Chow Time: Hi-D-Ho Drive-In

Folks, here's a story 'bout Hi-D-Ho Drive-In; 

For three-and-sixty it's been jivin'.

The atmosphere is a little bit stale,

But Hi-D's got a heart as big as a whale.

Hi-D-Ho Drive-In (1952) - Alamogordo, New Mexico

Not all drive-in restaurants live up to the romantic ideal set forth by American Graffiti, or Moon Over Miami, or one of many such examples of Hollywood hokum.  The carhops at Hi-D-Ho may no longer don roller skates.  There may no longer be (nor have ever been) a welcome jingle sung by sisters in western wear.  But in a time when even small towns like Alamogordo, NM are being overrun with every fast food chain imaginable, there is one huge thing to be said for the original Hi-D-Ho Drive-In...

It's open!!!

Thankfully, Hi-D-Ho Drive-In suffers not from Route 66-ization Syndrome (likenesses of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis plastered over every available surface).  Rather, it suffers from a bit of an identity crisis, vacillating between wanting to maintain retro credibility and trying to be competitively "now-tro."  At 63 years old, Hi-D-Ho has a similar look to those people one encounters whose ages are difficult to determine because they have chosen to battle mortality by undergoing a questionable series of dubious cosmetic procedures.  Hi-D-Ho doesn't look young exactly; neither does it quite look like a specimen of natural aging.  In a way, I suppose this makes the whole place as ageless as its ketchup & mustard color scheme!

For diners too uncoordinated to eat within the confines of their Ford Fiestas, a covered patio
offers yellow-laminated, bent-wood seating set against a cinder block wall of Heinz-57 red.

Road-food aficionados will be glad to know that drive-in protocol is strictly observed; a quick flash of the headlights beckons a smiling carhop ready to take your order.  If I could leave one critique for Alamogordo's oldest drive-in, I would love to encourage the servers to greet each new carful of customers with a, "Hi-D-Ho!"  It only makes sense.

"Hi-D-Ho!!!"  See, it's fun!

I'm not so sure that my brand of cornball 

enthusiasm was winning me any friends that day. 

Hi-D-Ho's menu consists of fairly-standard drive-in fare with some regional favorites (tamales with fried eggs) thrown in for good measure.  When one finds oneself at the "Home of the Tiger Burger," however, one must insist that at least one brave soul in the car is willing to catch that Tiger Burger by the tail.

All of the food at Hi-D-Ho is fresh/never frozen.  Signage indicates to diners that they must
practice patience as everything is cooked to order.  After hours of driving, we were especially
hungry but the order came well before the snarling fits of "hanger" set in.  Our check included
fries, a BLT, and the Tiger Burger (a double-cheeseburger by any other name...).

Should we find ourselves in the friendly embrace of southern New Mexico again, we would gladly return to Alamogordo's hometown hero.  Hi-D-Ho may not satisfy all of our nostalgic longings, but its guileless charm and decades of stick-to-itiveness were more than enough to sate both our stomachs and our wacky tacky souls.

And 9-out-of-10 frowzy-haired, wild-eyed kids agree that you can keep
your hot-n-ready "Pizza! Pizza!"  We'll choose to "kick the gong around"
with Hi-D-Ho everytime!

From the white sands of Alamogordo, in the luxury of "a diamond car with platinum wheels," the Messrs. Tiny and Calloway send their regards with a "Hi-D, Hi-D-Ho!"

"Hi-De-Ho" - Cab Calloway

Hi-D-Ho Drive-In
414 White Sands Blvd
Alamogordo, NM
(575)437-6400


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Andre's Drive-In

Now, usually, I am not one for making new year's resolutions - much less, keeping them.  However, as the circumference around my equator (on an anatomically-correct body I believe it is referred to as a "waistline"???) ever increases, the changing of the calendar year seems like a adequately-arbitrary time to reign in the chronic binge-eating of the past few months.

"Yay!  I'm a fatty!!!!"

Before 2014 officially comes to a close, we have just enough time left to savor the sweet, sweet, burger-flavored memories of our trip to Bakersfield, CA and Andre's Drive-In (est. 1955).

