Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Washington D.C. - Ben's Chili House
This was a huge disappointment!! I've wanted to try this place after seeing it featured on TV shows and reading about it in guidebooks. It's over-priced and resting on its history. I went out-of-my-way to take the Green Line to the U-Street Corridor. It cost $13 for a small shake/regular chili dog/polish chili dog with potato chips. Not very tasty at all. Yes, the service was friendly and fast. Yes, there's history in the 1911 former silent-movie building - and the business has been running since the late 1950s...but it's still too expensive for what you get.
I was surprised at the regulars who were ordering up a bunch of calories at these inflated prices. It was an interesting walk to nearby Dupont Circle Metro Stop going south on 14th Street...a tiny thrift shop and a couple Pawn Shops. Yes, they were selling Rolex watches and TVs.
See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben's_Chili_Bowl
