Obama Treats D.C. Mayor to Local Meal

Washington’s historic fast-food joint Ben’s Chili Bowl got even more crowded Saturday afternoon as President-elect Barack Obama treated D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty to a grease-heavy lunch. The president-elect ordered a chili half-smoke, a hot dog with a special sauce that the restaurant’s owners say has been used for fifty years at the black-owned restaurant in the predominantly African-American community of U Street. Mr. Fenty, whose love for his workout routine is as well-known as the president-elect’s within the district, had cheese fries and a bottle of water. Mr. Obama collected his order from the counter after posing with diners and staff in all three rooms of the restaurant, whose most famous patron previously was television actor Bill Cosby. The president-elect paid with a $20 bill and told the counter-attendant who asked if he wanted change: “No, we’re straight.” The two men sat at a small table under a framed copy of an earlier mayor’s ... (link)