Ben’s Chili Bowl Turns 50!

DC landmark, Ben’s Chili Bowl first opened its doors August 22, 1958.  That was the first time Washingtonians got their first tastes of Ben’s trademarks Chili Dog and Chili Half-Smoke.  As part of the celebration comic icon Bill Cosby showed up last Thursday to kick off the hoodledooinz.  Cosby wasn’t the only celeb on hand either, legendary diva Roberta Flack was there to croon the legions of Ben’s fans.

Here’s a little history fron the Ben’s website:

It was the summer of 1958. Eisenhower was president. Federal troops were ordered into Little Rock, Arkansas to aid in the integration of public schools. Explorer I was launched, as was NASA. The first-ever Grammy Awards were given, and Ella Fitzgerald won two of them. That same year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. published his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. Griffith Stadium was home to the Washington Senators, and 30% of D.C.’s black population owned homes. Nelson Mandela wed Winnie. And, in 1958, newlyweds Ben and Virginia Ali gave birth to a new enterprise.

Despite a national business failure rate of 55.9%, the Ali’s used $5,000 to begin renovating a building at 1213 U Street. It had high-arched ceilings, character, and plenty of history. Built in 1910, it first housed a silent movie house called the Minnehaha Theater. Later, Harry Beckley, one of D.C.’s first Black police detectives, converted it into a pool hall. On Aug. 22, 1958, Ben’s Chili Bowl was born.

More.

Ben’s isn’t a 24/7 operation but it is dang near.  Check out these crazy hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Breakfast from 6am – 10:45am
Main Menu from 10:45am – 2am

Friday
Breakfast from 6am – 10:45am
Main Menu from 10:45am – 4am

Saturday
Breakfast from 7am – 10:45am
Main Menu from 10:45am – 4am

Sunday
No Breakfast
Main Menu from 11am – 8pm

Good News! Anytime Ben’s is open, even during breakfast hours, you can always get our famous chili dogs, chili half-smokes, or bowls of beef or veggie chili.

Ben’s Will Be Closed…
on Thanksgiving Day, at 6pm on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, and during breakfast hours on New Year’s Day

Tony’s Top 10

Originally posted at Paper Palate on August 11, 2008.

 

Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential and host of No Reservations has put together his personal list of the Top 10 foodie books of all time.  Take a gander:

1. The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
The mad monk of Napa Valley’s unsurpassed cookery book – the ultimate in porno for chefs.

2. White Heat by Marco Pierre White
A chef who looks like a chef! A revelation to professional culinarians when it came out. Great food, recognisable worldview of the culinary perfectionist – and a ground-breaking shot of a chef smoking.

3. Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
The first account of what it’s REALLY like in a professional kitchen, and as true today as it was when it was written.

4. Kitchen Book by Nicolas Freeling
Another seminal work on the business, from the point of view of the professional.

5. The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola
The Citizen Kane of foodie books: escaped convict becomes food inspector in 19th-century Paris marketplace Les Halles.

6. La Cuisine du Marche by Paul Bocuse
The Big Daddy of Nouvelle Cuisine’s widely imitated cookbook. Still useful, decades later.

7. The Epicurean by Charles Ranhofer
The turn-of-the-century Delmonico’s chef spills everything he knows about cooking. Ranhofer’s work was unprecedented – and was considered high treason by his peers at the time. A fascinating and imposing tome and an important piece of culinary history.

8. The Ivy by AA Gill
As fascinating for its account of a day in the life of a swanky restaurant as for its recipes.

9. Le Bernardin Cookbook by Eric Ripert
Modern, clean, impeccable and austere recipes from New York’s brilliant seafood Dauphin.

10. Nose To Tail Eating by Fergus Henderson
Absolutely uncompromising ode to British cooking by the awesome chef of St John’s. A rare and unpretentious collection of recipes for the neglected (but often tastiest) parts of edible creatures. Who says British cooking isn’t great? This book ROCKS!