So I registered just to reply to this thread . . .

Anyway, someone earlier mentioned that they were told to try to stay close to the actual city when having Skyline – the reason for this is that the locations outside the city are franchises. My personal favorite location is the one on Ludlow, close to the Univesity of Cincinnati campus. Part of this is from my time as a student at UC, but the other part is that it has personality.

I mean, it’s open till 3 or 4 in the morning (Skyline is great after a night of drinking.) It’s popular around campus, so if you go after the bars close on a weekend, they have a Cincinnati police officer working the door/acting as a host – you’ll often have lines waiting outside to get in. Once inside, it’s pleasantly crowded (and in the winter a bit humid/steamy), and this is where the real personality comes in. You have quite a few regulars, both students and locals, along with the great staff, many who have been working their for ages. (Squeaky, one of the waitresses, is the first that comes to mind.)

This location is one that hasn’t been modernized with the fancy, touch screen computers and displays over the prep area. The waitresses call out orders just like a classic diner, so you’ll hear them call out things like "4 cheese on 2" and "5-way inverted and dry." (Inverted is where you have it with the cheese under the chili under the noodles, and dry is where they’ll take the plate, put spaghetti on it, put the chili on, stick another plate on it upside down, and drain out the juices/grease/flavor . . .) It’s amazing how the prep people keep up with all the chaos of the orders being called out.

Anyway, I think Skyline is the best (Goldstar just doesn’t compare) . . . it’s arguably an acquired taste, but it’s also one of the things I miss most when I’m not in the area . . . I’ve had my parents buy me cans and mail them to me . . .