In gentrifying neighborhoods from U Street to Upshur, top-notch D.C. chefs and restaurateurs are jockeying for prime positions. Along the U Street corridor, Al Tiramisu owner Luigi Diotaiuti has opened Al Crostino and Saied Azali followed suit with Viridian, Perrys’ sibling venture. Nora Pouillon of the eponymous Nora and Asia Nora allegedly has her eye on 14th Street for a new place (U Nora, perhaps?) and James Beard nominee Ann Cashion of Cashion’s Eat Place will open Taqueria De Flores on 11th Street in Columbia Heights in fall 2006.

What is propelling D.C.’s star chefs and established proprietors to set up shop in corridors where the power set has traditionally feared to tread? Sister publication Gothamist cites a link in New York City between cutting-edge hotspots and real estate stability. Specifically, Tim Zagat, in the City Section of the New York Times, notes how “adventurous nightlife seekers set their sights on an out-of-the-way area” — which then paves the way for restaurants, high-end shops, and finally, residents who can afford to live in revitalized areas.

But in D.C., it seems to have worked the other way around. As written in these pages and others, real estate values in Columbia Heights, Shaw, Logan, Petworth, and U Street skyrocketed long before hipster bars and restaurants took root. Residents, rather than restaurants, have trailblazed onto these streets under the mainstream radar, for better or for worse.