Andre's Drive-In - Bakersfield, CA

With all of the surrounding cars, and electrical poles, and wires, it was difficult to capture Andre's at its most photogenic; surely, to most people it is about as plain a hamburger stand as California's Central Valley could muster.  I'll concede that without the finishing touches, it would merely be a stucco-clad, burger-dispensing, beige cube.  It is the genius of those simple finishing touches (see the optimistic script of the sign) that transform it from bland box to atomic space crab!

Sure, those splayed beams both anchor the building to the ground and frame the drive-thru, but they also create all kinds of form and dimension as the scuttling legs of our space crab.  I can't help but love the improbable use of DIY, corrugated siding and the remaining hand-painted signage still adorning the windows.  Did somebody say, "FRIED PIES?!?!!!"

The real delight at Andre's is the free-form, al fresco, dining room.
Undulating amongst the encroaching landscape, the curving benches are punctuated by floating,
kidney-shaped tables; they are perfect for dining alone or cuddling up with your new steady.

If the food was as good as the paintings in the window led us to believe, we were in for a real treat.  Seeing as how we had eaten only a short time before, Mary and I decided to opt for something on the "lighter side."

We acted like we were exhibiting some kind of restraint by splitting Andre's famous "French
Burger."  The fact is, as the sign so clearly states, the French Burger is actually two ham-
burgers made indistinguishable by the large french roll on which they are served.  But, hey, we
didn't order french fries or fried pies...so that's a healthy choice.

The French Burger left us questioning our own patriotism as all we could muster between sloppy, mustard-tinged bites was, "Vive la France!"  At "a million francs or three," we would definitely go Dutch on another French should we again find ourselves in the burger-friendly climes of Bakersfield!  

"La Marseillaise" from Casablanca (1942)

Do you have any resolutions for the new year?  Do you lie to yourself by eating half of a double-burger and then telling yourself that you are halfway to a one-hundred-percent vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo diet?  Whatever your issues, whatever your resolutions, we wish you and yours a very Happy New Year!!!

Andre's Drive-In

1419 Brundage Ln.

Bakersfield, CA

(661)322-0044

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Woolworth's 5 & 10 Luncheonette

What would you do if you had a time machine?  Like a lot of history enthusiasts, it is a question that often crosses my mind.  It might sound silly and superficial, but I would definitely employ my time machine for regular shopping trips to Woolworth's.  For me, a time machine would only be as good as the history I could bring "back to the future" with me; and the things I love most are the ephemeral objects offered at bargain prices from Woolworth's - greeting cards, holiday decorations, Halloween costumes, etc.  The city in which I grew up had a long-standing 5&10, Gilbert's, but by the time I had money enough to do my own shopping, the days of five and ten-cent items were long gone.  Gilbert's finally gave up the ghost in the 1990s when it could no longer be seen through the forest of Dollar Trees.

Even at the worst of times, in my entire life I have never shoplifted.  And yet, my favorite scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's is when Holly and Paul outwit the store detective to steal masks from the Woolworth's.  I've watched the scene over and over as much for the vicarious thrill of larceny as for creating a mental shopping list (masks included) should my Woolworth's/time travel scenario ever become a reality.

Woolworth's shoplifting scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's

Thankfully, there is a place that provides a bit of time travel without the necessity of a flux-capacitor.  In the heart of downtown Bakersfield, CA stands one of the only remaining Woolworth's Luncheonettes still in operation.  Built in 1936, the heyday for glorious Streamline storefronts, the building houses both the lunch counter and a bilevel antique store.  Excited to see a beautifully preserved retail environment and hungry from our drive, we made Woolworth's Luncheonette the first stop on Mr. Tiny's Bakersfield Birthday Bonanza!

Would you believe that this was Mr. Tiny's first visit to a proper luncheonette?
What was more exciting, lunch at a lunch counter or color coordinating?  I just don't know!

Purists might poo-poo the paltry cosmetic updates of the luncheonette.  Rather than wasting even one calorie on negativity, we tried to burn off our lunch in high praise of the folks who keep this landmark alive with the sites and smells of 20th-Century American life!

Sure, the red-vinyl barstools and checkerboard floor are a little corny but they are more than made up for by the gorgeous, curved, honey-blonde wood panelling punctuated by rose-gold mirrors, the terrazzo staircases with their Streamline Deco banisters, and the beautiful utility of all that classic, chrome, soda fountain fixturing! 

