3 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- 9NEWS NOW spotted Comedian Sinbad aka David Adkins chatting with his cousin inside Ben's Next Door Restaurant on U St.
Sinbad is one of the guests honoring comedian Bill Cosby, the recipient of the 12th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. The award ceremony takes place inside the Kennedy Center. Sinbad says he does not know what he will say exactly in his speech. But the significance of this award is clear for the comedian.
"The whole thing about the Mark Twain award is, whose humor has touched the world? There's a lot of funny people, but whose humor has touched the world? Made the world a better place? And that describes Bill Cosby to a tee!" says Sinbad while sitting at the bar.
Sinbad's clean-cut style of humor has been compared to Bill Cosby's "no profanity" stand-up routines.
The fans surrounding Sinbad spoke highly of Cosby, attributing him to breaking racial barriers within the entertainment industry.
And just next door to Ben's Next Door, is a restaurant known to be a Cosby favorite, the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. Images of Cosby wearing a Ben's Chili Bowl apron adorn the walls of the restaurant famous for its chili half smokes and frequent celebrity visits.
"Bill [Cosby] fell in love with the first bite of half smoke," says Maurice Harcum, the manager at Ben's.
Restaurant owner Nazim Ali adds the restaurant may be nostalgic for Cosby because he dated his wife, Camille, at Ben's.
"He's a very close friend of our family. And he comes in from time and time," says Ali.
Regular customers like Maurice Jones adds, over the years, Ben's Chili Bowl has become an "institution" for where people can go "just to run into people." The walls of the restaurant are a testament to the restaurant's star power. Visitors can see photographs of celebrities including President Barack Obama and actor Denzel Washington.
Written by Elizabeth Jia
9NEWS NOW & WUSA9.com
