August 31, 2010 | 7:49 PM | By

Nas was at Ben’s Chili Bowl

FILED UNDER: Delightful City, Food, U Street

Nas, working up an appetite at Rock The Bells on Sunday

On Sunday, I saw Nas surprise DC-area hip-hop fans at Rock The Bells; that’s a picture of him I snapped as he performed with the Wu-Tang Clan.  The night after that, he headlined a sold-out show with Damian Marley, at the 9:30 club. And on the third day, Nas rested. By eating at Ben’s. He even posed for a nice picture with Virginia Ali.

News of his visit to the iconic chili joint fleetly flew across Twitter this afternoon, inspiring the City Paper to ask, “Oh, Nas! We dig Ben’s, but it’s really an out-of-towner cliche, no?”

I dig Ben’s too, whether it’s a cliche, a tourist-mecca or any other phrase people like to employ when describing it. Any place that serves vegetarian chili with a smile while singing along to Motown classics is fine by me. Call me (and Nas!) cliched and call it a day.

About the author

DCentric was created to examine the ways race and class interact in Washington, D.C., a city with a vibrant mix of cultures and neighborhoods. Your guides to the changing district are reporters Anna John and Elahe Izadi. View all posts by Anna →