TOP STOPS

Aged Chili: Nizam Ali and Tracey Bennett Gold

topstopbens.jpg BEN'S CHILI BOWL has seen it all. From the days when U Street was a "Black Broadway" until now, as it is being aggressively gentrified.

Opened by West Indian immigrant Mahaboob Ben Ali and his wife, Virginia Ali, in 1958, the hot dog and chili (and cheese. mmm) shop is now overseen by their sons, Nizam and Kamal Ali.

Nizam recently paired up with local writer and historian Tracey Gold Bennett to document "The Bowl's" importance in D.C. and its community in a book, "Ben's Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington D.C. Landmark."

Tonight the pair is at another U Street area destination — Busboys and Poets — to discuss the work and sign copies. A chili-cheese half-smoke post- or pre-book talk is a must.

» Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St. NW; Mon., Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m., free; 202- 387-7638. (U St.-Cardozo)

Photo by Marvin Joseph for The Washington Post

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