Y&H isn't sure why it took Ben's Chili Bowl more than a year to capitalize on Barack Obama's visit to the landmark eatery. Maybe brothers Kamal and Nizam Ali wanted to wait long enough so people forgot that, technically, Obama was only the president-elect when he dropped by in early January '09. Obama wouldn't be sworn [...]
Tacos took off in D.C. in 2009 Good God, I can even begin to wrap my mind around all the things that happened on the D.C. dining scene during the past 12 months. Fortunately, not all of them were as apocalyptic as the closing of your favorite restaurant or the passing of Ben Ali. For [...]
At 72, Bill Cosby might be at an age when his doctor looks the comedian dead in the eye and says, "Bill, I'm telling you, if you want to see 73, lay off the half-smokes." Well, if Cos has ever heard those words, he's not heeding them. Nizam Ali, youngest son of founders Virginia and the late [...]
Yesterday, readers of the Young & Hungry newsletter (hint, hint: sign up at right) got first word on who won the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame. Today, we tell everyone the results of our debut contest, which we launched back in October with the idea of sussing out the dishes that best define the D.C. metro area. [...]
All three of Ben Ali's sons plan to speak at the memorial service set for Friday at the Lincoln Theatre, right next door to the greasy spoon he made famous. Mayor Adrian Fenty may speak, too, but as of this afternoon, no other people, famous or otherwise, are scheduled to honor the founder of Ben's [...]
Controversy over Esquire's selection for Chef of the Year. The passing of Ben Ali. The New York Times' investigation into commercial ground beef. All of these have been major subjects on the blog this week. And yet: The most-read item this week beat out Select 55 by a mere five clicks. Barton Seaver to Be [...]
Y&H wishes he knew who produced this segment on Ben's Chili Bowl. It captures some nice moments, like this one from Nizam Ali, son of founder Ben, who died yesterday at 82. Nizam Ali talks about the struggle to maintain U Street's African-American identity in the face of gentrification: "It's a duty to be here," he says. [...]
If you ever doubted the fame of Ben Ali and the tiny chili stand he started in 1958, all you have to do is look at the news coverage detailing his death yesterday. News outlets across the country either ran the AP story or wrote short, tribute-oriented pieces of their own. Here are a few [...]
No one but the employees knew about Ben Ali's death. The managers of Ben's Chili Bowl had told their employees this morning that Ben Ali died in his bed last night, but they didn't want their customers in the restaurant to know yet. So there was nary a clue at the landmark U Street eatery. [...]
Tim Carman is on his way down to Ben's. He called in to report a conversation he had with Nizam Ali, the late Ben Ali's son. The family is starting to gather together, Nizam tells Carman. Ben, he says, was at GW Hospital for about a week. He had congestive heart failure. GW Hospital, he [...]
