DC By the Book

Excerpt: Dimitri Karras swung the Ghia into a space in front of 1841 R Street, cut the engine.... Vivian had a good look at the building: a former mansion with peeling stucco facade, now four floors housing three units per floor, a small yard out from patched with brown.

Excerpt: Clay knew that Dozier couldn't resist a free lunch at Ben's Chili Bowl. What kind of real Washingtonian could? "So--pass me that hot sauce, George--the other night, you said you were working some kind of undercover thing." -- "Yeah, that's right." George Dozier looked down the counter at Ben's, packed with folks in church clothes and others who were casually dressed. "Been working on something here in Shaw the last six months or so." Clay used a knife and fork to cut a portion out of his chili burger. Dozier had a couple of chili dogs on a plate in front of him. He picked one up and took a healthy bite.... "Good dogs," said Clay. "Like to make you cry." |---------- DC BY THE BOOK TOUR --> Ben’s Chili Bowl might be DC’s most famous place to eat. Although not established until after this street’s heydey in the 1920s-40s, it is symbolic of U Street’s storied past as a mecca for black Washingtonians. Longtime owner Ben Ali never actually tried the hotdogs and half-smokes for which Ben’s is known—he was Muslim and did not eat pork—but his restaurant became and remains a beloved institution.