After spending almost the entire week in bed due to bronchitis, at about 5pm yesterday I was stir-crazy. I called my husband and convinced him to meet me for dinner at a halfway point between our house and his office. We decided on Hank’s Oyster Bar at Q & 17th in the old Trio’s Pizza spot, open for a few weeks and on our list to try.
Being a transplanted New Englander I’m a serious oyster freak, and the idea of an oyster bar within six blocks of my house is enough to get me crawling out of the sickbed, even in a No R month. There’s a very “neighborhood joint” feel about Hank’s and it reminded me of some favorite places in New Orleans, with a convivial and unpretentious atmosphere. It’s very light and airy, with a tin ceiling, quiet decor, and pleasant waitstaff. We had a great dozen oysters – especially creamy ones from Washington State. Chris had a yummy-looking oyster po’boy with fries and I had the special, soft shell crabs on a bed of watercress. They were perfectly pan-fried with a little bit of lemon, very delicately done.
After our meal we ordered a second round of drinks and were left alone to enjoy them – no obnoxious check-ups or premature presentation of the bill which often mars our dining out in DC. This made a great first impression – it really gets to both of us when a wonderful dinner ends abruptly, the assumption being that you must really want to get out as soon as possible and get on with your oh-so-busy-and-important life. Isn’t savoring the meal and the moment part of the reason you go out to eat?
Possibly the best part – when the bill does arrive it comes with chunks of chocolate!
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.
