Is it really necessary for a valet stand to make its existence known by having a rotating set of spotlights shooting into the sky high above U Street? If you're the image crafters for The Ellington and its sidewalk-level restaurant, Alero, the answer is yes. DCist spied that the uber-it residential building at 13th and U streets NW had spotlights shining high into the sky last night.

While we think that D.C. could use a little more glitz to liven things up a bit, we want to ask you, does the use of spotlights qualify as trying too hard to promote a real estate development, especially The Ellington, which has such a carefully crafted and manufactured image (where they say you can "B U on U")?

One DCist source who lives in the nearby tells us that although Alero, whose original location is in Cleveland Park, has a beautiful lounge and dining space, but the management at its "New U" location may be trying cash in on real estate buzz and somehow forgot about the food, which is causal Mexican fusion.

For example, our source says that the restaurant's crabcake recipe could be improved by a simple Google search for "crabcake recipe":
"You could throw them down on the ice and play hockey with them. ... I'm sure Duke Ellington would shudder at those crabcakes," our source says.

Alero's food, which the Post has described as "uneven" may accurately reflect the building it sits in. The Ellington may try to be hip, channeling the best of an urban vibe with stilted marketing and flashy lights, but can you really resurrect the spirit of Duke Ellington (at left) through the use of franchised businesses? Jazz is after all free form. Manufactured and franchised, The Ellington seems to have been crafted by Joe Simpson.

That's just us though. If you had to pair a musician or musical act to The Ellington, who would you pick?