Don't go to Woolworth's expecting a full diner menu; you will find no meatloaf, no Adam and Eve on a raft, no blue plate special.  Proving that too many choices is not always a good thing, Woolworth's Luncheonette graciously limits the options to hamburgers, hot dogs, and a few sandwiches.  They do, however, offer a wide variety of old-timey fountain treats and some of the freshest lemonade I've ever tasted.

I don't know if it was just my surroundings leaving me defenseless against the
power of suggestion, but the hamburger actually tasted deliciously old-fashioned!

Even with full stomachs, a packed itinerary, and daylight burning, we couldn't bring ourselves to leave Woolworth's without at least a brief exploration of the antique store's offerings.

Since it was our first stop of the day, we didn't want to blow the birthday budget in one pop.  As
much as I was drooling over the graphics on this souvenir "Note Tote" with the original stationery
and letter opener, I settled instead on a few nicely-priced Christmas ornaments.

Had they fit in the wacky wagon (and had they been for sale),
I surely would have "settled" for this fantastic foursome as well!!! 

Without the benefit of time travel, I guess we'll never get the chance to turn a pocketful of change into a Woolworth's shopping spree.  Thankfully, there are thoughtful business owners who allow the visiting preservationists within us the opportunity to experience the same luxury of luncheonette service that Bakersfield residents have enjoyed for nearly eight decades.  Thanks to Woolworth's Luncheonette, we think we've found a million-dollar baby in the five-and-ten cent store!

"I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five and Ten Cent Store)" - Bing Crosby

Did you grow up frequenting your local five-and-dime?  Have you ever stopped at the Woolworth's in Bakersfield?  We encourage you to make Bakersfield more than a mere blur as you whiz by on your north or southbound travels; take the time to time travel with a stop at Woolworth's for a soda, a sandwich, and some shopping!

Woolworth's Luncheonette & Five-and-Dime Antique Mall
1400 19th St
Bakersfield, CA
(661)321-0061


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Bun 'N Burger

I have fallen off the "Healthy Eating" wagon so often that I've determined my best bet is simply to tether my cankle to the wagon and just get dragged behind, hoping for the best.  Predictably, the knot in the rope seemed to slip a little when I saw the neon wonder of a short-order cook proffering a hamburger in one hand and a piece of pie in the other.

Situated on a bustling corner of Alhambra's Main St, is an under-appreciated institution of Southern California's wartime gastronomy.  Looking from the outside like something straight out of a Hollywood movie's "Main St," Bun 'N Burger (est. 1941), is just shy of its 75th anniversary of serving America's greatest taste sensation, the burger ('n the bun too).

Bun 'N Burger - Alhambra, CA

The angled corner entry, the awnings, and that marvelous signage are all so wonderfully stereotypical of a burger joint of its vintage.  After countless disappointing, after-hours drives-by (why am I always in Alhambra after dark???), I was excited to finally get a chance to experience what lay beyond the locked doors of Bun 'N Burger.  

The obligatory red booths and counter stools are set solidly in place before formica tables and countertops.
I immediately fell head over heals for the gleaming, stainless-steel fixtures including that monstrous exhaust hood.
I would thrill to see the two-tone green color story of the exterior brought under foot in the form of linoleum tiles.

Quiet, quick, and courteous, the service at Bun 'N Burger is top notch.  I was so lost in snapping photos that the waitress finally had to snap me out of it just to take my order.  

Oh darn, I just missed menudo....

Convinced that I was making a healthy choice by ordering a grilled chicken sandwich with no cheese and no mayo (I might be the last person on Earth that foolishly does not consider bread the enemy), I realized that the waitress probably felt sorry for me and brought my sandwich with a side of guacamole (healthy fat and omega something something, right?) AND a side of fries.

Waffle-cut fries!!!
There would be no saving room for pie...

As well as "Professional Waffle-Cut Fry Connoisseur," one of my many dream jobs would be "Make-Under Artist."  As frequently and as fiercely as I tout the ideology, "Too much is never enough," I often think that what old-fashioned eateries could really tolerate is a heavy dose of good, old-fashioned decluttering - particularly where totally-unrelated miscellanea is concerned.  When will retro diners/coffee shops/et al. realize that were they all landmarks on old Route 66, the"Mother Road" would've been a highly-circuitous eight-million-miles long!

