First Trip to Ben’s Chili Bowl: I’m Officially a Washingtonian, with Heartburn!
Ben’s Chili Bowl may be a hop, skip, and a jump away from my pad, but I finally had my first meal there. In fact, I finally entered the restaurant after staring inside the windows, looking at the long line of eager customers on several occasions. After hearing about Ben’s from before I even lived in DC, I have wanted to try it out. But, every time I had the opportunity and inkling to enter, it appeared that a significant percentage of DC residents were in line, with the same idea.
Well, this time, I didn’t just stare from the sidewalk and walk away, I entered the restaurant, immediately greeted by the pungency of grilling half-smokes and hot dogs. The line was long, but it moved along fast enough. The catchy music was blasting, and the crew of workers behind the counter treated the customers to some impromptu singing and dancing in between orders (talk about happy workers!).
I wanted to make a basic order and get something classic enough that personified Ben’s Chili Bowl, so I stuck with a chili half-smoke and a strawberry milkshake (they had more milkshake flavors than I had anticipated, but I’ll try the others another time). I’ve been told that I must try their cakes, too. Note: there is a reason they have an ATM machine in the restaurant–they only accept cash, so be prepared (I was not).
The size of the half smoke was standard, but they were quite generous with the chili, which was spicy and enjoyable. I actually licked the foil to eat all the chili (no one saw). The strawberry milkshake was pretty thick and sweet, but not nauseatingly so. I had a good intro-to-Ben’s meal. It lives up to the hype, but with my acid-reflux issues, it will have to be a rare treat.
The restaurant is bigger inside than I always thought it was. There is seating in the main area and at the counter, but there are two back rooms, with tables. Plus, you can look at all the pictures of famous people who have patronized Ben’s (Bill Cosby is not the only fan, but he is the only one who gets to eat free). Well, I can cross this off my list of Washingtonian requirements.
Tags: ben ali, ben's chili bowl, bill cosby, cakes, chris rock, dc, half-smoke, milkshakes, restaurant, U Street Corridor, washington
March 18th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I could have told you that you’d get acid reflux. I guess it’s worth it!
March 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
You have to try their cakes