Justin S.
Yelp
For lunch on Wednesday I arrived for the day's special - crispy garlic chicken. The chicken had an appropriate amount of crispiness without being oily or dry. The accompanying cucumbers, while simple, seemed quite fresh. Quite notably, the table had black bean sauce that carried such a complex flavor of umami from anchovies that it must have been homemade. No mass-produced black bean sauce would be more ingredient than sauce and that fragrant.
The experience of going to Ben's merits mention. Even at 11:45 AM on Wednesday, 15 minutes after opening, Ben's was already full. A quick rapport with David, manning the cashier and front counter, gave me an hour's estimate for the wait. which proved quite accurate. As I waited outside and grabbing some Tsingtaos from the fridge, David, despite the rush, made conversation multiple times (aside from suggesting the beers) and talked about what orders had been lined up and I could piggyback off/change to get my order more quickly. He also discussed what times of the day have off-peak hours and that Wednesday was extra busy w/the daily special.
Despite the long wait, I had an enjoyable time, which offsets my normal annoyance. The meal, simple yet fresh and satisfying, accompanied with the homemade black bean sauce, cements Ben's as an indispensable place to me. For those looking for a quick lunch, this most certainly is not the venue for you. However, I quite enjoyed what I consider the epitome of the mom-and-pop experience.