NY Times Ponders the "Real DC"

For those who may not have seen it, the NY Times ran an article today discussing the revival of certain dilapidated DC neighborhoods, with a focus on the quality restaurants that are opening there. All in all, it's a pretty balanced portrait of our city.

Still, it seemed that the article might have missed its mark a bit by focusing only on restaurants that have opened within the last couple of years. It's great that places like Cork and Marvin have been successful and are getting good press, but what of the establishments that predate them? Reading the article, one might think that Logan and U street, for instance, were barely habitable until 2007...which of course leaves out the growing number of restaurants, pubs and shops that have been opening up here over the last decade. And are we the only ones that feel Cakelove is waaay overrated?

On the flip side, it's refreshing to read an article about our neighborhood that doesn't mention Ben's Chili Bowl. Don't get us wrong, we enjoy Ben's greasy half smoke-fest as much as anyone, but our neighborhood has grown so much that it no longer needs to be defined by the one business that has managed to survive the neighborhood turmoil.

Our favorite quote in the article?

"She’s consulting on the Mexican menu for the H Street Country Club, which is supposed to open in February. It will feature an irony-laden miniature golf course that requires putters to work through the swinging briefcases of K Street lawyers and shoot around Marion Barry, the former mayor and councilman.“The D.C. culture has evolved now to a point where we can be proud of it,” said Lee T. Wheeler, the artist who designed the course."

Shooting golf balls at Marion Barry? Who wouldn't love that?