Hay, Ben’s Chili Bowl is a with it place. I actually ate there once over 50 years ago as my mother was picking up several pictures she had framed by a company she had done business with since the 1930’s. It was lunch time and about half the diners were white from various businesses in the area. The chili at the time really was good being almost entirely ground beef with the liquid drained off. Almost no grease at all.
I've eaten a couple of times at their original location on U Street NW, and their food is excellent. Just around the corner on 14th St. NW is Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, a favorite hangout for Nancy Pelosi. I can't stand her politics, but she has good tastes when it comes to ice cream.
You're leaving out important details! Can you recall whether the bathrooms were clean? Were the paper towel dispensers fully stocked? Were the parking facilities adequate? Who was your server? Was Madge on shift that day?
"In for a penny, in for a pound!"
Regards,
I ate there recently; Ben’s wife is still working there, greeting customers with a smile and cleaning tables. She has to be in her 80s.
I told her she didn’t need to clean my trash as I would do it myself - she smiled and said “let me do it, I’ve been doing this over 50 years”.