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Muze (Formerly Sou'Wester and Café Mozu), Chef Mark McDonnell's Modern Asian in the Mandarin Oriental


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As someone who knows the backstory, I can say with a fair amount of confidence this was not an opinion; this was a pissed off friend, relative, or girlfriend. The restaurant did *nothing* wrong and is not in disarray. I gave my word I wouldn't reveal any details, so I'm afraid I'm obliged not to say any more. Eric has spent the past two days working from 7 AM until midnight.

I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that a former employee would have a different version of events than management/ownership.

Eric is the paradigm, the model, the gold standard of not just talent, brilliance and a creativity that approaches if not fully achieves artistry, but also of integrity and professionalism for all young chefs to emulate.

The meaning of responsibility is that when the shit goes down, you shut up and do the work.

True pride is that which is too humble to lay claim to itself. That is Eric.

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Not sure who is leading the kitchen right now, but they are doing a damn fine job. Dinner this weekend was excellent from the service to the food to the weather. Had some friends in town for the weekend and we took them here for a birthday dinner. We got a table outside on the patio/courtyard and it is an terrific spot for a meal. Everyone enjoyed their meals and the raves were for the lamb special (roasted leg with twice baked potato) and the pork tenderloin medallions. The chocolate tart and strawberry shortcake desserts were a great finish to the meal.

I had called ahead and asked if they could put a candle in the dessert of the birthday girl and not only did they do that, but printed menus with "Happy Birthday" on the top and then had a little bag of cookies for her to take home along with a menu. Certainly not expected, but it's the little details that separate folks from the crowd.

I am sure that I have said this before, but this place should certainly get more buzz from the local community.

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I am sure that I have said this before, but this place should certainly get more buzz from the local community.

No disrespect to Sou'Wester intended, but how should it be getting more buzz? I keep hearing this lament, but the restaurant is posted about on this board glowingly and very regularly. I suppose Sietsema could plug it more in his chats (a welcome departure from the litany of Ethiopic/Source/Rasika West End/Central/701* [fine restaurants all, I'm sure, but you'd think they were the only ones in the city]), but it's pretty much not convenient to anything--I would never just "find" myself in that neighborhood--and walking to the Metro from there at night is creepy. Where should that additional buzz be coming from and what should it be saying?

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No disrespect to Sou'Wester intended, but how should it be getting more buzz? I keep hearing this lament, but the restaurant is posted about on this board glowingly and very regularly. I suppose Sietsema could plug it more in his chats (a welcome departure from the litany of Ethiopic/Source/Rasika West End/Central/701* [fine restaurants all, I'm sure, but you'd think they were the only ones in the city]), but it's pretty much not convenient to anything--I would never just "find" myself in that neighborhood--and walking to the Metro from there at night is creepy. Where should that additional buzz be coming from and what should it be saying?

My $0.02, but I certainly don't think it gets that much buzz on this board, and you rarely hear about it in the press or food blogs. It's not that inconvenient of a location, sure not a place that many people are going to be strolling by, but as it is an easy drive and has plenty of parking and there are always cabs.

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My $0.02, but I certainly don't think it gets that much buzz on this board, and you rarely hear about it in the press or food blogs. It's not that inconvenient of a location, sure not a place that many people are going to be strolling by, but as it is an easy drive and has plenty of parking and there are always cabs.

I imagine that many restaurants would envy having 27 posts since May, all positive. And I don't have a car and the new cab fares would add about $35 to my dinner tab.

But listen, I'm not criticizing the restaurant in any way--I had a perfectly pleasant lunch there after a meeting next door and trust the excellent reviews it's getting here. I guess I'm just wondering, not just in regards to Sou'Wester, what folks mean when they say a place should get more buzz. Especially when it seems like a place already gets a fair amount.

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I imagine that many restaurants would envy having 27 posts since May, all positive. And I don't have a car and the new cab fares would add about $35 to my dinner tab.

