Thankfully for these hungry diners, it was not crowded. The service was a little leisurely - still showing the signs of trying to get the front and back of the house fully organized - but not out of line with expectations. Pretending you're european helps.

The chili was in line with expectations. Not spicy, not too sweet. A bit of the cocoa and cinnamon notes in the flavor. The meat was a bit coarser in grind than I'd expected.

I opted for the coney (after some urging from ex-natives), albeit without bread or cheese in keeping with my diet, and an order of the chili fries, sans cheese. AZ went for the classic three-way.

AZ has pronounced her meal most satisfying, perhaps a bit overfilling (shockeroo!). My coney was served as expected, easily consumed with utensils. The chili fries were a bit of a disappointment - cooked more to the heat and texture of home fries, rather than the consistently satisfying crunch of a nicely cooked fry. Nothing that would stop me from polishing off the plate, of course.

In summation - Cinners is a welcome addition to our neighborhood, though poised to become too famous to be a truly neighborhood place. A small price to pay, as long as I can get a table.

For those jealous, AZ points out that people who move to Boston can always 'eat baked beans.'

Technorati Tags: chicago, chili, cinners, food

Hot on the heels of Mike's recent interest in Cincinnati Style Chili comes the news relayed to me that Cinners, a 'nati style chili has opened just 3 blocks from our home in Lincoln Square.

Open Late. Look for AZ and us there soon.

Technorati Tags: chicago, dining, food, greaterrockwellorganization, lincolnSquare