This place is a washington institution and the chilli dog was amazing- called a half smoke it was a smoked sausage in a bun covered with tasty rich chilli, think my shirt wore most of it.  The place was packed and no wonder why.  The restaurant has been open since 1958 and came to fame during the assassination of Martin Luther King when much of the area was burnt down in riots. Bens was one of the few places which was unharmed and became a symbol of the protest serving food to the people trying to help and restore order.  The walls were covered in photographs of celebs who have visited and there was everyone you can imagine on the wall,   It is meant to be one of Obama’s favorite places and he has been known to drop in and grab a chilli dog even the French President dropped in for a bite to eat recently. There was a sign on the wall saying  Only Obama family and Bill Crosby Eat Free- everyone else pays no exception. Dont know why Bill Crosby is so special?