There's one very good reason to visit this dark, smoky dive bar -- the drink prices. Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, Ms. Mae's serves seriously strong cocktails for a buck. A double? Two dollars. On sunny days, I recommend bringing a whiskey on the rocks outside and sitting on the green bus bench.

2. Merlin's Place
A thigh-pumping bike ride -- and critic Brett Anderson's suggestion -- led me to Merlin's Place, announced by a 3-D black bovine. Cow is a must-eat at Merlin's, namely the house-cooked roast beef: It's sliced thin and layered on a toasted length of bread, then dressed with shredded lettuce, pickles, tomatoes. It's juicy, crunchy genius. The beefy, well-spiced tamales are tops, too.

Find the rest of the top ten list after the jump.

"We lovingly call it pizza on a cracker. Outside St Louis, everyone hates it and think it's the most abominable thing," laughs food historian Suzanne Corbett, who favors the version from Imo's. Its other hallmark is the gooey cheese, known as provel, which smothers the entire plate. Made from a combination of cheddar, Swiss and provolone, it was specially invented as a topping for local pizza by a local dairy (though the trademark's now owned by Kraft).

Rich and Charlie's Salad
Provel's a crucial ingredient in this salad, too. "It's a mainstay of all the St Louis Italian restaurants, and is known as Rich and Charlie's even if you're not sitting in that restaurant," Corbett explains. To make it at home, she says, combine iceberg, romaine, artichoke hearts, thin red onions and some provel, dress it in red wine vinaigrette and let it sit to wilt slightly.

From dueling ice cream champs to the bizarre allure of mock turtle soup, there's more to Cincinnati's foodie scene than just five-way chili and fried goetta. Check out these lesser-known Cincinnati classics.

Grippo's Potato Chips
The local potato chip marque is almost 100-years old and known for its BBQ flavor. "They sell the spice they put on the barbecue flavor separately, so you can use it in cooking. Just go to the factory store on the west side of town - they have triple X hot versions," raves Julie Niesen of winemedinemecincinnati.com.

Graeter's Ice Cream
Made using a French pot process in which a small batch is produced in a chilled, spinning pot, the chocolate chip is notorious for the meaty chunks of dark chocolate that stud each scoop.