The Half Smoke Benedict at Ten 01 (illustration by Josh Kramer).
by DCist contributor Josh Kramer
Who needs a cellphone camera when you have a pen and paper? Drawn to Flavor highlights local dishes and drinks in vivid watercolor. In these posts, Illustrator and journalist Josh Kramer tries to honor all the energy and creativity that goes into making food beautiful and delicious.
Right on trend, Ten 01’s menu features new twists on old favorites, like granola made with Cap’n Crunch cereal and johnny cakes topped with beer-braised apples. The name itself comes from the address, 1001 H Street NE, but, more importantly, at least when it comes to understanding the true inspiration for the menu, the restaurant is both an offshoot of and located directly above the newest Ben’s Chili Bowl, on the H Street corridor.
Which brings us to the Half Smoke Benedict. Balancing precariously on top of surprisingly moist and rich cornbread is that half smoke sausage — the kind of thing usually inhaled at 3 a.m. after a few too many beers, and presumably from right off the Ben’s Chili Bowl grill downstairs—along with sautéed spinach, pickled vegetables, very French-fry-like “potato sticks”, and a barbecue sauce-spiked hollandaise. A poached egg is tucked in on the side. The plate could barely contain it. But as messy as the whole thing was, it was nonetheless very tasty.
With the half smoke representing perhaps the city’s only indigenous street food, Ben’s Chili Bowl provides a true mirror for D.C.’s evolution. Originally opened in 1958, Ben’s was said to be a safe zone in the midst of the 1968 riots, then managed to survive the ensuing decades of economic uncertainty along the U Street corridor to became a centerpiece of its revitalization. Only after about 50 years did the owners start to expand, building new restaurants in Arlington, National Airport, Nationals Park, and FedEx Field. They also created Next Door, a first attempt at an upscale bar and restaurant adjacent to the original Ben’s.
Bringing their U Street success to another riot-ravaged part of the city that has been undergoing a rebirth, Ben’s owners have not only provided inexpensive chili dogs and cheese fries on the H Street corridor, but, with Ten 01, a place to sit on the rooftop and watch the sun setting over the Capitol while drinking cocktails. Or to have a half smoke — for brunch.
Ten 01, 1001 H Street NE; brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
