Skyline Chili

There is a restaurant in Clearwater called Skyline Chili. They originally started up in Cincinnati, Ohio and have a few chains around the country. Their chili is really more like a chili sauce which can be served over pasta, fries, hot dogs, etc. My husband LOVES their 3-way chili (more about this in a bit) and has taken me over there for a few lunches throughout our courtship. Yum...that's all I have to say about it. Immediatly upon tasting it, I noticed a hint of a cinnamony flavor...my hubs HATES cinnamon....or so he says. I read over their menu and the original owners (who of course made the recipe) are Greek.
We have had this chili on pasta and on fries....I have had it as a burrito filling...all so good! I found the following recipe on recipezaar.com and tried it at home. Almost exactley the same. It is still missing something, and I can't put my finger on it....but close enough that I would never miss the original recipe. I have made it twice over the past few weeks and we just love it! I hope you try it and enjo! Serving suggestions at the end of the recipe. (PS- some of the ingredients may sound strange, but believe me, combined they taste amazing!)

Skyline Chili knock off
(Printable Recipe)

1 cup onion finely chopped (no chunks in chili at the restaurant- I grated mine with a cheese grater- oh and feel free to use more, the hubby says he doesn't like onion, so I am starting small and putting more in each time)
2 pounds ground beef (I used 90% lean with no problems)
4 cups beef stock
16 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used white)
1/2 oz grated unsweetened chocolate (or substitute cocoa powder- look for conversion on this)
2-4 cloves of garlic smashed or finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste depending how spicy you want it)
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

1. Brown onion over medium high heat. Add broth and ground beef. Seperate ground beef so it is fine (no clumps). Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, assemble spices and other ingredients. (I usely put all the ingredients in 1 bowl and dump in at the same time). After simmering 10 minutes, put all other ingredients into the pot. Allow to simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
3. Skim off fat (if you have any, with 90% lean there isn't even enough to skim).
4. Serve over pasta, in a burrito, over nachos, over hot dogs, on a baked potato, on french fries, on a salad, etc.

Now at the restaurant, their most ordered dish is the pasta...they serve it different ways....3-way, 4-way, 5-way.
The 3-way is the spaghetti, chili, and a heaping amount of finely shredded cheddar cheese
The 4-way is the 3-way with either diced onions or red beans
The 5-way is the 3-way with both red beans and diced onions

I prefer mine with onions and NO beans. I also will sometimes ask for tomatoes. Oh one other thing, they always give you a bowl of oyster crackers with your meal. Yum...hope you like it!