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 in for another 10 days.

Or maybe Ben Ali didn't like the idea.

Whatever the reason, Ben's started hawking these bumper stickers yesterday. You can pick them up at the lunch counter for a buck apiece.

You can also take satisfaction in knowing you're like the president in another way: You have to pay, too. Bill Cosby says so. (Check out the sign next to the griddle; it will explain everything.)

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 starters, we had a ton of above-average to good restaurants open in 2009. Last week, in fact, I listed my 10 favorite newbies.

We also had a President and First Lady who actually enjoyed eating out on the town, both on the high and low ends. And let's not forget about the First Family's love for burgers, burgers, and more burgers. The Obamas even made a strong statement about local/seasonal foods, which was heard all the way to Ireland.

Outside the White House, we discovered that gourmet and organic hamburger outlets were sprouting up all around us. These burger joints were practically fighting for space with all the new fro-yo, pizza, taco, and cupcake shops.

D.C. took tentative steps toward becoming a better street food city, including the addition of a cupcake truck and a stand across the river that serves up a killer breakfast taco. Far more aggressive strides were made on the local cocktail circuit, where you could find some of the most creative drinks in the country, not to mention a cool place to imbibe them.

Of course, 2009 was not all wine and Rose's grenadine. Michel Richard planned to high-tail it out of the District for a spot in McLean. Andy Shallal bankrolled a disastrous Top Chef-like contest to hire his kitchen leader at Eatonville. The "dean" of alcohol beverage control lawyers died. Esquire magazine's selection of Barton Seaver as chef of the year caused a small shitstorm among locals. Spike Mendelsohn was evicted from his Capitol Hill rental house.  The RAMMY Awards was a heated mess. And the District of Columbia showed, yet again, why it's so hard to open a restaurant within its borders.

By the way, if you'd like to hear more about the Year in Food 2009, check out my conversation with David Furst on Metro Connection.

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 Ben Ali, says Cosby still grabs half-smokes at Ben's Chili Bowl every time he's in town. (I mean, why not? He's still only one of two folks who eats free at Ben's, the recent winner of our D.C. Dish Hall of Fame contest.)

"If he doesn't physically come in the door," Ali tells Y&H, "he'll send a car by or the hotel will send a car by or his venue will just happen to come by and get them or he'll call in and have us deliver them. So he always seems to get them when he's in town some kind of way, whether or not he actually walks in the door."

Cos did walk in the door in October when the Kennedy Center awarded him the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

"He walked in and said hello to everybody," Ali remembers. But Cos did one thing more: He ordered up half-smokes for a reception at the big Twain event.

That's right, the half-smoke made its debut at the Kennedy Center.

Photo by devriesm via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License

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.

From the very beginning, voters were clear on their favorite. It's the same one that Bill Cosby loves. The same one that puzzled future president Barack Obama. The same one made in Baltimore but rich in D.C. history.

Yep, you know it as the chili half-smoke from Ben's Chili Bowl.

The famous link in the natural casing, topped with the joint's dark signature meat gravy, beat the nearest competitor, the falafel from Amsterdam Falafelshop, by more than 100 votes. In terms of this contest, that's a landslide.

It's a landslide particularly when you consider that Ben's, unlike Amsterdam, did not solicit customers to vote for its dish. Nizam Ali, the youngest son of founders Virginia and the late Ben Ali, says he didn't even know about the Hall of Fame voting until late last week. At that point, he told a handful of friends about it, and even voted himself, but didn't promote the contest at the Bowl.

Who did Nizam Ali vote for? "I voted for us, of course," says Ali, who now runs Ben's with older brother Kamal. "I voted for Horace & Dickie's fried fish and what was the other one? I can't remember now."

"Oh, I think it was 2Amys," he says about the pizzeria's Margherita pie.

Many of the 1,238 voters agreed with Ali's choices. More than 500 of them voted for the chili half-smoke, followed by the falafel at Amsterdam (395 votes), the hamburger at Five Guys (259), the Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico (193), and the Margherita pizza at 2Amys (186). These five dishes make up the inaugural class of the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame.

"It is only because of the loyal following of our customers that we could have achieved something like this, and we are honored beyond belief to be included with the likes of true landmarks like Ben's, and true culinary delights like 2Amys," writes Arianne Bennett, co-owner of Amsterdam Falafelshop with husband, Scott.

Bennett's not kidding about the loyal following. Their customers are so loyal, they take orders. Bennett admits that Amsterdam added a note to the bottom of the shop's receipts, urging customers to vote; she also alerted the vegetarian community in an effort to solicit more votes for the only veggie option in the competition. Maybe as a result, many of the comments we received about Amsterdam's falafel were nothing less than gushing.