At some point in its history, Bun 'N Burger created an additional dining room by expanding into an adjoining space - as much to accommodate more guests as to accommodate the growing collection of reproduction Coca-Cola memorabilia, I'd wager.  Is it so wrong that I just want to see the streamlined bones of a streamline-era restaurant?  All Bun 'N Burger needs is a fair bit of curation by someone with a level head and a keen eye.  However, there are definitely a few select collectibles that I think should remain; I mean, who can resist a taxidermied swordfish?!!

And this loving tribute to the King...there's always
room in a wacky tacky environment for black velvet.

"Hot Dog" - Elvis Presley

What goes better together than hot dogs and hamburgers, I ask you?

Bun 'N Burger
1000 E Main St
Alhambra, CA
(626)281-6777


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Kitsch-en Kounter: Stadium Sliders & Football Potato Salad

The fact is I've never watched a Super Bowl game in my life (and Super Bowl XLVIII will be no exception).  I honestly don't know that I remember ever sitting through the entirety of any football game - the longest stretch being that panicky moment when I dropped the remote while channel surfing and got stuck on a channel devoted to the NFL.  "Why me," I pleaded aloud as my stubby fingers pawed the ground for the only thing standing between me and a very special "Tour of Southern California" episode of The Lawrence Welk Show.

Football?!!!  "PU!!!"
You ain't kidding Goofy...you ain't kidding.
(Source)

I don't understand football and I certainly don't understand the love of football.  I was the kid in PE who loved not having the ball thrown to me (and recoiled in abject horror when it was).  I was the kid who begged to be picked last for a team - more time to day dream about the complexities of "Tico Tico."  I try to tell myself that the love of football is the same as my love for The Lawrence Welk Show or my passion for accordion music but for the life of me, I just can't seem to find the connection.  Why is the Super Bowl practically a national holiday when Myron Floren's birthday passes each year without so much as a mention on the evening news?  I only stress the point to illustrate what a super fan of the Super Bowl (and sports in general) I am not.  Then again, I don't drink.  One thing I can get behind is a good party; and the Super Bowl is as good an excuse for a party as any.  A party, however, is only as good as its food.

The other day my friend posted a link to a recipe for something called a "Taco Ring;" the photo piqued my interest but the name and the ingredients left me cold.  Poppin' Fresh crescent rolls have their fine points (that coronary-inducing, dynamite explosion of dough when nervously peeling away the label) but filling a wreath of them with seasoned taco meat didn't seem like the best allocation of resources.  I wondered how I could tweak the brilliant idea to suit my wacky tacky tastes and create something adequate enough to satiate hardcore sports fans and weird enough to distract me from the tedium of an organized sporting event - Stadium Sliders!!!

The letterman patches are apropos of nothing really except to prove that I
was a little bit sporty; I lettered three times - in Academic Decathlon.  To
accompany the Stadium Sliders, I made a mock-potato salad out of potato
gnocchi.  Just look at them; they're all the shape of little footballs.  My
recipe calls for crumbled bacon, furthering the meal's "pigskin" premise.
I even presented the salad in a football-shaped serving bowl - when I
commit to a theme, I commit!

I called my riff on the original recipe (easily adaptable to red-meat-free or veggie diets) "Stadium Sliders" because the ring, topped with frilled toothpicks was, to me at least, reminiscent of a football stadium.  To make them, I par-cooked twelve slider-size burgers (I wanted them to finish cooking in the oven).  I unrolled the dough and, with wide sides toward the center, created a crescent roll starburst.  I centered the patties over the wide part of each roll and after topping the burgers with cheese, folded the points over the meat and baked the whole thing at 375º for twelve minutes.  Once the sliders were cooked, I filled the center and exterior of the ring with shredded lettuce (kind of like the stadium turf) and grape tomatoes (kind of football and/or helmet shaped) and speared each slider with a pickle and an olive.  With the usual condiment suspects available for folks to dress their burgers as they wished, the Stadium Sliders were ready to slice and eat.

As any good Kitsch-en Kounter gourmand knows, crescent roll dough comes in a tube of eight.  Because I only needed twelve to make the sliders, I filled the remaining four rolls with chocolate chips and made a football-shaped dessert!

