Welcome back to another edition of What’s That You Say?, where the comments we feature are almost as good as the lunch at Eastern Market on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

We start not on the Hill, but on U Street. It really seems like there’s few topics that get people’s opinions going like the venerable Ben’s Chili Bowl, celebrating its 50th birthday this month. And whether you find the restaurant indispensable or you want to pick holes in its rudimentary set-up, Ben’s is a vital slice of the District of Columbia’s character. So when we read mdove11‘s 50th anniversary toast, we had to award it our Comment of the Week:

Really? We are that jaded that we have to go after Ben’s? I see Ben’s as just what it is: a late night hot dog joint. It happens to be open late, which is something of a rarity in this city, especially prior to the last 4 years, so it did a lot of business. I’d say half the “mythic” reputation could have been attributed to just that. When I moved here, I lived on 13th and U and it was simply the only place to go late, so it became a go-to location. But to be honest, one of the main reasons I kept coming back was the super kind service. Service I don’t think I or you could have mustered (no pun intended) in the face of the drunk-ass, d-bag clientele.

It’s hardly the best food in town. I had to give it up after growing my Ben’s 15 (living around the corner will do that), but let’s not forget the reason it is being celebrated. 50 years. On U St. The perseverance to keep the doors open and the business going over that time is remarkable and commendable. No other business in that area can boast such a record. In a city that seems to only respect the establishments and histories of the buildings on the Mall, we should celebrate this true landmark of our (speaking for me, and probably many of you) adopted home.

I lift my cherry milkshake to you, Ben Ali and Virginia: quite an achievement.

After the jump, all the rest from the week that was in the comments.

Photo by NCinDC