Washington, DC, has a little bit of everything for history buffs and foodies, but it's Ben's Chili Bowl, which sits on the historic U Street once known as Black Broadway, where the two come together. Insider's Lisa Paradise stopped by for a bite of the chili half-smoke: a half-pork, half-beef sausage smothered in homemade chili crafted from a generations-old secret family recipe that has remained popular for so many generations it was named the city's signature dish.
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This Must-Eat Chili Dog Is Washington D.C.'s Signature Dish | Legendary Eats
Lisa Paradise: A half-pork,
half-beef sausage, grilled until perfectly charred and brown dressed with tangy yellow mustard and crunchy white onions. But it's the final touch, smothering the whole
thing in homemade chili cooked down for hours to hone the sweet and smoky flavor, that makes the half-smoke
from Ben's Chili Bowl a legend in Washington, DC. Washington, DC, is a city rich in history, but it's this famous
nine-block stretch on U Street, once known as Black Broadway,
that has contributed
to some of the city's
most defining moments. And while this block has struggled through generations of ups and downs, Ben's Chili Bowl, which
first opened its doors on August 22, 1958, was
there through it all. Leon: It tastes the same way
that it did 10 years ago, and my grandparents say it's the same way since 20 years ago. It never changes. Lisa: Inside the small
kitchen that has kept Washingtonians fed for
generations is a world of secrets. So many, in fact, that the family goes as far as t
o prep brown paper bags full of Ben's original spice mix so that even the chefs remain
clueless to the final touches. Kamal Ali: This magic
bag we make every day, and only the family has this secret. Some people get their driver's license, some people get a bar mitzvah, we get the magic spice mix recipe. Lisa: This is Kamal Ali, one of founder Ben and
Virginia's three sons, all of whom left successful
careers in their own rights to help keep the family legacy alive. What is your mom gonna do to
you if you ever gave away this recipe? Kamal: Big trouble, big trouble. I'm not too old to get put over her knee. [both laugh] Lisa: And Mama Virginia agrees. Virginia Ali: [laughs] Oh, no, we raised them well. Lisa: The chili sauce begins with simple, fresh ingredients. Ground beef topped with
roughly chopped white onion, green peppers, and tomatoes loaded into a large stockpot. Kamal: Chain restaurant and
other people are making it, they're gonna have exact
measurements and everything. This is
how we do it here. This is how we do it here at Ben's. Lisa: You just pour it in, OK. Kamal: We're just gonna toss
in these peppers and onions, and what we're gonna do is we're gonna give this a good covering. Lisa: Once all the
ingredients are combined and covered with liquid,
the sauce is left to boil and bubble for about an hour and a half, until the meat is cooked
and the vegetables are nice and soft, ensuring a silky-smooth texture. When it's cooked down to
about half the amount, the pot i
s left to simmer
for an additional 45 minutes so that the flavor can really develop. Kamal: So now it's
simmered, all those spices are getting together in
there and having a party. Lisa: Kamal kicked us out of the kitchen to add some Ali family
secret finishing touches. But when we came back, the chili was reduced down
to a rich and creamy sauce that he churns with a metal spoon to add in some air and positive vibes. Kamal: We add in some community spirit, we add in lots of love, a little bit of
Black
lives matter this year. Lisa: Every year. Kamal: Of course every year. And we come out with this
nice, smooth consistency. Lisa: After the chili
sauce is left to cool on a bed of ice, it's taken
to the production line, where the iconic half-smoke
really comes to life. Virginia: The half-smoke
is unique to Washington, and it is Washington's signature dish now. Lisa: It begins with a
half-pork, half-beef sausage cooked on a hot griddle
until charred on all sides. The sausage is placed
on a
lightly steamed bun before being doused with yellow mustard, sprinkled with chopped white onion, and finished with that famous chili sauce. Jon: The meat is perfectly seasoned. They got the bun. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Chili, laced up. The mustard gives it that little tang. Good to go. Mertine Brown: I'm a native Washingtonian. So you can't live in Washington, DC, and not come to Ben's. It's made with love. This family who built
this is a love story, you know, and it's a Afri
can
American, Black love story. Lisa: The love story
that built this empire began with Ben and Virginia
Ali over 60 years ago, when he stopped by the bank she worked at and decided to chat her up. Virginia: He had the
nerve to ask me to call. He wrote a little note with
his phone number and his name. Of course I didn't call him. This was 1957. You don't call a man you don't know. And the rest is history. We had 51 years together
before he died, yeah. Lisa: Quickly into their relationship, Ben an
d Virginia decided that they wanted to own their own business. Having worked in
restaurants to pay his way through university,
the two decided to lean into a tasty chili
recipe Ben had cooked up. Virginia: We needed an ideal location. We found that ideal
location in this community on the street called Black Broadway. Lisa: And just like that,
Ben's Chili Bowl was born. In the early days the newlyweds
worked day in and day out serving the affluent Black
community of Black Broadway, standing as a
meeting ground for some of the biggest names in history. Everyone from Duke Ellington to Stokely Carmichael to MLK himself have swung by for a
bite of the half-smoke. Virginia: Dr. Martin Luther King had a satellite office at 14th and U. So whenever he was in town,
he'd pop into the Chili Bowl. We'd have an opportunity
to just chat with him for a few minutes and listen to his dream. And the March on Washington
that took place in 1963, we were a part of, and
we were here to perhaps prepare food f
or some of those folks that came in very early. So it breaks my heart
today to see that we're still now struggling and
