What is street food? Street food is good food that's not fancy. It's a great meal you can order quickly, yet without feeling like you're supposed to leave fast. It's food the locals usually know about--food that you don't feel strange eating by yourself, but are always glad to reveal to a special friend. Street food costs less than $10 per person. You order it at the counter, or at least pay for it there.
Ode To A Greasy Spoon
by Akio StriblingBesides courteous drivers and the right to vote, DC sorely lacks decent authentic diners. Diner connoisseurs looking for the classic chrome boxcar shape are forced to go to the Tastee Diners in Silver Spring, Bethesda, or Fairfax. The recent diner revival, epitomized by the Silver Diner chain, only makes one long for the real thing. A place that serves pasta primavera and a $9 glass of merlot has no business calling itself a diner.
One could measure the decline in the quality of urban life with the gradual disappearance of the neighborhood diner and the rise of factory food. No longer do we linger over plates of meatloaf and mashed potatoes or roast chicken with cranberry sauce, or savor the simple pleasures of that endangered species, the chilidog. In their place we have homogenized fast food that contains slightly less nourishment than the styrofoam packing in which they are served. There was a time when fast food was a reward instead of a punishment, but that time will soon be a distant memory.
Lucky for Shaw residents, we have two examples of a vanishing breed: homecooked affordable meals served in an authentic atmosphere. All are a short walk from the U Street Metro and each serves a distinct clientele.
Florida Avenue GrillAkio Stribling
1100 Florida Ave., NW
Washington
202/265-1586For over 40 years, the Florida Avenue Grill has been heating it up and scraping it off for Shaw residents and visitors alike. Housed at an unassuming comer of 12th and Florida, the Grill provides ample parking for those wary of making the trek on foot.
The Grill's cramped interior houses the long linoleum counter, chrome stools, and upholstered booths that diner enthusiasts expect. On weekends, it's standing room only for the post-church and Sunday brunch set. While you're waiting for your seat, take in the hundreds of celebrity photos that cover the walls. The famous and not-so-famous gaze down on plates of steaming ham and eggs, sausage and gravy, and grits, and the mugs of good hot coffee. Take your time going through the menu--the wait staff is usually swamped.
There's not much here for the vegetarian, but you don't come to the Grill for falafel and hummus. The fried chicken is simple and unassuming and makes for a satisfying meal with a side of collard greens. Those in a breakfast mood should consider the sausage and hash browns. One note of caution: the old saw "order what's on the menu" is highly encouraged. My companion consistently substitutes items on her order and has yet to get exactly what she wanted. Stick to the basics and you won't be disappointed, with one caveat. The Springfield ham could do with a bit more boiling--there's enough salt left in to give you high blood pressure just by looking at it.
Although more a quaint novelty than a place to dine at regularly, the Florida Avenue Grill is still worth going to with visiting friends looking for a homecooked meal. Go during the week, sit at the counter, order a cup of coffee, and soak up the ambience.
Ben's Chili Bowl
1213 U St. NW
Washington
202/667-0909Long a staple of the late night imbibing crowd, Ben's Chili Bowl has been around almost as long as the Florida Avenue Grill, and for good reason. Ben's Chili Bowl does one thing and they do it extremely well. Club patrons along U Street and as far as Adams Morgan are willing to make the hoof-it to Ben's for two simple reasons: chili dogs and cheese fries. Humanity has yet to invent a better way to top off an evening of wrist raising than to consume hotdogs and halfsmokes smothered in chili. Humanity doesn't need to.
Immediately upon entering Ben's, the patron is bathed in the delectable aroma of hotdogs sizzling on the grill. Make your way past the carryout line, pull up a stool at the counter, and flag down one of the harried servers. Don't bother with the menu posted above the grill. While you could order a variety of breakfast items from scrambled eggs and sausage to salmon cakes, the star of the show is the eponymous chili.
Ironically, the vegetarian with the late night munchies is fairly well served at Ben's. Veggie burgers are available; those used to the store-bought freezer section variety will not be surprised or disappointed. However, the vegetarian chili is surprisingly good, its spiciness compensating for its lack of toothsome ground beef. It's a standard textured vegetable protein in a tomato-based sauce with aromatic spices and just enough heat to keep you warm on the long walk home. The texture is balanced out with black beans and is delicious over fries. The non-vegan chili is bean-free, and it's just as well. The mixture is a rich ground beef concoction with plenty of body and works well over fries, dogs, or burgers, or all by itself.
The true esthetic of Ben's involves impaling your late night hunger cravings on the twin spears of halfsmoke and cheese fry. The former is a dense, juicy mass of voluptuous pink meat, its casing offering just the right amount of resistance after having spent a half an hour or more on the open grill. The latter is a tongue-searing treat smothered in orange-yellow goop that has to be experienced to be believed. The motley crew of pub crawlers, barflies, and danceclub denizens makes dining at Ben's an experience in itself.
Open until 3 am, Ben's Chili Bowl offers what DC needs a lot more of: after-midnight dining with free entertainment.