By default (the colors of frilled toothpicks which I had on hand were blue &
orange), I suppose that I'm rooting for the Denver Broncos.  Yes, I do know
who's playing; in fact, I always manage to shock family and friends with my
uncanny ability to sweep the "Sports Team by City" category on Jeopardy.
 Just because I don't like sports doesn't mean I shouldn't have a perfunctory
knowledge should a sports-related conversation arise.  GO BRONCOS!!!
Or something...

This counts as a Bronco, right???

Are you a football fan?  Do you watch the game or do you focus on the food?  Are your responsible for making any of the game day fare?  For whom are you rooting this year?  However you're spending February 2, we hope that your heart (and your belly) are full!


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Howard's Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers

This, my friends, is an unprecedented Chow Time post.  I have made a promise to myself that I won't post about places that I haven't been.  I won't post about crafts I haven't made (unless I'm featuring a talented crafter that I have met/interviewed).  I won't shill merchandise that I have never tried or for which I have no affinity.  Basically, I won't manufacture a blog out of thin air (let's face it, there is nothing thin about me, even the very air I breathe) based on something about which I have no personal knowledge and/or experience...until now.

Howard's Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers - Culver City, CA

To be absolutely fair, I have been to Howard's Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers in Los Angeles, CA (see above photo); I just haven't eaten there.  The irrefutable flaw with that point is that I have no reasonable explanation for my self-inflicted fast.  Self control has never been one of my virtues and usually when confronted with a hamburger (a bacon & avocado burger no less), I go from willing participant to grease-stained glutton before I can even consider the option of abstinence.  At the time, I believe I heard myself say, "I'm not hungry;" knowing that those words have never before escaped my lips, I think I might have been temporarily possessed by some evil force (it says a lot about my character that several weeks after the fact, I'm still grieving the missed opportunity).  On that day, for reasons unknown, I watched as my compatriots enjoyed the spoils of Howard's famed kitchen while I sated myself with photos of the interior, the staff, the patrons, and of course the bacon & avocado.

While the menu looks extensive, it is essentially burgers, dogs, sandwiches, and fries.
The most important item on the menu is "Cash Only."

With the style and locale of a post-surf hangout, Howard's (est. 1971) really looks like a set from Village of the Giants, Fireball 500, or any number of low-budget teen movies from a particular era.  Happy with my surroundings, I learned that, aside from food, there is much to appreciate about Howard's Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers.

There's this, of course.

And this.
The dining room consists of about five formica booths that cradle diners
in the saturated tones of raspberry sorbet.  Old, faded lobby cards are
shellacked to wooden plaques as a half-hearted nod to the history of
the nearby studios.  The decor is so spare and unaffected that it almost
reads as intentional.

And this.
Although this is far from her greatest film, I am a sucker for Deanna!

And this.
Compositionally speaking, there is nothing even remotely redeeming
about this photograph, except for the confluence of COLOR!

The trash receptacle, enrobed in salmon and marine blue formica, set against
the aqua counter, mid-tone beadboard paneling, the orange scalloped molding
and grill hood, the quilted, stainless backsplash, the red fire extinguisher, the
creamy-vanilla walls, and the mint-green "Employees Only" area are mere
supporting players to that woman in the magical magenta ensemble!
Howard's is a colorful place.

Howard's could serve just about anything and I would still find its lack of refinements charming.  Nevertheless, with food paramount to the overall Chow Time experience, Nick & Cynthia were anxious to discover the glory of Howard's.

Cynthia shows off her Bacon & Avocado Taco (we were expecting a simple bacon & avocado taco
but it was actually a bacon & avocado cheeseburger taco!).  Nick, unamused by what he believed
to be Howard's ironic, post-modern plating style, dives into a bacon-free, veggie burger.

Howard's claim to fame is that they were the first to marry a hamburger with what I believe are the two ingredients that can be added to almost any food to improve the balance of flavor, texture, and the overall eating experience - bacon and avocado (at the very least, they were the first to make a giant billboard with marquee lights announcing the beautiful union).  We have friends who, after moving to California from the opposite coast, mock every menu that has something "California style,"(includes bacon and avocado).  Simultaneously filled with pride for California's delicious culinary contributions and pity for the tragedy of unrefined palates, I leave our friends unnamed in hope that, in their anonymity, they will have time to reflect on the shame of their speciousness (before they are deported from California's borders on the grounds of gastronomic treason).

