25 July 2007

you GO, grill.


Florida Avenue at 11th Street: The BEST breakfast in DC.

Watch this corner for rapid, weird changes: There's another condo building going up next door, which will abut the south side of the 'Grill. And it's going up fast.

The architect's rendering looks like another ultra-modern building, probably something spit out of a soulless CAD program based on keywords like "20-something overpaid yutz" and "architectural nightmare" and "don't bother meshing with the vibe of a richly historic neighborhood".

At Intangible Arts, we are not anti-progress, but we do see much of today's architecture as an aesthetic cancer; a parasite feeding on the charm of our most loved urban blocks.

Hopefully it'll mean good business for the 'Grill, but it seems puzzling that anyone would build yet another condo building in this town. In this neighborhood. In these times.

Folks can't sell the condos they've got already, thanks to the perfect storm of housing crash and sub-prime mortgage scandals. This is madness. Within five years, all these buildings will be dead shells left for the squatters, rats, and swarms of post-apocalyptic killer bees. And zombie cats.

But at least there's still an endless cup of coffee and a good stack 'o pancakes with halfsmoke next door. Condos or not, the 'Grill is a marvelous thing. Great atmosphere, great staff, and the perfect meal for a lazy Sunday morning, with or without hangover.

2 comments:

epota said...

So the agenda for a future visit now consists of an increasing amount of new food stops... Although I did see where the pizza establishment is quickly losing points for service among bloggers in the know.

All of our own quaint downtown areas (Wheaton, Batavia, St. Charles, etc.) are all finding themselves overdeveloped with condos and townhomes. Many trees are taken down so that these new locations can have a river view from their respective balconies.

Much sadness.

IntangibleArts said...

ah, the pizza place has its moments but it's a good thing, overall.

We've since returned and had an ideal time: the taps were restored, the Chimay was flowing like angel's milk, no wait time, and not too crowded.... Of course it was a Wednesday after work, so maybe that's the secret.