But listen, I'm not criticizing the restaurant in any way--I had a perfectly pleasant lunch there after a meeting next door and trust the excellent reviews it's getting here. I guess I'm just wondering, not just in regards to Sou'Wester, what folks mean when they say a place should get more buzz. Especially when it seems like a place already gets a fair amount.

I think it gets a lot of buzz *here*, but - tough pill though it is to swallow - it's the national publications - Zagat, Fodor's, Frommer's, OpenTable, National Geographic, etc. - that matter the most, and they were initially influenced by uninformed, negative reviews, and their inertia is such that they are unable (or unwilling) to modify their opinions. Sou'Wester has been an excellent restaurant since day one.

Until and unless this website gains national recognition, things will continue to be out of balance, and truly deserving restaurants will continue to suffer. Coverage of Menomalé is initialized in Italic, by the way.

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I think it gets a lot of buzz *here* . . .

It does now. But prior to ktmoomau's Valentines Day post, no one had mentioned it for four months. Since then, there have been about 40 posts and it appears that a number of us have (re)discovered the place, myself included. There have also been nearly 14,000 views of the topic, which is a huge increase from just a few months ago, so hopefully others are discovering it as well. As for the national publications, they have always seemed slow to recognize when a restaurant hits its stride later in its evolution. Eventually, though, I suspect this tail will wag those dogs.

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I will say that the large number of recent posts on this board led my wife and I to try Sou'Wester this weekend for the first time (on a Groupon, sorry Don). And I'd like to add our voices to those others on here singing its praises. The patio is a wonderful setting for a meal, and we had nothing but positive things to say about the food and the service. Just a great experience all around, and we'll definitely make a point of going back.

It is a slightly challenging location, as somebody mentioned above, in that it isn't right next to anything, and I never find myself in that neighborhood. But, if you've got folks from Virginia meeting folks from DC it just might be the most convenient location out there.

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walking to the Metro from there at night is creepy.

While I agree that walking to L'Enfant Plaza station under the expressway underpass is less than ideal, it's a well-lit, 5 minute, < 3 block walk up 12th St to the Smithsonian station. Only the mall-side station entrance closes at 10pm.

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I think it gets a lot of buzz *here*, but - tough pill though it is to swallow - it's the national publications - Zagat, Fodor's, Frommer's, OpenTable, National Geographic, etc. - that matter the most, and they were initially influenced by uninformed, negative reviews, and their inertia is such that they are unable (or unwilling) to modify their opinions. Sou'Wester has been an excellent restaurant since day one.

I agree that outside of Rockwell (which may not be the center of the universe for many people) you almost never see it written about it much in local press - City Paper, Washingtonian, Eater, etc. Let alone nationally. Granted it's also related to the way that some sites structure their editorial calendar. But also they don't do as many events/promotions or, in MANY cases, controversy, as some of the restos that get a lot of attention. I think I have received 1-2 press releases regarding both CityZen and Souwester' in the five years or so that I have been writing about food. The harsh reality is that in the fast food culture of food writing that's how you get attention.

ETA: And that being said, I did include Sou'wester in my roundup of waterfront dining options.

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Their fabulous pastry chef, Matthew Petersen, was a finalist on "Top Chef Just Desserts" last summer and it should have given Sou'Wester more visibility. Unfortunately, it seems that the show isn't nearly as popular as "Top Chef." I'm guilty of not having been to Sou'Wester, although it tops my list. It's not that difficult to get to from the Smithsonian metro but it is more a perception of it being out of the way.

I'm wondering if at the moment it isn't Eric Ziebold himself who is doing some of the cooking, or at least more hands-on oversight, of the kitchen.

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The more substantiation we get from people - good or bad - makes everything more credible. Do you remember any details about what you liked? I still think the fried oysters are the best I've ever had.

I don't remember much. I do remember that the booze was outstanding. Maybe that second point has something to do with the first?