A sample: "Amsterdam has the Best Falefel ever, I adore them and wish there was one right next to my house!"

Then again, Ben's earned its praise without any prodding from the restaurant. Consider this reader comment: "As much as I enjoy a nice dinner at Central or Cafe Atlantico, nothing beats a half-smoke. And no half-smoke beats one from Ben's. I just moved away from DC after 22 years this fall, and the idea that I won't ever be able to eat a half-smoke unless I'm visiting my parents kills me."

Or consider what chefs think about Ben's half-smoke, despite the fact that it's a commercial sausage produced by Manger Packing Corp. in Baltimore. "I have had the half smoke with chili. I have had the half smoke with a fried egg. I think it's good," says chef R.J. Cooper of Vidalia, where he's been known to make his own sausages. "Is it the quintessential Washington, D.C. food? If anything is it, that would have to be it."

The interesting thing is that both Ben's and Amsterdam — one an institution, the other a budding one — are still formulating or thinking about franchising plans. Could either one (or both) become the next Five Guys, a once (and always) beloved local institution that has spread its seed all over the country?

The question is rather loaded, especially for Nizam Ali and family. Ali said he had read Y&H's recent blog item, in which I wondered whether Five Guys' burger was still Hall of Fame worthy given that the chain's aggressive franchising has (sometimes) hurt the quality of its product (not to mention managers' ability to make sure cooks know how to griddle those patties properly).

"I thought to myself, Hey, if and when or somewhere down the line if the Chili Bowl franchises, would that knock the half-smoke or Ben's out of the running[for a place among D.C.'s iconic dishes]?" Nizam Ali says. "It's an interesting question."

It's an interesting question for the Alis because, for 51 years now, they have prided themselves on their personal touch at Ben's. They've prided themselves on the history that the U Street institution oozes. They've prided themselves, in short, on being a family-run business.

"Because of the history and legacy of the family, we really want to do it our way and kind of want to keep control of it," Nizam Ali says. "The Chili Bowl has been all about family, and we want to keep our family intact. So if I'm running around selling franchises and my brother's running and going to the openings and checking the quality, then we're both divorced...You know what I mean? So what's more important? The running around and opening thousands of stores or making sure that your home life is happy and all that stuff. That's kind of more important to us."

At the same time, the Alis have not ruled out franchising altogether. It's probably impossible to rule out franchising when the family constantly receives calls about it. But here's hoping that Ben's never becomes another Five Guys, no matter how much money they could make from it.

As a final note, I want to thank all of you who participated in our very first D.C. Dish Hall of Fame contest. If you have some thoughts about the results, please e-mail them to me, and I'll publish the best on the blog.

In the meantime, go out and congratulate the winners by visiting their restaurants.

The inaugural class of the D.C. Dish Hall of Fame:

Half-smoke with chili at Ben's Chili Bowl, 502 votes

Falafel at Amsterdam Falafelshop, 395

Hamburger at Five Guys, 259

Peruvian chicken at El Pollo Rico, 193

Margherita pizza at 2Amys, 186

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 Chili Bowl, who died last week at age 82.

And that's just fine with Nizam Ali, the youngest of Ben Ali's sons, who says his father wouldn't have wanted any fuss. The "Celebration of Life," scheduled for noon Friday at the theater, "is going to be like a family thing that we're going to open to the public," Nizam Ali tells Y&H this afternoon.

The memorial is free and open to the public. All you have to do is show up at the theater and grab one of the 1,225 seats available — well, minus however many seats the Ali clan needs, which, Nizam Ali thinks, might run as high as 200.

The family is going to show a short video that it put together for Ben Ali's 80th birthday as well as some other clips about the founder's life and the restaurant he created. The speakers for the afternoon will include Ben Ali's sons — Nizam, Kamal, and Sage — and possibly Fenty, although the mayor hasn't confirmed yet.

So will Bill Cosby or President Obama or any celebrities who have made the pilgrimage to Ben's speak at the service?

"I don't think so," Nizam Ali says. "We didn't ask or seek anyone."

The family, however, is seeking your thoughts. They will have microphones around the theater for you to share your memories about Ben's and its founder.

As for after-service snacks, Nizam Ali says no final plans are set. The family is considering having chili dogs at the theater. But if not, people can always walk next door to Ben's and enjoy chili dogs in the very place that made Ben Ali a local legend.  Well, some people can at least.

"With 1,200 [potential people in the theater], it's not going to be possible" to serve everyone, Nizam Ali says.

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.

1. Barton Seaver to Be Named Esquire's Chef of the Year, Controversy Ensues
2. Budweiser Launches Select 55, Light Beer Arms Race Gets Absurd
3. Ben Ali's Son: "We're All OK."
4. The Times' Shattering Expose of Ground Beef: Where Does It Leave Burger Lovers?
5. Despite Founder's Death, It Was Business As Usual at Ben's
   

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. "We're going to carry it on as long as we can."

