After an flurry of construction activity earlier this spring—including the appearance of an outdoor seating area—Baraki has since sat quiet. Its highly visible location at the intersection of First Street NW and T Street NW meant that many folks in Bloomingdale and beyond went past it every day wondering what was (or wasn't) going on. Eckington resident Shawn Westfall submitted the following to his neighborhood's listserv.
Last night, I happened to be at Veranda, the restaurant at 11th and P NW in Shaw that opened a few months ago, and spoke with its proprietor, Aleks, who's still in the process of building Baraki, the perpetually "opening" restaurant at the corner of 1st and T NW.
Aleks is still planning on opening it, but has experienced a number of setbacks, some of them bureaucratic, some financial. However, he says, it will happen: "six months at the latest," according to him.
In the meantime, construction still moves forward. No doubt I spoke for many of us when I told him how the neighborhood is champing at the bit to have a place to call its own, and that we would turn it out in droves to support it because, well, where else can we go?
Just letting this listserv know that perhaps good news is on the horizon.
I personally have yet to see any recent construction activity, but I'd love to be proved wrong. With regards to the bureaucratic setbacks mentioned, would any of our ANC commissioners be able to tell us what else is holding up the opening?
5 comments:
its amazing how long things take in dc.
i had first heard of their motions toward opening up a place quite a ways back
http://bloomingdaleneighborhood.blogspot.com/2006/01/bakery.html#links
The neighborhood would most definitely turn out in droves for this place. My roommates and I often joke (half-joke, not even joke?) about how we'd volunteer to help build the place just so we could have somewhere nearby where we could grab a beer.
I wonder what the answer is for Green Cafe. Java Green's new restaurant on 17th st. It's been stagnant for about 6 months now, and the coming soon sign is pretty faded.
I could be wrong, but I think they recently added some ironwork to the patio. I remember there being brick posts/pillars for a while, but I just noticed that there is now black iron fences in between the brick posts/pillars.
Again, I could just be remembering it wrong, or wishful thinking or something.
I can't wait to frequent that place!
I think the iron fencing is a new addition. I noticed it going to Windows the other day.
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