Thursday, December 06, 2007

Ben's Chili Bowl, Washington DC

One of the "must-eats" in DC is a half-smoked from Ben's Chili Bowl. Now why do they call these hotdogs half-smokes? Some say the name came about because the hotdogs are sometimes sliced sagitally when being cooked. Apparently there are different theories about that but I didn't really care as long as they tasted good.

How much of an icon is Ben's? Well they've been here since 1958 and is part of the African American Heritage trail; nuff' said.

The first thing you see and smell when you step into this establishment are the half-smokes being cooked teasingly right by the front window.

Ben's is still family owned and run till this day. Join the line and place your order.

The side of cheese-fries here were pretty mind-blowing. Unlike the one at Shakeshack, none of these chips were soggy and they were heaps generous with the melted cheese. Salty and totally artery-clogging greasy, this hit the spot.

Lo and behold the magnificent half-smoke order with EVERYTHING on it. Coarsely minced pork and beef in an extremely snappy casing served in a soft warm hotdog bun. This is one wiener I can eat almost everyday. If I were to nitpick though, the chili could be spicier but that's all I'm going to gripe about.

I will refrain from making any crude jokes about the superimposed double phallic symbols here haha. Visit DC, drop by Ben's, period.

D

9 comments:

J said...

wah dun noe why, i miss eating sausages in taiwan... the ones at the night markets and of course the black pig sasauges.

Ms One Boobie said...

Yes.. greasy.. but good.. :)
Thanks for the recommendation.. :)

zhengning said...

The cheese fries looks so yummy. Ah i want the cheese.. Lol.

daphne said...

i want some of that cheesy fries too..For some reason it reminded me of the cheesy nachos u can get in cinemas in SG.

Anonymous said...

gosh.. kfc's cheese fries are NOTHING compared to those!

kahsean said...

ahaha gosh those cheese fries again!

Unknown said...

Heyo D!
How's it been with you? Finally back online again. It's been hunky dory being back in Perth. Kept busy going places and just simply enjoying ourselves here with the weather, being outside, the food, the sights ... heavenly.

Have been here at our new place for 3 weeks or so now I guess. Love the suburb, beautiful and peaceful, with the Swan River nearby, so my kids go cycling quite frequently along the shore line.

US economy slowing down more over there or not? Is it a good time now to invest in a US property?

Cheers!

D said...

j: Or the squid ink ones from the original shilin night market!

mamabok: greasy is always good =P

zhengning: actually these can be made at home... but my current kitchen is dismally unequiped =(

daphne: yup except without the synthetic taste!

jiaying: kfc has cheesy fries now?

kahsean: you and a few others =P

jas: looks like you're living in a lovely suburb! I'm sure perth will be a great place to bring up your kids =D

jeremypb said...

man i love ben's chili bowl. i cant just get cheese fries though i have to get chili on 'em. i pay for all that chili the next day but it's worth it.