This condo is located at 1615 Q Street, NW:

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The flier says:

“Two units combined to make this spacious & bright two bedrooms plus den, two full baths home. Features include hdwd floors, exposed brick throughout, kitchen w/ granite counters and SS appliances. Renovated hall bath w/ granite vanity. A luxurious MBR suite; MBA w/ travertine, granite & wonderful soaking tub. Private laundry room in unit. 24hr desk and the city’s best roof deck. Close to Metro & shopping”

More info found here and a virtual tour found here.

Wow, all this time I thought the Cairo was rentals. Ok, so I thought this was an interesting property because two units were combined into one. Do you think the layout works? (You can see the floor plan in the virtual tour.) Does $578,825 sound reasonable for this 3 bed/2 bath?

For comparison there is also an interesting 2 bed/1bath also for sale for $398,500. Which do you like better?

Since Pizzeria Paradiso moved this summer from 2029 P Street, NW to 2003 P Street I’m wondering if anyone has checked out the new space? You can see their menu here. Worse, better or the same as the old location?

Thanks to Yenni for this special guest post. Looks/sounds delicious!

Since many people on this blog enjoy tasting different cultures through local restaurants, I approached PoP about writing weekly recipes featuring fresh, local ingredients that you can prepare at home. I learned to cook in my Cuban grandmother’s kitchen and have lived in various countries in South America, so Caribbean and Latin food are my specialties.

There is an abundance of beautiful, multi-colored varieties of squash at local groceries and farmers’ markets this time of year. High in Vitamins A, B6, C and potassium, among other essential vitamins and nutrients, squash has a soft texture and wonderfully complements ground beef. This recipe is very versatile; you can use any type of squash or pumpkin, stuff it with the picadillo, which is a Cuban-style ground beef, then bake it in the oven for about an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and begin to prepare the picadillo with ground beef, one yellow onion, two small seeded tomatoes, one green pepper and five garlic cloves. Using a frying pan lightly coated with olive oil, heat the diced vegetables, – garlic first, followed by the onion, green pepper and tomatoes about five minutes until fragrant. Add some cumin powder, oregano, thyme, pepper and a whole scotch bonnet pepper with the stem cut off and membrane and seeds taken out. Cover this mixture, which is called a “sofrito” used to give seasoning to dishes, and simmer for about 10 minutes on the lowest heat. Meanwhile sprinkle the meat with adobo, turning it to get it all seasoned, then mash the meat into the sofrito and add the autumn spices which will enhance the natural flavors of both the meat and squash: a cinnamon stick broken into two pieces, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and a dash of brown sugar. While the meat is browning, add a small can of Spanish-style tomato sauce (Goya makes a good one for about $0.35), this will bind the meat. Lastly, add raisins, dried cranberries, slivered almonds and capers.

Let the picadillo simmer on low heat while getting the squash ready to bake. Cut the top off close to the stem, then poke the center of the squash with a foke and scoop out all of the seeds. Add a drop of olive oil to coat the inside of the squash and seal in all the flavors, then stuff the cavity with the picadillo, packing it down. Place the lid back on the squash and stick a skewer in it to remain closed while baking. Bake for about an hour, then remove from oven and sprinkle the rim of the squash lightly with brown sugar.

To serve, cut open squash and enjoy! This dish pairs well with a crisp apple salad and Dominican style red beans and rice, as pictured.

If anyone has any questions or recipe requests, e-mail me at yenni.miel@gmail.com.

Old Austin Pick Up Truck, originally uploaded by imagetaker!.

From an email:

“Bruce Monroe Elementary School has a garden that needs mulch. Takoma City has mulch that needs a garden. If you can help out your neighbors, please contact me today.

Nuri Heckler- Volunteer Outreach
Americorps VISTA
Greater D.C. Cares
202-777-4469 phone
nheckler@greaterdccares.org”

photo(9), originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Dupont Circle isn’t the only one getting a new burger restaurant. The “burger joint/steaks” place will be a partnership between Omar Miskinyar from nearby Policy (just south of T St on 14th), Aman Ayoubi, (Local 16, 18th St Lounge, Marvin’s and formerly Dragonfly), and David Karim (Josephine’s, Policy and Current). They expect to open up in 5 months!

First cheesesteaks then crepes (not to mention Masa 14 and Birch & Barley/Church Key a bit further south) and now this. This has been a great couple of weeks for 14th Street.

IMG_0392, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

I actually know the answer to this one. But the first person who guesses correctly (with the exact location) wins a free PoP t-shirt. (Ed. Note: New edition of the shirts, including coolest pet winners, were shipped today.)

