Brussels sprouts, bad starts and lessons learned - Bengals' journey to AFC title game one to savor

CINCINNATI — In the private room of a restaurant in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Hyde Park, Bengals coach Zac Taylor went with his gut.

And that meant trusting the gut of the chef at E+O Kitchen. It was a fall night in 2021, and as Taylor's party settled in, he knew one of the items to expect as part of the chef's choice.

It was a salad featuring Brussels sprouts and kale, and it's been a staple for Taylor in the city ever since he arrived as Tommy Tuberville's offensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati in 2016.

It's a salad that offered Taylor something to look forward to during the down times, including the Bengals' franchise-worst 2-14 2019 season, which was Taylor's first as an NFL head coach. It's been something for Taylor to savor along with the team's improvement. And if Cincinnati can beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game (3 p.m. ET, CBS) and make its first Super Bowl in three decades, it's a dish that likely will be part of the celebration.

A victory salad might not compare to the cigars Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has become known to celebrate with, but if there's a metaphor for how the Bengals have transformed from a bottom dweller to a Super Bowl contender in three seasons, it might have something to do with how they learned to eat their vegetables and do the things necessary to build a winner.

It's called the E+O Famous Crispy Brussels Sprouts & Kale Salad. Chef Rodelio Aglibot first created the dish at the original E+O — which stands for «Earth and Ocean» — location in Chicago that was bought and re-created in Cincinnati in 2015.

• Full bracket, schedule and format » • Previews: Bengals-Chiefs, 49ers-Rams » • How each team wins this weekend » • See more playoff