Anthony Bourdain Hearts Ben's Chili Bowl
So where does Anthony Bourdain – chef, writer, traveler - spend his night after bumping elbows with six of D.C.’s top chefs? Unsurprisingly, at Ben’s Chili bowl.
Keeping true to his inclinations for “adventurous” eating, Anthony Bourdain visited famed Ben’s Chili Bowl Tuesday night after having MC’ed D.C.’s annual Capital Food Fight.
“I loved it, it’s the kind of food I like,” responded Bourdain to a question during the Q&A session of his sold-out talk at Lisner Auditorium Wednesday night. “There’s something about ground mystery meat sitting under a burner at a suspect temperature,” said Bourdain, adding that to eat like him, one must love, “… spending quality time in the bathroom.”
Bourdain’s lecture, presented by the Smithsonian, was part of a promotional tour for his new book No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach.
Dressed in his signature tight jeans and pointed cowboy boots and dropping half a dozen F-bombs, a trio of Rachael Ray jokes, and a smattering of other curse words, Bourdain gave the crowd the persona they had come to adore, but unfortunately not much else.
Photo of Bourdain from his website.
Much of his talk was spent showing clips from his popular Travel Channel show, No Reservations, while gushing adorations for foreign food cultures and haranguing the sad state of food in America. Fast food culture, the organic/cruelty-free food craze, Food Network chefs, and truffle oil were among his targets. However, for anyone who remotely follows Bourdain’s shows, books, or various website posts, he shared very little new or exciting.
When asked to comment on the D.C. food scene specifically, Bourdain noted the influx of great chefs into the area as well as those who have laid footprints in our area, including Jose Andres, Michel Richard, and Jean-Louis Paladin. Summing up his thoughts, he said, “It’s getting good.”
Perhaps Bourdain was just a bit cranky from taking care of his new daughter or recently having quit his notable chain smoking, but one noteworthy point that I took away from last night: “When faced with a charging Rachael Ray, you need to take her down in one shot.”