Hank's Oyster Bar

Last updated
Hank's Oyster Bar
Restaurant information
Established2005
Owner(s)Jamie Leeds,
Leeds Restaurant Group
CountryUnited States
Website hanksoysterbar.com

Hank's Oyster Bar is a chain of oyster bars in Washington, D.C., and Virginia in the United States. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

Founded in May 2005, [3] the flagship restaurant was named "Hank's" after fisherman Hank Wolfe Leeds, [4] the father of founder and chef Jamie Leeds. [5] [6]

Menu offerings at the oyster bar have included oysters on the half shell, "Hog Island-style BBQ" oysters, [7] [8] fried oysters, [9] locally sourced seafood, crab cakes, clam chowder, and lobster rolls. [10] [11] Southern-inspired cuisine at the restaurant includes Oyster Po'boys. [12]

The restaurant's first location is in D.C.'s Dupont Circle. It has since expanded to other locations throughout the years, including Old Town Alexandria (2007), D.C.'s Capitol Hill Eastern Market area (2012), the Wharf in D.C. (2017), a Nationals Park location, [13] and a cocktail bar offering. [14] [15] [16]

The restaurant chain has offered two proprietary oysters, including the Eastern Shore "Salty Wolfe" (named after Wolfe Leeds) and the Nomini Creek "Hayden's Reef" oysters. [17] [18]

Causes

The Hank's Oyster Bar chain is a supporter of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s "Save the Bay" campaign, serving as a hosting sponsor of the annual “D.C. On the Half Shell” event. [19]

Awards

Hank's Oyster Bar has been featured by numerous media outlets and organizations, including Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, The Washington Post, [20] Southern Living, and the James Beard Foundation.

In 2006 and 2007, the restaurant was recognized as a "Best New Restaurant" and "Best Neighborhood Restaurant" by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington. [21]

In 2014, The Washington Post's Express named Hank's as a "Best Seafood Restaurant." [22]

In 2019, the restaurant was recognized in Washingtonian Magazine's "Best of Washington" Readers’ Poll as the "Best Raw Bar" and "Best Bloody Mary."

The restaurant was named "Best Oysters" in Virginia Living Magazine's 2019 "Best of Northern Virginia" awards.

Leeds and Hank's Oyster Bar were selected as a Washington Business Journal "Business of Pride" honoree in recognition of LGBTQ-inclusive hiring and advocacy within the DMV area.

The restaurant is included in the Michelin Guide of the "Best Seafood Restaurants in Washington, DC." [23]

The restaurant is visited and described by the characters in the 2015 political thriller, "Detained" by Don Brown, the first novel in the Navy JAG series. [24]

In the 2020 novel The Rembrandt Conspiracy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Deron Hicks, the restaurant is dined at by the book's central characters. [25]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Sklarew, Renee (2019-12-24). The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. The Unofficial Guides. p. 230. ISBN   978-1-62809-105-2.
  2. ↑ "The best seafood restaurants in Washington, D.C., according to Tripadvisor". MSN. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  3. ↑ Watkins, Laurie A. (2017-04-11). Go from Stressed to Strong: Health and Fitness Advice from High Achievers. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   978-1-5107-1654-4.
  4. ↑ Thompson, John (2015-02-03). National Geographic Traveler - Washington. National Geographic Books. p. 253. ISBN   978-1-4262-1366-3.
  5. ↑ "Our Story". Hank's Oyster Bar. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  6. ↑ "A Hankering for Hank's | James Beard Foundation". www.jamesbeard.org. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  7. ↑ "Hank's BBQ'd Oysters, Hog Island Style". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  8. ↑ Powers, Alice L. (2012-09-03). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Washington. Penguin. p. 192. ISBN   978-0-7566-9553-8.
  9. ↑ "Check out these 9 scrumptious local specialties when you visit Washington, D.C." MSN. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  10. ↑ "Hank's Oyster Bar – Washington - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  11. ↑ Lonely Planet USA 12. Lonely Planet. 2022. ISBN   978-1-83758-102-3.
  12. ↑ Moss, Jess; Galgano, Carolyn (2011). Fodor's 2012 Washington, D.C. Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN   978-0-679-00949-8.
  13. ↑ Malcolm, Timothy (2021-05-04). Moon Baseball Road Trips: The Complete Guide to All the Ballparks, with Beer, Bites, and Sights Nearby. Avalon Publishing. ISBN   978-1-64049-802-0.
  14. ↑ "Restaurants". Jamie Leeds Restaurant Group. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  15. ↑ Rule, Doug (2017-03-30). "Aw, Shucks: An interview with Chef Jamie Leeds of Hank's". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  16. ↑ Vergason, Victoria (2012-08-04). Capitol Cocktails. Lulu.com. p. 30. ISBN   978-1-300-05183-1.
  17. ↑ Jacobsen, Rowan (2016-10-04). The Essential Oyster: A Salty Appreciation of Taste and Temptation. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 285. ISBN   978-1-63286-256-3.
  18. ↑ Jacobsen, Rowan (2010-08-09). A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 284. ISBN   978-1-59691-814-6.
  19. ↑ Colbert, Judy (2019-08-26). Virginia Off the Beaten Path®: Discover Your Fun. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 61. ISBN   978-1-4930-4266-1.
  20. ↑ Sietsema, Tom (2005-12-09). Washington Post Dining Guide 2005-2006. Washington Book Distributors. ISBN   978-1-930691-05-6.
  21. ↑ "Hank's Oyster Bar". www.virginia.org. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  22. ↑ Bell, Eboné (2014-11-24). "Grab an Apron and Get Cookin' With Chef Jamie Leeds". Tagg Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  23. ↑ "Best Seafood Restaurants in Washington, DC - The MICHELIN Guide". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  24. ↑ Brown, Don (2017-06-27). The Navy Jag Collection: Detained and Code 13. Zondervan. ISBN   978-0-310-35114-6.
  25. ↑ Hicks, Deron R. (2020). The Rembrandt Conspiracy. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN   978-0-358-25621-2.
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