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We had a perfectly lovely but completely non-memorable meal there a few months. What I remember most was being peeved that I was too full to order dessert since the whole point of the meal was to stalk Matthew Peterson. (I totally watched Top Chef: Just Desserts and thought he was robbed.) We've talked of going back but we haven't. I did go to CityZen for my birthday dinner and had a much better and more memorable time (and I managed dessert that time!)

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A Friday lunch there was excellent: The cornbread and hushpuppies were fantastic, the carpetbaggers? (fried oysters) were delicious and the asparagus flatbread sandwich was great (although the salad that accompanied it was overdressed and boring). That being said, count me part of the camp that considers the location and the parking to be a relevant deterrent.

Got there around 1130 or so and couldn’t find a spot or parking meter available in the hotel circle or on 12th st, north or south at least a block or so of the hotel’s entrance road (I forget the name of that). 9 months pregnant, I personally am unable to park further away than that – hell, in August I may not do that even if I wasn’t pregnant and certainly wouldn’t do it with family/guests – so I succumbed to the valet. Despite validation from the restaurant, I was still charged $9. Yikes.

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This may not be K St, but where downtown are you going to easily find a meter spot mid-day on a weekday? In fact, most non-hotel restaurants won't even have valet parking at lunch, so I would think the availability of valet parking (even at $9) to be an attraction, not a deterrence.

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At the risk of being shunned for hypocrisy, I'm going to have to give our meal at Sou'wester last night a rating of "meh". The corn muffins were tasty, but a little sweet for my Southern taste. While I'm in the area, I'll say the same thing about the hushpuppies. Good corn flavor, but sweet with no onion flavor. I liked the crunch, but they could've been salted more. I guess I could've salted at the table, but salting fried food at the table seems so...wrong...for a place like this. I planned on having the fried oysters based on several recommendations, but maybe I had different expectations. I assumed they'd be crunchy and crispy. They were no such thing. Is that normal? I don't know, but they were soggy, fried, tasty blobs. Mrs. DrX had the corn soup which was smooth, flavorful and...corny. I'll give a A to the corn soup.

Entrees were both fantastic, though. Mrs. had the shrimp in "okra stew". The shrimp were cooked very well and were flavorful to boot. The stew was very tasty and even convinced my lovely wife to eat a few okra slices. Good job! My BBQ chicken was excellent. It was a boneless thigh and an airplane breast (is that what it's called?) which were both cooked perfectly and came to the table piping hot. The grits were fantastic and the pickled watermelon sauce on the bottom of the dish was fascinating, in a good way. This was a great dish.

We shared the fried apple pie. Good stuff. I called the caramel sauce "rustic" and Nancy called it "a little burnt". I can't argue that take, either. It was all good to me, though.

Service was excellent, but the room was pretty quiet for our 6P reservations. It got a little busier toward the end of our meal. The beer list was very good, with several options for all different types of beer drinkers.

Like our fearless leader, I'm also a "cheap fuck" so we parked on 12th St. and I paid for 30 minutes of parking ($1.34 with Parkmobile) As we walked to the Oriental, I saw I could've parked a block closer. Oh, well, I thought. As we finished our meal, a storm kicked up so we hung out in the lobby for a while. The entire time, I kept hearing how we could've paid for valet parking and tip and been on our way home. To help make our waiting time more pleasant, we had a cocktail in the lobby bar and listened to the 3 piece jazz band for a spell. After paying $35 for 2 frikkin' drinks, we were on our way. The irony was palpable, don't worry.

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I can't speak to whether they have named a new chef, but Bob and I ate there last week using our Living Social coupon and had a very nice meal. If nothing was exceptional or groundbreaking, neither were there any misses. My roasted sugar pie pumpkin salad (baby greens with diced pumpkin, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and a (very mild/light) pumpkin vinaigrette was delicious and a substantial portion, and Bob liked his pan-fried Rappahannock oysters. My red drum with jambalaya was fine (though I make a better jambalaya); Bob's stuffed cabbage struck me as better looking than it tasted, but he enjoyed it. Best of all were our cocktails--Bob's a peach old-fashioned; I forget what mine was except that I really liked the taste and scent of its fresh thyme. With the coupon, it was decently priced--without it, I might have left a bit disappointed in the overall value (but not the food), to be honest.

