Thursday, August 10, 2006

Ben's Chili Bowl


One part of DC that has stayed the same is Ben's Chili Bowl. Opened in 1958, the restaurant has survived the decline of DC's 'black Broadway', the 1968 riots, the long lean years for U street, the five-year Metro project that almost killed the neighborhood, and now gentrification. The place is still there, and actually when Claire and I ate there yesterday, I found that the same people were working there. It's one of my favorite spots in the city, and I've always found it funny that DC residents never ask if I've taken Claire to see the White House or the Smithsonian, but they always want to know if she's been to Ben's Chili Bowl yet! Well, now she has. Admittedly, the building's a bit bigger now, and the alley next to it has been renamed 'Ben Ali Way' after the legendary owner of the buisiness. One interesting thing- Mr. Ali is a Muslim, so supposedly he has never tried his famous chili-dogs. But, I have and trust me, they're worth the trip!

2 comments:

SecondComingOfBast said...

It depends on what the dogs are made of. If they are that good I'd say there's a good chance they're made of pure beef, which would be "halal" for a Muslim, while pork would not be.

Also, most Muslims would probably not even sell something made of pork, they wouldn't want to have contact with it.

Rufus said...

Well, whatever it is, they sure taste good. Claire said the cheese fries are good too, but I usually get the chili dog.