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 of them:

• The New York Times' Diners Journal: "There is perhaps no better way to end a punk-rock evening in Washington, D.C., than with a brisk walk up from the 9:30 Club to the bright lights of Ben’s Chili Bowl, home of the chili-laden half-smoke sausage, for a snack."

• DCist has a round-up of local politico comments: "Ben Ali was a man who invested his life in a small business that weathered many storms and became the soul of a neighborhood and the pride of our city," commented Mayor Adrian Fenty.
• Loose Lips recalls Ben's long history with politicians: "But for all the politicking going on inside, the restaurant itself has never been a political establishment."
• The Post offers up historical pictures, reader memories, and a new video: "We'll miss you, Ben Ali. The man who 51 years ago put chili on a hot dog [and] gave Washington a food identify that stuck."
• Grub Street New York: "Here’s hoping a memorial sprouts up at Ben Ali Way, the alley next to Ben’s where pretty much everyone in the world was lined up during Inauguration Day."
• DC Metblog: "Its casual atmosphere and unforgettable chili half-smokes have been a favorite of visiting entertainers, DC luminaries, and everyone else in the city for more than fifty years."

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. No signs. No weeping employees. Only a Web notice for those who had somehow checked it before arriving.

The only thing at Ben's that might have tipped off an attentive diner was the music. It was soul music, the mournful variety. "Never Can Say Goodbye," by the Jackson 5 was playing softly in the background, the band's lead singer just a memory now, too.

"The mood is very somber," said Sonya Ali, wife of Kamal Ali, one of the two surviving brothers who now run Ben's. "The music is even somber."

Sonya Ali said the entire family was gathering at Ben and Virginia Ali's home in North Portal, including Sage, an artist and musician who lives in California.  Sage's wife, Sonya Ali noted, is a publicist and will help the family plan a public announcement and figure out how to honor the man who founded what has become, courtesy of Bill Cosby and President Barack Obama, D.C.'s most famous restaurant.

The family is "as well as can be expected," Sonya Ali said, including wife, Virginia, who married Ben in October 1958, just two months after opening Ben's Chili Bowl. The couple would have celebrated their 51st anniversary on Saturday.

"She believed in him then and to the very end," Sonya Ali said.

Employees were shocked but supportive when managers broke the news this morning. The family, Sonya Ali said, had no immediate plans to close today or through whatever private and public funeral arrangements are eventually announced. "I don't think so," Sonya Ali said. "That's not what he'd want...He doesn't want a lot of fanfare."

Manager Maurice Harcum had known Ben Ali for 10 years, ever since the founder hired him for the night shift at Ben's. Ben Ali, despite his failing health, showed up at his namesake restaurant at least once a week, Harcum said, but he couldn't eat the half-smokes and chili that had made him famous.

"Mrs. Ali wouldn't let him," Harcum said. "He still loved his milkshakes, though."

Vanilla was Ben Ali's flavor, the manager said, and he had to settle on the small size, for his health's sake.

Employees, managers, and family all said Ben Ali was a great businessman. "He knew how to get things done," said Sonya Ali, who performs a variety of tasks for the family businesses, including Ben's Next Door, the full-service restaurant right next to Ben's.

"I'm not saying that I agreed with him all time," Sonya Ali added after a beat. "He was a man determined to have his way."

Nizam Ali agreed. He said his father was "persistent," "strong willed," and had a "great business mind."

"He took control of each moment," Nizam Ali added. "He lived life the way that he wanted to. No regrets."

Asked to try to put his father's legacy in perspective, Nizam Ali understandably struggled for words. Then he said his father's "story, as an immigrant from Trinidad, is probably the ultimate American dream."

If the family was holding it together well, at least publicly, one loyal customer was shocked. As he waited in line for his usual hot dog, Keith Turner first heard the news from a reporter.

"Wow," he said, "I hadn't heard that...I'm kind of stunned. You kind of caught me off guard."

Turner, 42, has been frequenting Ben's since 1985, he said. The window tinter said he was doing a job at nearby Cardozo High School and decided to grab his usual lunch at Ben's: a simple griddled hot dog. He likes the char on it.

And with that, he turned to the counter and ordered his hot dog.

More photos from the first day at Ben's Chili Bowl without Ben Ali:

"He passed without suffering," Nizam says. "He lived a long and good life."

In terms of a memorial, Nizam says they'll probably do something private for the family, but he knows Ben's importance to the community and says they will figure out something for a public service. Ben's death wasn't completely unexpected, Nizam says. Ben had "a million things" wrong with him, Nizam says. "We're all OK."