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A press release issued by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel today:

MANDARIN ORIENTAL, WASHINGTON D.C. TO DEBUT MUZE RESTAURANT

New Concept Will Include An Asian-Inspired Menu Under Chef de Cuisine Mark McDonnell

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 12, 2013 "“ Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. is pleased to announce the launch of Muze Restaurant on December 2, 2013.  The all-day dining restaurant, formally Sou'Wester, will highlight the hotel's oriental heritage and feature approachable cuisine that blends the best of local bounty and produce with flavors from South East Asia. Developed under the direction of Executive Chef Didier Pouzier and new Chef de Cuisine Mark McDonnell, the menu will include an international collection of familiar and flavorful dishes presented with a distinctive Asian-inspired twist.

"We are thrilled to debut Muze to our guests, local clientele and the dynamic DC food scene," said General Manager Adriaan Radder.  "After much consideration, and in response to our guests' preferences, we do believe that Muze will provide a diverse menu that showcases cuisine that reflects our "˜East West Kitchen' concept, complemented by universal dishes that our leisure and business travelers can enjoy."

Menu highlights include: Confit Lamb Shoulder & Soy Roasted Sunchoke, Black Bean Veal Cheek & Heirloom Carrot, Ahi Tuna Crudo, Rockfish Miso Cauliflower & Dill Juice and Tempura Blue Prawns.  Hand-crafted cocktails and a diverse wine selection complete this engaging dining experience.

"We are fortunate to welcome Chef McDonnell to help drive the new concept for Muze," said Director of Food & Beverage Andreas Wieckenberg.  "I am confident that his creativity, leadership and international experience will further ignite the excitement for Muze among our colleagues and guests."

Chef McDonnell joined Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. in mid-September 2013. Previously, he was the Chef de Cuisine at Rogue 24 in Washington D.C. and was instrumental in managing the day-to-day kitchen operations, menu creation and supervision of all off-site events, including dinners at the acclaimed James Beard House.  His experience also includes culinary positions at Vue de Monde Restaurant in Australia, L'Ecrivain Restaurant in Ireland and Tom Aikens Restaurant in London.

Featuring a dynamic, modern setting that includes indoor and outdoor seating with vistas of the Washington Marina, Muze will complement the hotel's fine-dining restaurant, CityZen by Eric Ziebold.

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I'm not sure that they could've assembled a more boring opening menu if they tried.  That dinner menu is about as by-the-numbers as it gets.

Really? I think the dinner menu looks decent and I would happily order 20 of the 24 items on the menu. Now, if it was a "small plate" menu...... :angry:

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I don't have any predictions for how the new 'concept' will fare.  However, they had to make a change.  Sou'wester had declined significantly.  Our last visit there a month ago was appalling.  At least the new Asian theme will be in line with the Asian origins of the hotel. 

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Food sounds good...prices don't.

$8 edamame? $12 Lentil Soup? $15 Small plate mussels? $40 7 Oz. Filet? $20 burger?

Maybe this is typical of nice hotel restaurants these days, but they'd certainly scare me off.

Whenever you stay at a Mandarin, the first thing to do is to find the location of the nearest Starbucks so you don't have to pay $8 for coffee.

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Food sounds good...prices don't.

$8 edamame? $12 Lentil Soup? $15 Small plate mussels? $40 7 Oz. Filet? $20 burger?

Maybe this is typical of nice hotel restaurants these days, but they'd certainly scare me off.

$40 for a 7 oz. filet made my hair stand on end when I saw the menu.

