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Monday, August 20, 2007

Weekend in the Rear View Mirror

I had a great weekend in and around Shaw, and hope you did too. Some of the highlights of my time away from the office include dinner at Rasika in Penn Quarter (I generally don't like Indian food, but Rasika is nothing short of delicious), brunch at Cafe St Ex on 14th Street, walking through the 14th and U Farmers Market on Saturday, browsing antiques at GoodWood, and checking out the offerings of Maruka School for Yoga, Healing Arts and Retail Boutique. I love the diverse options that are just a short walk from our Shaw doorstep.

On Saturday, I made it by Shiloh's Unity Day. Whatever their motivation was for hosting the event, I must say that it was a step (one step of many needed...) in the right direction for the church in terms of making amends with the community. I was eagerly invited to attend by a parishioner who was actively engaging neighbors and passers-by. At the event, there was tons of free food, a moon bounce, and various information booths. There were also renderings (dated 2006 and created by Lance Bailey and Associates) of what they plan for their vacant properties along 9th Street. The plans appear to necessitate acquiring the electrician's building before moving forward and include what appears to be a retail space in the first floor of a senior living facility. I found the renderings quite attractive. The buildings will continue to blight our neighborhood until action is taken, so, until then, these plans are just as helpful to the neighborhood as the promise of renovation made in 1990 was.

Finally, we made it to The Space (903 N Street, NW) for pre-dinner cocktails on Saturday night. The Space is open to all for the foreseeable future, and is a really (really) cool destination in the neighborhood. The decor and feel of the first floor is uber chic, and The Space's roof deck is an ideal place to spend an evening or just to grab a few drinks on your way out when the weather's nice. We enjoyed a cheese plate off of their great and concise menu and chatted up some people we'd never met before amidst the flowing white curtains of the rooftop. I'll make a full post about The Space, its regular options and upcoming events soon.

Anyway, hope you had a great weekend also, and happy Monday!

11 comments:

Clara Barton Dweller said...

I was at Rasika too! I love that place. My one issue with it is that it is kind of loud, but the atmosphere is cool and the food is awesome.

si said...

Rasika was soooo good i cant eat there again for at least 6 more months. fyi zatiniya has the best RW deal still going on for another week i think.

Shaw Rez said...

who knew Rasika had such a blogger following?!?! Si--were you there this past weekend or during Restaurant Week? The lamb roganjosh entree is my fav., and their fried spinach is freaking good also.

I love me some Zatiniya... thanks for the extended Restaurant Week tip, Si.

si said...

no man, it was last JANUARY! im still recovering. that spinach was way cool, flash fried in a salad! oh ya i did do RW there.

there are a bunch of extensions, here is a great list:
http://www.dcfoodies.com/

Lola Gets said...

Ok, I hate to come off like a history snob, but...14th and U is technically part of the Shaw neighborhood! Check any "real" map - not a realtors map - and youll see!

Come past my blog to check out my experience with the fire at 9th and Rhode Island

Shaw Rez said...

Lola - good call re: 14th and U and the Shaw designation. You're right--the area originally dubbed Shaw is pretty large and does include the 14th and U environs. It sounds like the Shaw name did not come about until 1970ish, so I think there's a strong contingent who don't fully accept it as a historically accurate description of the area. And I think what's considered Shaw today is shrinking as newer monikers take hold (e.g., Logan Circle). Mari of InShaw is a pretty insightful resource into the Shaw neighborhood designation.

I'll check out your blog entry now--thanks for the link. I hope we learn more about the cause of that awful fire.

Chris Loos said...

I've been dying to try Rasika. My girlfriend is Indian (and has the same name as the restaurant, coincidentally) went there for a business dinner and came back with a report that they serve 'Indian food for Americans' (i.e. less spicy and with more cream). Being American, and finding some of her food a bit too spicy to handle, I think the place sounds perfect. Too bad she'll never go with me there lol

si said...

shes right about the food but its damn good. the creaminess would explain why I rolled out. for a more authentic spicy experience, try Mayur Kabob, an easy walk from Shaw at 12th & K. its indian/pakistani, one of my favorite places. My man is a downright addict. I should also report that Mehak in chinatown at 7th & H is WAY better now. and they deliver.

Unknown said...

Having lived for a year in NYC and invested too much money in authentic Indian food (I just couldn't get enough... esp. considering they delivered) I agree... Rasika is slightly less spicy than my neighborhood Indian restaurant in manhattan. Though simply requesting them to make your dish spicy at Rasika remedied that... it's nice for those that do not like it too spicy and by requesting extra heat made it perfect for me!

I'd also suggest the calamari appetizer... spicy and delicious!

Chris Loos said...

Thanks for the tips...we'll have to try Mayur Kabob and Mehak!

Anonymous said...

Lola, Shaw Rez,

The 1960's Shaw Urban Renewal area was much bigger and extended to 16th Street, but the looting and arson of 1968 deterred the socialist urban planners from creating another East Berlin nightmare that is DC's Southwest. The moniker Shaw today perjoratively refers in the minds of most locals and suburbanites to those residual sections of the innter city that basically flank the northern and eastern reaches of the Convention Center that remain run down. crime-ridden and, neglected by the city, despite anomolously high real estate values.