besides, we were on a mission to see
baseball, and the Toledo Mud Hens were the only Ohio team
— minor or major league — playing on that Sunday
(Fifth Third Field, 406 Washington St., Toledo).
Warmed
by hot dogs and 16-ounce souvenir cups, we cheered from
the 10th row.
Dinner
was across the street at Tony Packo’s (7 S. Superior
St., 419-246-1111, tonypacko.com), a local chain
memorialized in the 1970s, when it was mentioned on the
"M.A.S.H." TV series.
That
fact came from the menu, as did a 14-inch hot dog called
the MOAD (Mother of All Dogs) ($9.99). My friend figured
it the perfect meal before a six-hour drive home.
We
returned to Chicago on Interstate Highway 80 late Sunday
after visiting seven cities in three days, spanning 19
hours in the car and 1,110 miles. And who knows how much
chili was eaten?
As
for Ohio, I learned it’s a state rich with Midwestern
flavor. And it tastes delicious.
———
