Author Archive for Erik Wemple

Ben Ali, Founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, Dies at 82

Sad news for the District of Columbia: Ben Ali, the patriarch of U Street institution Ben's Chili Bowl, passed away last night at around 9:00 pm. A family member said that Ali "passed peacefully," noting that he'd had "health issues off and on." Ali had just recently returned for a cruise with his wife, Virginia—the [...]

Weekend Feed: Trio in Dupont

Trio Restaurant 1537 17th St., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 232-6307 Joints along this busy stretch in long-since-gentrified Dupont Circle have long struggled to overcome the rap that they live off of happy hour revenues at their spacious patios. And Trio Restaurant, a classic diner both in layout (throwback booths and an art-deco feel) and pay [...]

Wemple Will Take Sargento Over the Freshly Shaved Shit Anyday

Snuck out to Ristorante Posto on Saturday night. I’d heard some good things and some mediocre things about this new Logan Circle hotspot, and they were confirmed by and large. Good, bountiful entree of pasta and seafood, though hardly exceptional. Great green salad. But I am not here to speak about the food that comes [...]

Thumbs Up: Mayflower Breakfast Buffet!

The saying goes like this: Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. It's old wisdom, and I'm not sure how well it has stood up to modern nutritional studies. But to the extent it remains a good way of life, I recommend putting the proverb to work at the Mayflower [...]