Ben's Chili Bowl 50th Anniversary Brings Out 1,200 Fans for Gala

Last week, Ben's Chili Bowl—the U street mainstay, and home of the famed "Chili Half-Smoke"—kicked off its three-day 50th anniversary celebration. On Thursday night, the restaurant opened with a 1,200-person free gala (tickets were given out at Ben's the week before) at the Lincoln Theatre, featuring nostalgic words from M.C. Bill Cosby (a longtime customer) and a performance from Roberta Flack.

Mayor Fenty came out the next day for a U street block party in front of the restaurant that included carnival games and a sneak preview of Ben's work-in-progress expansion. To wrap up the revelry, the 9:30 Club hosted an eight-hour free concert (with sponsorship from Coca-Cola) on Sunday, with performances from Wes Felton & Friends, EU, Trouble Funk, and Mambo Sauce.