The Bacon & Avocado Taco

Gratuitous fry shot

And then there was this.
It became clear with this photo that a proxy recommendation sufficed in honoring Howard's
with the wacky tacky Seal of Approval.  Much like a shark in attack mode, Cynthia was so
intent on devouring her combination bovine/porcine prey that her eyes rolled back in her head.

"Mmmmm...them's good taco burger!"
(Source)

I genuinely appreciate the signage and the seating and the swell atmosphere at Howard's, but next time, there will be burger!

Howard's Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers

11127 Venice Blvd #7

Los Angeles, CA

(310)838-9111

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Ben's Chili Bowl

The explosion of colorful signs juxtaposed against the neoclassical details of the
 building creates the kind of thrilling discord that makes our wacky tacky hearts
skip a beat...or maybe its just too many hot dogs and chili.

When discussing long-established Washington, D.C. institutions, The Smithsonian very quickly springs to mind.  Well, after just two short days in the nation's capitol, it became clear that there are institutions and then there are INSTITUTIONS!  Ben's Chili Bowl is a Washington INSTITUTION.

The founder of Ben's Chili Bowl, Ben Ali

In the same location since 1958, Ben's is a favorite of just about everyone.  Among the usual monuments, museums, and mausoleums, nearly every recommendation we received for our trip included a stop for a "Half Smoke" at Ben's. 

The "Half Smoke," a smokey, grilled link in a natural casing,
is clearly the favorite here .  Only one sad, little row of regular
hot dogs populates the flat top grill.

There is definitely a well-heeded protocol at Ben's - NO NONSENSE.  Like many culinary institutions of its kind, Ben's expects patrons to know their order before they even set foot in the ever-present line.  The practice of curtness is one with which I've always experienced a measurable level of cognitive dissonance.  On one hand, I love the tradition and the expectation that patrons won't create an undue delay by hemming and hawing and creating special orders; on the other hand, I wonder, "Would a sweet disposition and a smile be so terribly misplaced?"  Just be warned, one thing you will not get at Ben's is a folksy welcome and a tolerance for indecision. 

What you might get is a celebrity sighting.
Mr. President & Mr. Cosby - two of Ben's most famous patrons

Why is it always the people who need it the least get all the freebies?

A contrarian by nature, I have been accused of having difficulty "going with the flow."  When any person, place, product becomes a "big thing," the overwhelming tendency is for me to turn up my nose and turn the other way.  Knowing the code of conduct at Ben's, I overcame my ordinary obstinacy and ordered the standard Half Smoke like a regular.

Ben's famous "Half Smoke" comes with mustard, onions, the eponymous chili, and a side of Utz's potato Chips. 

So dainty...eating with a knife and fork.
I am an inveterate spiller - a trait inherited from my
grandmother.  You could almost always tell what she had
eaten base on the spots remaining on her  ample bosom
(the apple doesn't fall far from the proverbial tree).

Veggie Chili Cheese fries - shared among our crowd.
I preferred the veggie chili to the beef option.

"How did I manage to get it all over my face while drinking through a straw?"

As always, I am happy to visit regional institutions and partake in their famous offerings. The Half Smoke was tasty but maybe didn't quite live up to the hype that it received.  The funny thing is that it never occurred to me until now that ordering a bowl of chili was an option at Ben's Chili Bowl!  I would say that next time I would order a bowl of veggie chili but Ben's felt more like a check mark than a return engagement - a definite must-see, must-eat, must-experience but one time only.

I was hoping that the boomerang formica didn't prove
some kind of ominous foreshadowing...I did not want
 this meal repeating on me.  It didn't.

Sometimes the best part about road trip food is the detox afterward.  As tasty as chili dogs and french fries can be, there is such a renewal in fresh, unprocessed food.  I say this from the safety of my home with a buffer of 2,500 miles between us; this kind of heresy would not be smiled upon by Ben's management (to say nothing of the dedicated patrons).

I echo Ben's sentiments in saying, "Thank You...Come Again."

Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U Street NW
Washington, D.C.
(202)667-0909

www.benschilibowl.com


Cheers!

Mr. Tiny