Back to the feeding trough, all. After spending a weekend in the beautiful and delicious Bay Area, it’s nice to be back to the reality of dirty campaigning, impossible political prognostications, and the constant braying that the turrists are going to blow us up. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love it…

Restaurants in Anacostia?
Is it time to put a sit down restaurant in the middle of Anacostia? That’s the question Washington Business Journal asks in this article about Drake Wilson, an entrepreneur looking to do just that. Wilson, who plans to open Drake’s Restaurant and Lounge in the next two months, is competing for an Anacostia Main Street grant to infuse his venture with a little capital.

A couple members of the Washington restaurant community are a little more skeptical about it though. Tom Popadopolous, a restaurant broker, thought it was a horrible idea, saying that, “the stadium has to be up and running,” before anyone would want to even approach the area. Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington Director Lynn Breaux kind-of disagrees, saying that “the area is taking off, and the demographics will change accordingly.” Well, never mind the people who don’t live there now, Ms. Breaux. How about a place that will be a good spot for the pre-gentrification population of Anacostia?

We think it’s a great idea to have a place for the community to gather in Anacostia, but hope that Wilson has done his homework on the place’s viability. Look at places like Domku, that suffer because of location, even though their food is great. DCist wishes you luck, Mr. Wilson, and since the proposed spot for Drake’s is just over the bridge from my apartment, I’ll be sure to try you out when you open.

They Probably Take Dubloons, Though
National Public Radio profiled a local eatery and their futuristic refusal to accept cash money. Snap, Georgetown’s stop for crepes, bubble tea, and cacophony, doesn’t take cash or coin; it forces its customers to pay with either plastic (or gift certificates from FCUK). Well, we need to start a phone block on Diane Rehm and enlist Jonetta Rose-Barras to have a word with Kojo Nnamdi, because we uncovered this story waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in June. Four months ago! C’mon, mainstream media, didn’t you learn your lesson when some twelve year-old scooped you on a BBS about Margaret Thatcher’s resignation?

A City Block Full of Food
Next weekend’s the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show at the Washington Convention Center. Industry folks will be swarming the place, which will tragically be headlined by the Deen boys. Eve’s Cathal Armstrong and 2941’s Jonathan Krinn more than make up for that, though. Admission’s only 20 bucks!

Photo from Anacostia’s Wikipedia entry.

Filed Under: Bay Area, bubble, Business and Development, cathal armstrong, city, convention, convention center, cooking, dcist, demographics, diane rehm, food, Food and Drink, gentrification, georgetown, industry, Jonathan Krinn, kojo nnamdi, love, Main Street, Margaret Thatcher, media, Metropolitan Washington, money, national public radio, people, public radio, radio, restaurant, Restaurant Association, restaurantassociation, restaurants, rose, running, washington, Washington Business Journal, washington convention center, washingtonconventioncenter,