I ran into one of the owners and his family on Sunday and he invited me inside to take a look and snap some photos. It looks like it’s gonna be pretty sweet. You can take a look at the menu here. (There are veggie options). The space itself wasn’t 100% completed but you could tell it had a comfortable feel. He said the place would open on Thurs. or Fri. but to call first to make sure which day (202-299-1071). There are old album covers, which obviously appeals to me (sorry for the slightly blurry photo), on the wall:

The table tops (which weren’t assembled yet) also look pretty sweet:

So has anyone sampled the goods from their Bethesda or Alexandria spots?

photo(8), originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

A few weeks ago we learned that construction will start in November. Thanks to a reader for the word that the signs have gone up. I know some folks would’ve preferred a more dense development like retail on the first floor and apartments above it. It seems that would’ve made a lot of sense. But I have to be honest, I’m happy to be getting a CVS nearby. Especially since I sold my car…

It looks like it’s gonna be pretty sweet.  It’s quite large too.  I’ll be sure to go back for more when it is completed.  From an email:

“(Washington ,DC) – The mural is located on Sherman Ave and Barry Place NW in Washington DC and it is a part of Murals DC 2009. Be a part of it!

The young artists who worked on the mural on Sunday were Derrick, Jamilla, her little brother and sister, Dana, Mika and Cristian. It was wonderful to meet the neighbors and hang out with our friends who came to relax and help with the mural. Thank you. For more photos click here.”

More photos after the jump. (more…)

IMG_0354, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

While this is a very cool door (to a garden) I was really taken with the sculpture above it. I couldn’t stop staring at it, very powerful.

IMG_0338, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Well this one stopped me in my tracks, and not in a good way. After seeing many classic old rowhomes in Georgetown I stumbled upon this one. I think maybe if it was a different color I might find it more appealing. Anyone like this style?

Photo by PoPville Flickr user Matt.Dunn

There must have been some bad mojo in the air last Friday…

“Dear PoP,

Have you, on your extensive walks, come across a man of this description? He walks around fully decked out for an urban trek, with many layers of tan/khaki/greenish clothes, a walking stick, and a backpack. He’s got a full head of hair and possibly a beard, and looks pretty pleasant. Today he had two metal rods of some sort sticking out of the top of his backpack.

I’ve seen him around Mt. Vernon Square before, but today I saw him when I was running up 14th toward U. I ask because of this – he was approaching me on the sidewalk, and as I ran toward him I said excuse me, like I do, and instead of making adequate room for two to share the sidewalk, he veered in my direction, forcing me into a bush, all with his strange mildly pleasant look on his face. I had headphones on, so I can’t be positive, but I don’t think he said anything (I keep them very low – city running and all). I’m fine – just bruised and scraped up my hip, where I hit big branches – but mostly a little weirded out. Just wondering if you knew anything about this guy.”

Wow, that’s insane. I don’t think I’ve ever passed this guy before. Does this description sound familiar to anyone else?

“Dear PoP,

At about 6pm today (Friday, Oct. 23) I got off the metro at 14th and Irving– tired from work and with my ipod on I was a little zoned out but heard lots of sirens which isn’t completely out of the ordinary. Next thing I know a kid, probably 16 or 17, sprints by me holding a backpack– again I don’t note anything too odd until I suddenly hear shouting and am shoved (nicely but forcefully) into one of the big construction cones on Irving. About 6 police officers on foot proceed to sprint by me in pursuit of the kid who had turned down an ally. The officers were quickly followed by about 4 of 5 marked and unmarked squad cars.

Any word on what may have happened?”

This is the first I’ve heard about this incident. Was anyone else by the CH Metro when this went down? Anyone know if the kid was caught?

It’s been a while since I’ve done a PSA but this is important. Rock Creek Park is looking amazing. As a neighbor told me, you don’t have to go all the way to Shenendoah to appreciate the Fall foliage. In the next week or so though you should really take a drive or walk through the park, it is amazing. Also many of the side streets around town are equally breathtaking. Take a walk soon, you won’t be disappointed! If anyone has some favorite spots to check out the foliage around town please let us know where we can find them. I checked out many of the sidestreets in Georgetown that were incredible.

It’s been a while since I checked in on the progress of the soon to be Porter Street Residences located on Porter east of Connecticut toward Rock Creek Park. Looks like the finished product will match the rendering. Does anyone remember if these are going to be condos or apartments? I feel like someone said previously that they were going to be residences for the Chinese Embassy? Is that right?

Ed. Note: The above photo was taken after this weekend’s shooting on Upshur Street. It really saddened me how beautiful the street looked. I was thinking how this photo should be a “sweet street scene” but now is affiliated with a crime post…

From Councilmember Muriel Bowser:

“Neighbors-

We are all appalled by this week’s violence. I will be convening a Special Meeting on Crime this Wednesday, October 28, 7pm at the ROC, 801 Shepherd St NW.

Chief Cathy Lanier and 4D command staff will address concerns and actions necessary to increase public safety.

The meeting will focus on:

- recent homicides in Petworth at Safeway and 1200 Bl Crittenden ST with updates on the investigations.

-Increased reports of sounds of gun fire
and MPD response

- Gang activity in 4D, and neighboring 3D and 2D.

-Petworth Metro station safety

Do not hesitate to reach me with any questions or concerns, 202-491-4842.

Muriel”