Ben’s Chili Bowl, the historic U Street half-smoke and chili-cheese fries hangout is planning to get bigger. Kamal and Nizam Ali--sons of Chili Bowl founders Ben and Virginia Ali--have their hands on the next door space that once housed the Casbah nightclub. They’ve recruited Goetz Architects, who also designed Central Michel Richard, to spiff up the 3,000 square foot space. Also in the works: a liquor license. But don’t start craving a cold one just yet: According to Kamal, the tentative opening date for the new space is over a year away--August of ‘08 at the earliest...

...Corduroy chef/owner Tom Power plans to move his foodie-favorite restaurant from its dullsville space on K Street to new quarters near the Convention Center (1122 Ninth St., NW). He’ll vacate his current dining room in the Four Points Sheraton--the hotel is set to be demolished--in January, and hopes to have the new three-story digs ready the following month...

...Pam Ginsberg, the much blogged-about butcher who used to preside over the meat counter at Cleveland Park’s Brookeville Market, is now wielding her knife at Wagshal’s (4845 Massachusetts Ave., NW) in Spring Valley...

Since writing my July column on the joys of rosé wines in the heat of summer, I’ve tasted a few more that drive home the point that these are fun, delightful wines to take the edge off the season’s heat.

One I especially enjoyed was La Bastide Blanche Bandol 2006 ($17), which is pale orange in color with scents and flavors of orange peel, cherries and strawberries. The Domaine de Nizas 2006 Coteaux du Languedoc ($18) is a darker red color with more exuberant fruit flavors, but still quite dry and refreshing. From Spain comes Fra Guerau 2006 Montsant ($14), a juicy blend of Syrah, Tempranillo and Merlot.

I even found one in my cellar from last year – Daniel Crochet Sancerre Rosé 2005 ($18), a Pinot Noir that paired beautifully with grilled Alaskan salmon. Ah, summer!

How about a specialty martini to wash down that half-smoke? Ben’s Chili Bowl, a U Street institution since 1958, is not immune to the gentrification taking place in its neighborhood. The Examiner reported yesterday that brothers Kamal and Nizam Ali—the sons of Ben’s founders Ben and Virginia Ali—have their hands on the former nightclub next door and plan to turn it into a second location with a lounge-y vibe and hopefully, a liquor license.

Goetz Architects—the firm that designed Central Michel Richard’s chic, blond-wooded dining room—has signed on to the project. Does that mean we should expect something sleek and upscale in Ben's yet-to-be-named next-door spot?  Not so fast. “The Chili Bowl is a classic - it won’t change,” Kamal Ali told me. “The new space will be something complementary. We’re slowly devising what we want to do with it.” The projected opening date: August of 2008, at the earliest.

In its half-century of operation, Ben’s Chili Bowl has never served alcohol—“it’s always been a family place”—but Ali hopes to acquire a liquor license for the new space, because “maybe you want a cold beer with your chili dog.”  Now that’s more like it.

I tend to be wary of cocktails with cute “-tini” suffixes, but Poste’s Basil Lemontini is a delicious exception. Basil-infused house-made lemonade is mixed with Ketel One Citroen and a splash of sparkling wine for a light, refreshing drink that still packs a little punch. Served in a frosty glass, it’s the perfect libation for a summer evening on the restaurant’s shady patio.

Poste, 555 Eighth St., NW; 202-783-6060; Postebrasserie.com.  

Hook pastry chef Heather Chittum shares her love for hip-hop and glazed donuts.

Like many Government majors, Heather Chittum was smitten with the ring of "Congress" and "filibustering ." She was into the White House, not chef whites. So when she graduated from Massachusetts’s Clark University,  she headed straight for the Hill to work for then New York Senator Daniel Moynihan. Four years later,  she transitioned into another very Washington realm--the non-profit sector. Her job at Share our Strength (SOS), an organization dedicated to ending childhood hunger, combined food with politics. It also connected Chittum with some of the country's best chefs.

In 2001, Chittum left the political scene for the world of pie molds and flourless cakes. She studied pastry at L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg. Once graduated, she landed a job at Equinox, as then-pastry chef Lisa Scruggs’s assistant. She moved on up to become head pastry chef at Circle Bistro, Dish, and Notti Bianchi, where husband Anthony Chittum was head of the kitchen. Then she left for Citronelle. Working under the city's bearded culinary genius Michel Richard was a huge career move, especially since he's a 15-year pastry chef vet himself.

Now, Chittum is back in charge as pastry chef at the three-month old sustainable fish restaurant Hook in Georgetown. Espousing executive chef Barton Seaver's "no farms, no food" philosophy, she orders only locally-grown ligonberries and buttermilk from free-range cows. Maybe it's her political justice days creeping up on her again, but food and politics have always gone hand-in-hand for this Washington pastry chef. Here are some more of her favorite things.

Next Thursday evening, local teens get a taste of Iron Chef-style competition at the Hotel Monaco (700 F Street, NW). At the first annual Brainfood Grill-Off, guests can watch the showdown while listening to live entertainment and nibbling on lobster medallions, tuna tartare, crabcakes and more. All proceeds support Brainfood, a nonprofit that uses food and cooking to teach life skills and healthy living to teenagers from DC high schools.

Cathal Armstrong, who now presides over the mini-empire of Restaurant Eve/Eamonn’s/PX/The Majestic, took top honors at the 25th anniversary RAMMY awards, winning Chef of the Year. Nathan Beauchamp of 1789 was named Rising Culinary Star, and New Restaurant of the Year went to Rasika in Penn Quarter...

...Pastry chef Lisa Scruggs has left Alexandria’s Buzz. Taking over as the bakery's top toque is Josh Short, who recently sold From Scratch Baking Co., his Charlottesville shop, and moved back into the city. Short previously handled the desserts at DC’s Zola and Red Sage...  

...Across the street from Buzz at Rustico, beer popsicles—a favorite of Counterintelligence—are now officially on the menu. Chef Frank Morales and beer director Greg Engert created three flavors for the summer: “Raspbeer-y” made with St. Louis Framboise, “Plum” with Chapeau Mirabelle, and “Fudgesicle” with Bell’s Kalamazoo stout. Traditional pops are $4 and larger beer “cones” go for $6...

...the City Paper raves about Taqueria Nacionale, Ann Cashion’s takeout joint behind Johnny’s Half Shell on Capitol Hill, where authenic tacos with “succulent chunks of plate meat that provide just the right amount of resistance” are $2.50 a piece...

...Komi’s Johnny Monis appears on the July cover of Food and Wine with his nine fellow Best New Chef honorees. No shocker there, since the winners were announced in April, but we did enjoy a photo inside the magazine of Monis—named one of Washingtonian’s 25 Most Beautiful People last year—adorably peeking over a tower of bread...

...This weekend, celebrate every variation of American ‘cue when the National Capital Barbecue Battle takes over Pennsylvania Avenue between 9th and 14th streets. Competitors are serious about their meat, but everyone can fill up on ribs, brisket, and pulled pork in the sampling pavilion. The cook-off winner gets $25,000 and will represent the Mid-Atlantic at the Barbecue World Championship in Memphis next May.