The cheap Salvadoran bodegas in Columbia Heights are also mixing with upmarket wine bars, such as Maple, where hot young things eat delicate servings of pasta on a reclaimed wood bar.

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Start with savouries such as smoked pastrami salmon sticks or peanut butter maple bacon dates at the upstairs Treehouse Bar, then descend to dine on specialties such as potted duck and foie gras served in a jar, pork chops served with cumin bacon and mango chutney, or dry-aged steaks.

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At Balmoral bistro bar, which overlooks the main plaza, enjoy live jazz Thursdays through Saturdays while noshing on dishes such as signature beef tataki topped with roasted sesame seeds and Quebecois maple syrup, or a traditionally French beef bourguignon.

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Sowinski sticks to classic offerings such as Dover sole, wild salmon en croute, and a crisp maple leaf duck breast with Grand Marnier sauce.

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One, typified by Maple Heights, is the Midwest states such as Ohio and Michigan, where the subprime bust is battering an industrial economy already in long-term decline.

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And just as the maple syrup used to run freely, so now do our tears for such a monumental waste.

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