After mortgaging your house for that Craigslist apartment an hour outside the District just to attend Barack Obama's Inauguration Festivities, it's unlikely that black truffle tasting dinners will be on the menu for you. But some of the best food in DC is also some of the cheapest. Here are five picks for the best local bargains:
Ben's Chili Bowl: This historic U Street diner opened in 1958, and it's been a late-night hangout for everyone from Miles Davis to Martin Luther King Jr. This year the restaurant celebrated its 50th anniversary and the election of the first black president, who has joined Bill Cosby in gaining the right to unlimited free food. You can get a window into history for the bargain price of $4.95 with their Chili Half-Smoke, a quarter pound half-pork, half-beef sausage on a bun smothered in mustard, onions and spicy chili sauce. 1213 U St. NW]]>