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Really? I think the dinner menu looks decent and I would happily order 20 of the 24 items on the menu. Now, if it was a "small plate" menu...... :angry:

It certainly looks decent.  But it also looks like it's a boring, nondescript hotel restaurant.  If I was staying there and didn't want to venture out into the city, I'd be perfectly happy to eat there.  But I'm not, and I do, so it's a total non-starter for me.

And I swear, if I see Kobe sliders on another "Asian" menu, I'm going to lose it.

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I'm not sure that they could've assembled a more boring opening menu if they tried.  That dinner menu is about as by-the-numbers as it gets.

True, as far as it goes.  But, as a hotel, they have a certain obligation to cater to an in-house clientele who may not have signed up for the District Gastro-tour and just want to get a decent -- better-than-decent, in a $600/night room  -- steak or burger after a long flight followed by tiring meetings (or long meetings followed by a tiring flight) without wandering around a strange city.

I think any decent restaurant on the property that doesn't feature EZ behind the line may be doomed by the Mandarin's location.  It really is in the middle of nowhere.  Besides a truly felonious Groupon or a corporate expense account backed by a Mandarin Frequent Sleeper card (so I could get points towards cheap rooms in other Mandarin cities with more zen locations) I'm not sure what would ever lead me to venture to SW Maryland Avenue to Eat or sleep.

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I ate at a banquet there recently and was deeply disappointed by the food.  It was less interesting than Marriott banquet food I've had this year.  Bland baked chicken with thyme and bland mushrooms, and penne with peas (that tasted no different from frozen ones) and a couple other veggies. Both had some microgreens and edible flowers, but not a lot of them and they didn't add much other than color.  I didn't try the beef in red wine sauce or the brussels sprouts - I did eat the diced butternut squash that came with the brussels sprouts, and it was tasty, but less so than butternut squash I've had elsewhere - just the inherent sweetness of the vegetable, nothing special done to it.  The only slightly notable dish was the caprese salad appetizer, which was on skewers, with lots of microgreens and nicely flavored pesto.

Their banquet menu is clearly different from their other menus, but given how good the Mandarin's restaurants are supposed to be, I was very surprised at the mediocre quality.

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True, as far as it goes.  But, as a hotel, they have a certain obligation to cater to an in-house clientele who may not have signed up for the District Gastro-tour and just want to get a decent -- better-than-decent, in a $600/night room  -- steak or burger after a long flight followed by tiring meetings (or long meetings followed by a tiring flight) without wandering around a strange city.

I agree with you.  And I can tell you from personal experience, those guests were not receiving that 'decent' meal over the past few months at Sou'Wester.  It was like the restaurant just completely gave up on both food and service.

As far as why a local might find themselves there, it's very convenient as a dining location before seeing a play at Arena Stage, especially given the dearth of other venues in the area.

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I agree with you.  And I can tell you from personal experience, those guests were not receiving that 'decent' meal over the past few months at Sou'Wester.  It was like the restaurant just completely gave up on both food and service.

As far as why a local might find themselves there, it's very convenient as a dining location before seeing a play at Arena Stage, especially given the dearth of other venues in the area.

I'm spoiled  by the 14th Street theaters and think of the Mandarin as almost in a different time zone than Arena, given the challenge of walking from one to the other in a timely fashion. :)

But, to my larger point, I think pre-theater diners are a thin reed to build a successful restaurant on, given their tendency towards light meals, modest alcohol and early exits.

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I'm spoiled  by the 14th Street theaters and think of the Mandarin as almost in a different time zone than Arena, given the challenge of walking from one to the other in a timely fashion. :)

But, to my larger point, I think pre-theater diners are a thin reed to build a successful restaurant on, given their tendency towards light meals, modest alcohol and early exits.

But the Mandarin benefits from (at least in the past) housing good restaurants in a quadrant with barely decent ones.  Look though posts from the last few years on where to go for Arena, and it's Cantina Marina or Station 4.

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But, to my larger point, I think pre-theater diners are a thin reed to build a successful restaurant on, given their tendency towards light meals, modest alcohol and early exits.  

