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| Photo: Alicia Griffin/flickr |
Ali founded the landmark eatery on U Street with his wife, Virginia, during the Eisenhower administration, and it's become a hangout for presidents -- President Obama visited on Jan. 10 -- and entertainers -- Bill Cosby, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald. Cosby was the only person to get a free meal at Ben's until Obama's election, when Ben's put up this sign in the window: "Who eats free at Ben's: _Bill Cosby _The Obama Family," the Associated Press reports.
The restaurant is renowned for its chili "half smokes" -- beef sausages larger than the average hot dog that are smothered in chili -- as well as its bowls of chili. The James Beard Foundation named Ben's Chili Bowl an "American Classic" in 2004. And the menu, Gourmet.com notes, isn't for the faint of heart. "Our chili will make a dog bark," it begins.
According to the diner's history, the Alis started the restaurant in 1958 in an old theater in D.C.'s black entertainment district with a $5,000 investment. Ben's Chili Bowl went on to weather the neighborhood's near destruction during the riots that followed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968 to become one of the city's most successful black enterprises.
"It has witnessed the rise, fall and resurrection of U Street and is probably the only business on this strip that survived both the 1968 riots and the construction phase of the Metro Green Line," the Washington Post wrote in a restaurant review.
Ali died Wednesday of natural causes with his wife by his side, the restaurant said on its Web site. His sons now run the restaurant.
Do you have any favorite Ben's Chili Bowl moments? Share in the comments below.
[Via Associated Press]
10-08-2009 @4:14PM wilma goldstein said... Favorite Ben's Chili Bowl moments? Any time I've eaten there.
Not only is the food good (let's not discuss whether it is healthy - delicious will do)....the people who work there always make you feel like it's home and they are happy to be bringing you food and please have a good time.
A unique place.
WG
Alexandria
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10-08-2009 @4:42PM David said... This past Saturday, I ordered the same as Obama. Half Smoke with Chili, Onions, & Mustard. I got a side of fries, a coke, and a Prince Triple Play. They poured melted cheese to the tune of Diamonds and Pearls, and dollops of chili in between pauses to belt out Purple Rain... Purple Rain. Some employees wore Ben's T-Shirts while others, in tribute, wore T-shirts celebrating another restaurant's 50th Anniversary. One employee, upon leaving after completing his shift, pulled his SUV to the side and looked in the window and called out his imaginary drive-thru order in jest. We all laughed, employees and patrons in unison. I felt so at home, and I knew no one's name. Ben, may you rest in peace knowing that your world famous half smokes are served with love and laughter.
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10-08-2009 @4:52PM Jess and Jane said... Ben's is traditionally our first and last stop every time we're in DC. The vibe is pure magic and the half smokes make us hollah. RIP Ben. And thank you.
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10-08-2009 @4:53PM Jack Haikey said... Its always sad to hear some part of Americana has passed on (even if its regional)but if I ever get to see Washington, I'll look up Ben's Chili bowl.
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10-08-2009 @4:57PM MARTY said... REST IN PEACE BEN YOU DIDNT MENTION THE KOSHER STUFF
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10-08-2009 @5:35PM Brian said... My jaws were wired shut for seven weeks this past summer. I had been telling my wife that once my wires and screws were removed, Ben' Chili bowl would be my first stop. (I know seven weeks of a liquid diet....and i crave a chili dog.LOL!) Sure enough it was! R.I.P Ben. Thanks for the memory and better yet the chili.
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10-11-2009 @11:17PM magold16 said... We went to Ben's for the first time in March. Food was great and the service was friendly. Half smoke without onions, fries, and a drink. We sat in the only booth open, which had a large photo of Mr. Obama and friends above it. The President-elect had dined right there in January. Great food and great memories.
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10-08-2009 @6:46PM Donna said... I live in neighboring Prince George's County and was invited to Ben's Chili Bowl by a fabulous young man I defeated in the 2006 election. We chuckled over campaign tales in a historic atmosphere with delicious food. We remain friends to this day. RIP and Thanks to Ben & Family.
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10-08-2009 @7:24PM Angiebaby said... Another interesting person has passed whom I'll never get the chance to meet. Life is just too damn short sometimes. But perhaps I'll get to dine at Ben's Chili Bowl before my time is gone.
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10-08-2009 @7:36PM ta421sbtrhalf said... THE BEST! The only place to get a vegan chili burger. Ok it still isn't health food but is the best. Every trip to D.C. my husband and I do we always make it to Ben's at least twice. It is one of the few places a carnivore and herbivore can agree on.
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10-11-2009 @4:20PM mag said... BEN ALI NOW MAYBE YOUR TUMMY R.I.P. AND KOOL OFF FROM ALL THAT HOT CHILI.
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10-11-2009 @4:36PM Pat said... Great food, will miss Ben. obama sucks though!
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10-11-2009 @8:30PM Bill said... I went to Ben's Chili Bowl once. I waited in line with 2 friends for about fifteen minutes, never to get waited on. All the while, black customers walking in and getting waited on. I can't help but think it's because we are white. I also noticed a sign saying "black owned and operated since 19?". Does that really matter? If they were white, would they have gotten away with a sign that read "white owned and operated since 19?". Sorry, but I won't be going back to a place that makes me feel like I'm less of a person than someone else.
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10-11-2009 @5:48PM Pauline said... It's too bad Bill that you used a poor excuse of "black owned and operated" to criticize this wonderful establishment. I find no fault with it as our black community has had an uphill climb for many years to get a business of their own that blacks and whites alike love to frequent. We ate at a restaurant in Alabama a few years ago that had a sign similar to this and we truly thought nothing critical of it. The mix of black and white customers was very nice to see and everyone was enjoying the good food and the pleasant atmosphere. If you feel less of a person just by seeing a sign then maybe you need to attend some self-esteem classes.
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10-11-2009 @6:10PM John F.C. Taylor said... Should have been a fourth response available. If there had been, I'd have selected the fourth option. What's that? I never heard of the place.
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10-11-2009 @6:31PM Bill said... Pauline, did you fail to see the part of my comment that read, we weren't even waited on? That is what discouraged me. The sign was the final straw. And honestly, if it were a sign that read white owned and operated, the business would have been shut down as being racist. Also, a "wonderful establishment" would wait on everyone, not just the black customers.
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10-11-2009 @6:41PM Federico Ruiz said... In L.A. we have "the hat" opened in 1958 and busy as ever, and El Tepiyac opened in 1947. and always hasa line in front of the restaurant. And there are no "special" persons that eat free. They are like America, we all pay.
Obama sucks big ones.
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10-11-2009 @8:05PM Colin Cody said... I certainly hope the gentleman had his passport to heaven validated before his date of departure (Luke 9:23). The consequences otherwise are too horrible to contemplate. Satan's hospitality is abominable to say the least.
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10-11-2009 @8:30PM Nate said... Bill: Sorry, but I don't believe your story. You're a troll, nothing more.
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10-16-2009 @10:08PM Bill in MD. said... Nate, you're an idiot, nothing more. Simply telling it like it is. The column asks to share comments concerning the business, so I did, from my experience.
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