I have a story about Cincinnati chili.
I made this chili at my restaurant long long ago. We served it over spaghetti, with onions and something else, probably cheddar cheese now that I think about it. The chili tasted strangely familiar to me, had a comforting taste that I couldn't quite place. I loved the stuff, and it sold pretty well.
Sometime later I took a trip back to my hometown (where I now live after being gone nearly 50 years) and probably went straight to the Texas Hot for one of their famous hotdogs, definitely one of my comfort foods. These hotdogs have a meaty sauce on them that boasts a "secret ingredient." They are then topped with generous amounts of raw diced onions.
I put two and two together that day. Texas Hots are slathered with Cincinnati Chili! I have no idea how the Greeks in my town found this sauce and brought it back to this hillbilly town, but those hot dogs are famous for miles around.
That story is a great example of the power of comfort food. I worked at a coney restaurant in high school, Boardwalk Coney Island, ran by a Greek man. Their food sounds very similar to the dogs that you describe. I gained SO much weight when I worked there. Pete (Smerles) would let us eat as much food as we wanted during our shift. My mouth's watering just thinking about how good it was.
You lived in Brooklyn? Our restaurant is still in operation, 103 years now, but the food is awful. It used to be soooo good.
No, this restaurant was in Columbus, Ohio. I have no idea why Pete named it "Boardwalk Coney Island". It closed sometime in the early 1990's. It's so sad when those iconic places lose their luster.