Courtesy of DCist.com
Very sad news for D.C. residents and lovers of half-smokes the world over: Ben Ali, co-founder of Washington institution Ben's Chili Bowl, passed away Wednesday night, (as City Desk also reports). He was 82.
Ali, along with his wife, Virginia, had long since handed over control of the landmark eatery to their two sons, Kamal and Nizam, but his presence there continues to loom large. The chili, half-smokes, cheese fries and shakes that have made Ben's Chili Bowl famous since it opened in 1958 are still prepared the same way today as they were when Ben and Virginia first started. Apart from its food, Ben's Chili Bowl is most famous for being the only U Street business to have survived the looting associated with the 1968 riots.
On the Ben's Chili Bowl web site today, a photo and tribute to Ben have replaced the usual restaurant announcements. It reads:
June 13, 1927-October 7,2009
The Ali Family and all of th Ben's Chili Bowl and Ben's Next Door Family
want to thank Ben Ali for leading this legacy
and allowing us to follow in his dream
We miss you and love you.
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