I'm not suggesting that the restaurant should be geared toward pre-theater diners.  That would be folly.  I'm merely stating why we went there.

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Admittedly, I haven't been to Muze (it would feel weird going, but now that I'm thinking of it, I may give it a shot).

I can actually visualize this review on Yelp (I know that Empress Lounge (a lovely place to have a drink) used to have the same kitchen as room service, which is surprisingly not all that wonderful), but this review seems hard to swallow.

Mandarin Oriental Hotels have two weak points from my somewhat limited experience: their flagship restaurants (CityZen being the exception), and their location, which tends to be in somewhat obscure places. Regarding the flagship restaurants, I've never understood why a hotel would spend so many millions of dollars on architecture and decor, and not spend the extra few hundred thousand on kitchen staff - it would make all the difference in the world ... or do people really not notice or care?

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I had a delicious lunch at Muze after a relaxing morning in the hotel's spa. They were about to end lunch service, so the place was nearly empty, and I was given a lovely table overlooking the water. My roasted rockfish ($36), served with a lemony sauce and a lovely corn, lima bean and tomato salad, was outstanding. This was early October, and the flavors were fresh and seasonal. I enjoyed my lunch with a glass of Gloria Ferrer sparkling brut rose ($18). My server apparently wasn't familiar with the Sonoma winery as he asked me if Gloria Ferrer was a winemaker or a designer. 

The prices were steep--much more than I would normally pay for lunch by myself. But the dish was a delight.

IMG_2466.jpg

The view paid for the dish:

IMG_2464.jpg

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The Mandarin Oriental Breakfast Buffet ($30) here is pretty decent value for the $$.  From omelette station as well as fresh-baked pastries, breakfast meats, fruit and French Toast as well as salmon, bagels, different types of cream cheese, fresh-squeezed orange juice and a partial view of the DC waterfront dock area.  Service is very good and staff welcoming.  I would suggest reservations as it was extremely busy between 9-10:30 AM.

They also had a July 4th "picnic' type of menu which was well-attended, very casual and festive.  

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On 11/12/2013 at 6:02 PM, DonRocks said:

Whenever you stay at a Mandarin, the first thing to do is to find the location of the nearest Starbucks so you don't have to pay $8 for coffee.

There's a Starbucks nearby, but I hate Starbucks. Besides, Mandarin Oriental serves Illy.

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Coffee service in the AM was "free" in the hallway leading to Muze, perhaps they had complaints and offered a concession.

BTW - there is a large residential structure going up on the "city" view side of the hotel that eliminates any view of the city and fireworks from that side of the building, looking towards the Washington Monument/Mall area.

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21 hours ago, Ferris Bueller said:

Coffee service in the AM was "free" in the hallway leading to Muze, perhaps they had complaints and offered a concession.

BTW - there is a large residential structure going up on the "city" view side of the hotel that eliminates any view of the city and fireworks from that side of the building, looking towards the Washington Monument/Mall area.

If this is what I'm thinking of, this new building is in-your-face driving northbound over the I-395 bridges - it has a classic, "U" shape with two towers flanking one smaller central area. Perhaps that lower, central portion is a concession to Mandarin so as not to completely obliterate their City View?

I think that one of the enticements the city made to get Mandarin to move here, was covering up the train tracks (the timing was just too coincidental). Oops, looks like they were thinking longer-term than just the Mandarin.

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5 hours ago, DonRocks said:

If this is what I'm thinking of, this new building is in-your-face driving northbound over the I-395 bridges - it has a classic, "U" shape with two towers flanking one smaller central area. Perhaps that lower, central portion is a concession to Mandarin so as not to completely obliterate their City View?

I think that one of the enticements the city made to get Mandarin to move here, was covering up the train tracks (the timing was just too coincidental). Oops, looks like they were thinking longer-term than just the Mandarin.

The tracks are still very prominent and at various times pretty noisy depending on the type of train (Amtrak or freight) 

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