fighting for those same basic human rights that we fought for so many years ago. Speaker: This is the revolution! [crowd cheering] Lisa: Already active community leaders in the civil rights movement, when protests broke out after
the assassination of MLK, Ben's was one of the only
businesses allowed to stay open, feeding protestors as
well as first responders late into the night
. Virginia: Now, Stokely
Carmichael told me that he had a talk with the commander and said, "We need a place together. We need a place for the city
officials, for even activists, and for the first responders
to be able to come in and feel safe and have something to eat." Roach Brown: It was a meeting place for the civil rights movement, for entertainers, celebrities. No matter what was going on in the country or around the world, Ben's had his hand on the
pulse of the community. It was a usual p
lace for
unusual people to come, and everybody could be usual. You know what I mean? And meetings would've been
held in some of these booths, meetings that impacted people's
lives all over the country. Lisa: Destruction from the protests caused residents to flee the area. And this community continued to face detrimental setbacks over the decades, from drug trafficking into the
Black community in the '70s to a disruptive metro
construction throughout the '80s and large-scale gentrification
throug
h the '90s, all of which over time effectively erased Black Broadway off the map. Through it all, Ben's
Chili Bowl has remained, even becoming Obama's
first surprise pit stop leading up to the 2009 inauguration. But despite the hype,
Virginia lives to make sure the place feels like home
to everyone who walks in. Stanley Mayes: She and
Ben, during his lifetime, they brought along their family so that their family would
continue along after them. And that is an important
thing, because Ben is gone
, and one day I'll be gone
and Virginia will be gone, but the legacy of the Chili
Bowl will continue to live because the children have made
that a part of what they do. Virginia: It's a family affair, and I am so, so grateful for that. I like being able to come in and meet and greet our patrons and treat them as guests
coming into my home. It's been an interesting 62 years. I've not had a boring moment. Virginia: It's very
tasty, have you tried one? Lisa: I haven't.
[Virginia laughs] Lisa: If I'
m being perfectly honest, I've somehow gotten through my life without ever having a chili dog. So I have absolutely no idea
what to expect from this. But I will say, just smelling
it, it smells like summer. It smells like a family barbecue. It smells, like, sweet
and a little bit spicy. Is "goddamn" a critique? This is so good. So, the chili. It doesn't
have a lot of texture to it, which is where the onions come in. The onions add that crunch
that you really want, that fresh, sweet crunch. The m
ustard on top adds a
little bit of a sweetness, but the chili overall, it's thick, it's rich, it's spicy, but in that way that it's
like a flavorful spice, it's not a hot spice. So it feels like you
can just keep eating it because it's never gonna,
like, hurt your mouth. I've never had a chili dog before, and it's so much better
than I was expecting. I feel like I've been missing
out on this my entire life. Roach: When I came here,
my hair was long as yours, but look what happened. Them chili do
gs are delicious! [laughs]
Comments
There's just more than taste. Ben's chili bowl is a landmark. I hope it stays, to tell us all, That time passed but history remained.
We need more places like this back again. Family owned, community, great food, and especially love.
I love this place. The half-smoke with chili, mustard and onions (well, let’s be honest... 2 of them) is to die for. The staff really is friendly, and I love supporting family businesses. And it’s living history.
I’m a Washingtonian and we were learning about this DC landmark in our history class, yes Ben chill bowl been through it all it was here before they went underground to build them trains, it was here before a lot of this new dc buildings,condos etc but I been here for 21 yrs and I Haven’t been to bens chill bowl😬
This place is great. Their milkshakes are worth trying as well.
When I visited D.C. while in college I went to Ben's for a half-smoke certainly but mainly for the history. Iconic joint and a must-visit for sure.
"I have no idea what to expect from it", she says, holding a bun stuffed with a sausaged, topped with mustard, onions and chili.
“Having worked in restaurants to pay his way through university”.... oh boy wouldn’t that be a delight if that were still viable.
Truly a legendary place and family. It would be pretty interesting to spend a day hanging out with the regulars and hearing some stories.
This woman said: I never called him and the rest is history, I must have missed something here...
I saw this today (10July2022), and ran to try this mouthwatering food in the early morning hours! My first impression - Excellent! I think I have been missing on this kind of food all my life! Keep on rocking, Ben’s Chilli Bowl on U Street!
Imagine working for Food Insider and you dont know what to expect from a Chili dog
I don't even live in US but still watching this late at night
It’s great how he,cook’s the food with love, and he makes you feel like you’re a part of what’s going on,that’s what makes he’s food so great..
I’m glad everyone loves this place. It shows the black and brown can get along. Just in case anyone didn’t know, Ben was a Indian (from India) born in Trinidad and Tobago. Indian people been here a long time
Very cool. Awesome to see family businesses still take so much pride in what they have for over 60 years.
II was finally able to visit and eat at Bens chili bowl and it was a bucket list moment for me. The rich history and the delicious chili dogs is truly amazing. Thank you for making videos like these for people to discover wonderful food and people
That's a true family they have,they have done good for each other. God Bless them all.
Ben's Chili Bowl is THE standard for chili dogs. Been eating them for 25 years, and even passed it down to my kid. It really is an institution and should be a historically protected landmark!
Ms.Virginia is a living angel, the family are kind,beautiful, hard working, respectful people. Such a Gem to the Community. The food is delicious.