For review No. 5, it's time to go back to my roots, and that means the Washington DC metro area. It's almost embarrassing to admit this, but I didn't make a pilgrimage to Ben's Chili Bowl until I was 23, a full six years after I left Virginia to move on to the next stage of my life, despite living a little over an hour from Washington for 17 years.
It was only after hearing about its greatness from fellow Virginian Will Palaszczuk that I decided that Ben's was something I had to experience for myself. When Adam Richman visited in season 2 and the Chowdown Countdown put it on the list, it moved to an absolute must. That's right, Ben's is the first restaurant on this blog to have shown up on the Chowdown Countdown, where it was ranked No. 28.
Boy, is it well-deserved. Ben's claim to fame is the chili half-smoke, a Washington legend made so by Ben's famous chili. The chili is made with several secret spices from the mind of Ben Ali, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago and immigrated to the United States, setting up shop in 1958.
While Ben's chili is excellent plain, having just the right amount of meat, beans and spices, it really shines when paired with the half-smoke, which is a half-beef, half-pork sausage smoked and cooked to perfection. Mustard and onions are added before the chili is smothered on the sausage and bun for one excellent meal. Add a shake or some homemade sweet tea and everything is perfect.
Sides are unmemorable, just your common potato chips. But when you have the chili half-smoke, you don't need much else, as Bill Cosby can attest to. In the 1980's, Cosby held his press conference for the Cosby Show at Ben's, having been a regular customer since the restaurant opened in 1958. Cosby and the Obama family, also frequent visitors, always eat free at Ben's in reward for their visible loyalty.
As its fame grew, Ben's became the spot for politicians visiting the nation's capital. Leaders from as far away as Africa and Europe have visited, and it's become as much a requirement for a DC politician to visit Ben's as it is for a Philadelphia politician to get a cheesesteak. Ben's is such an icon in DC that during the 1968 riots, residents asked Ben's to keep its doors open at its location on U Street.
Truly, a Washington landmark.
Recap
Time to go: Almost any time. From Monday through Thursday, Ben's is open from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. On Friday and Saturday, Ben's shuts its doors at 4 a.m. Only on Sunday does Ben's actually close before midnight, and they close at 11 p.m. Better, Ben's serves its chili and lunch/dinner menu at all times it's open.
Wait during my visit: Not long. Ben's lines can get crowded and table space is an issue as the restaurant is very small, but I was fortunate.
Location: Since 1958, Ben's has been at 1213 U Street in Northwest DC.
Parking: Do you feel lucky? Ben's does actually have parking behind the restaurant on Ben Ali Way, but there are a mere 10 spaces available. If the restaurant is packed, you're not going to find a space, leaving you to try your luck in DC. That's not an experience I want to try.
So how do you get to Ben's? Simple: Hop on the DC Metro and find your way to the Green Line. Ben's is right across the street from the U Street/Cardozo station, making for an easy run across without the worry of parking. A much better choice.
Website: Ben's Chili Bowl
Signature items: Chili half-smoke
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dan Angell, and I'm a sportswriter in Davenport, Iowa. Ever since graduating college and taking my first job in Idaho, I've discovered that in addition to sports, I love both travel and food. When they're together, there's almost no better experience, especially because I can usually involve a sporting event, fulfilling all of my passions.
When I first discovered Man vs. Food, I was intrigued to learn about the specialty foods of each city that appeared on an episode. I had always loved finding specialty foods in each location, but in most places, it was simply a generic food, with no idea what was the best that served it or what the signature dish even was in some cities. For instance, I'd never heard of a Juicy Lucy, a Minneapolis staple, or coffee milk, served in Rhode Island. Thanks to MvF and some of my own research, I had a guide to what I wanted and where to get it, and that led to me deciding to try visiting some of these iconic restaurants whenever I could.
As that continued, naturally, some friends started to get envious of the places I was able to see (thank you, Idaho State basketball beat) and the foods I was able to try. After hearing about several of them, one asked me to start taking pictures of the places I was visiting and post them online. Step two had been taken, and I began taking pictures in Tucson, Arizona, one year after getting the job in Idaho.
That was when I realized that trying these places had developed into more than just pictures for my friends. It had become a real hobby, and as the show kept visiting new places, I saw more and more things I wanted to try. Travel Channel followed Man vs. Food with their 101 Best Places to Chow Down, giving me even more restaurants that I wanted to experience for myself. Step three was the formation of my map, keeping track of every place I'd visited.
Now that I'm approaching having reached 70 of the show's restaurants, it's time to describe my experiences and share them with the public. That's what this blog will be.
Each post will be about a restaurant I've had the pleasure to visit, some on MvF, some from the Chowdown Countdown and some from neither show but worthy of inclusion because it was a great experience not to be missed. Many will have pictures. Some will not. Some of the places I've visited were so long ago that I will not review them, as it's been too long for me to give a good review. Sure, I've been to Chunky's Burgers in San Antonio and Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City, but that was almost four years ago. I'd need another visit to properly review it.
Three more things before we get going. First, I'm always open to suggestions. If you know of a place that I need to visit, please leave a comment or e-mail me at nighthawk892005@yahoo.com to let me know. I can't promise I'll get there immediately, but I'll put it on my list and I will try to get there when the opportunity arises.
Second, as I make each post, I'm going to tag them with the type of cuisine and the geographic location, including city, state and region. For example, a place with standard American food in Missouri will get a Midwest label. The geographic groups will be as follows: New England, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Rocky Mountains and Pacific.
Third, since I've been to 66 MvF places, I've got a lot of posts that will be coming. As I add more and more restaurants, if there's a certain one I've been to that you want to see reviewed sooner rather than later, let me know.
How do you know which places I've visited? Here's my map, with all the information you need:
Dan's food map
Welcome to my ultimate hunger quest. This is Dan vs. Food.
