"Home of the Famous Chili Dog", boasts the sign above the scrub-scarred formica counter lined with red bar stools. Ben's Chili Bowl has sat on Washington's U Street, once dubbed Black Broadway, for just short of half a century, with menu and décor defiantly unchanged. Since 1958, throat-scorching chili and ground meat sauce have been generously poured over hotdogs, burgers and fries. You can even order extra chilli by the gallon. The only modern addition is the constant crackle of baseball on the TV in the corner.
The U Street corridor, as every quarter of this capital, is racially divided and politically allied. Open through the night, Ben's Chili Bowl has long been a hangout for black artists, from Nat King Cole to Bill Cosby, comedian turned political commentator and supporter of Jesse Jackson's early presidential ambitions.
In Washington DC, politics is always on the menu. From the Bowl's doveish half-smoke dog to chief hawk Bush's favourite desert pecan pie, every à la carte item has an allegiance. In DC, it's not taste but political flavour that determines what you eat.
For as long as Ben's Chili Bowl regulars can remember, the "You Eat. You Pay" white paper sign pinned to the cash register has had a small star scribbled next to it letting patrons know only one customer didn't have to cover their check - Bill Cosby. But now, there's another name next to the asterix – Obama. Then it lists the president elect's whole family – his wife Michelle, and his daughters Malia and Sasha.
None of the Obamas have visited Ben's yet. But the down-at-heel diner is not the only eating establishment in DC that hopes to attract presidential custom. Safari DC on Georgia Avenue, an unpromising corridor the Washington Post described as "tattered by time, drugs and neglect", is owned by William and Alice Mukabane and is the only Kenyan restaurant in the capital. Posters and photographs of Barack and Michelle hang behind the bar in an area they've dubbed Obama Corner. The centerpiece is a large white banner where customers have scrawled well wishes. Four squares remain empty, reserved for the future first family's signatures.
The Willard on The Mall is only a mile, but a whole culinary continent away. Here the menu is class-conscious, the clientele more corporate. Amid the Willard's potted palms and marble columns, barman Jim Hewes has devised a list of presidential cocktails to suit all political palates. This isn't a refuge for the political protester, but the residence of presidents; the hotel has hosted every incumbent since Abraham Lincoln.
Hewes is on first name terms with the politically famous. When he says George, he means the one in his last days at the White House just a couple of blocks west. But Bush must be a disappointment to this veteran mixer and shaker. The Texan hasn't had a drink for over 20 years, so the last mix to join Hewes' presidential cocktail menu was The George W Bush – Coca-Cola, slice of lemon.
Hewes hedged his bets during the presidential elections, creating a libation for each of the two candidates. For John McCain he mixed Belvedere vodka on the rocks, "a straight forward, clean and refreshing bracer". For Obama it was far more complex - flavored vodka with fresh fruit and cream, "served tall and cool".
Spouse of the new secretary of state elect Clinton – Bill, as Hewes calls him – is a more democratic kind of drinker. "He's a, 'When in Rome, drink as the Romans do' kinda guy," says Hewes. "'I'll have what he's having' – that's his drink. He connects with you. He has a way of intimating you're his best friend."
Bill, George and Barack would all be welcome at The Caucus Room, a surf 'n' turf style establishment with dark buttoned leather booths and polished brass, a spit from the Senate offices. This restaurant says it "serves bipartisan", as if it were a dish cooked up in their kitchen. Founded by two prominent politicians – one Democrat, one Republican – it's a rare place where opposing parties can congenially dine together. This is a town where sharing a side dish of onion strings could be perceived as an act of political treachery.
Back at Ben's Chili Bowl, it's all a little more relaxed. The dogs are grilling and Motown belts out from the juke box. Back in '68, when the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King were raging along Black Broadway, the Bowl was the only place to stay open, offering chili and comfort to activists trying to restore calm. If only they'd then known where Dr King had written his famous I Have a Dream speech; in a room at the upmarket and ever so conservative Willard.
Getting there
Several major airlines fly direct from London to Washington Dulles including KLM, Delta, Northwest, BA, Virgin Atlantic and United and US Airways. Prices currently available from around £320rtn. Search and book flights at travelsupermarket.com
