There may be a lot of partisanship in D.C. these days, but one thing locals can agree on is that Ben’s Chili Bowl rocks. In 1958, Ben Ali and his new bride, Virginia, began renovations on a small building at 1213 U Street. Completely unbeknownst to them, their modest business venture would eventually become a cherished neighborhood institution visited by both locals, tourists and superfans like Bill Cosby and President Obama. Ben’s famous “half-smokes” (half-pork and half-beef smoked sausages) have been topped with their spicy, top-secret chili recipe since the day they opened, making them a national treasure. If only Nicolas Cage could solve the mystery of Ben’s chili… For now, we’ll just have to settle for it being sent straight to our door.