Never Been to U Street? You are Missing Out
By Tracey Gold Bennett
If there were a mayor of U Street it
would be Virginia Ali, co-founder of Ben's Chili Bowl, which would be the
Mayor's office and her sons and daughters-in-law make up the cabinet and press
office for the Mayor.
Want to know what's happening in the
area, Ben's Chili Bowl is a good place to grab a smoke, chili half-smoked
sausage that is... and keep your ears open. Need a beer with your smoke? Go
next door, to Ben's Next Door where you can listen to a live band, order filet
mignon or shrimp with your grits, and sip drinks at a bar so beautiful it would
make a great setting for a 1920's era film.
Perhaps if there were a Mayor Pro-tem,
that would be Andy Shallal of Busboy's and Poets, who word has it actually has
plans to run for Mayor of Washington, D.C.
Enter Busboys and Poets in Washington,
D.C. and one can't help but think they've been transported to the East Village
in New York City, once inside. This combo- restaurant, bookstore boasts a
separate room for film screenings with a stage where authors, poets, artists
and creative types have appeared to talk to the masses about their work.
A super idea for date night on U Street
is going to see a play at the beautiful The Lincoln Theater. The Lincoln, which
opened in 1922, is on the Historic Register and is one of the places African
American's could see first run movies such as Gone With The Wind during
segregation. The theater also had a grand ballroom where jazz greats like Cab
Calloway, Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong performed among others.
U street, once called "Black
Broadway" is now as diverse as it is exciting. But during the era of
segregation U street was predominately African American, characterized by
booming businesses, shops, restaurants and clubs. It wasn't unusual to see Duke
Ellington, Zora Neal Hurston, Langston Hughes or Pearl Bailey patronizing local
businesses or even walking down the street.
After the riots following the
assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, blight, and crime followed. A renaissance
happened after the completion of construction on the Green Line metro and real
estate development followed in the area. High-end, luxury condominium
developments are now the norm in neighborhoods which feature rows of historic
Victorian homes.
Perhaps you're taking a date to U street
and you want to impress. Start with flowers -- Lee's Flowers and Cards (across
the street from Ben's Chili Bowl) could give any tony flower shop in the city a
run for its money. Like Ben's Chili
Bowl, Lee's Flowers is a family owned business that also survived the riots.
If Ben's Chili Bowl and Mrs. Ali are the
heart of U Street then Warren Brown and Cakelove bakery must be the aorta.
Delicious cakes from scratch so good that even the holy grail of food, The Food
Network once gave lawyer-turned master baker Warren Brown (founder of Cakelove)
a show (Sugar Rush). Here's a hint: try
the cupcakes, they're divine. If this cake could be defined with a word -- it
would be sexy-cake. A perfect way to end
a date.
U Street, its all the things you want
wrapped up in one corridor in Northwest Washington, D.C.
More information about U street is
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