Hank's Oyster Bar Photos

Lobster Roll

Smoked Trout Hash

Chilled Marinated Beets

Lemon Yogurt Pana Cotta

Hank's Oyster Bar

Hank’s Oyster Bar

1026 King St

Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 739-4265

www.hanksoysterbar.com

Hank’s Oyster Bar is a family owned restaurant with three locations: Capital Hill Washington DC, Dupont Circle Washington DC and Old Town Alexandria, VA.  Surprisingly Hank’s Oyster Bar specializes in oysters..On second thoughts maybe it’s not that much of a surprise after all, with the name and all..oyster bar.  Ok I digress.  Each day Hank’s offers fresh oysters from all over the country.  Whether your preference is east or west coast oysters, Hank’s has you covered.  They conveniently post the daily oyster catch on chalk boards listing the oyster’s birthplace.  They also list their daily specials which does change between lunch and dinner.  All of their food was fresh and delicious. 

The Alexandria location is small and quaint.  The restaurant is inside of an old cobalt blue row home in the heart of Old Town.  The blue color carries on once you have entered the establishment.  The walls are white washed and fresh looking, while blue candle holders adorn the walls.  There are sea-themed paintings scattered through the restaurant.  Simple yet comfortable wooden benches and tables are located throughout the various sections of the restaurant. 

The service at Hank’s was wonderful.  Our waiter was the perfect combination of friendly, funny and informative.  He was able to answer all our questions and really had a good feel for what each oyster tastes like.  His knowledge did not stop with just the oysters; he did a good job helping us navigate the rest of the menu as well.  The oyster bar does not have valet parking so you will have to fight the crowds a bit to find street parking.  Street parking in Old Town Alexandria is paid parking if you park on King Street.  However there is some free parking if you venture off of King Street.  Hank’s is a great spot for lunch, brunch or dinner.  It would be great for hanging with friends or for a quick bite.  Price-wise Hank’s is rather affordable, for a full oyster sampler and entrée we paid about $20 each.  Overall we give Hank’s Oyster Bar ♪♪♪ and a half note.

Pickering Pass Oyster

This little guy had a subtle sweetness to it.  There was an earthy/grassy hint to it and it sported a cucumber melon finish.  This oyster even had the nerve to have a little kick to it. 

Otter Cove

This oyster had a very complex flavor profile.  It was a bit smoky with a kale undertone.  You could taste the briny deep sea flavors strongly in this oyster. 

Goose Point

Of all the oysters he was our least favorite.  He had brightness to his flavor and was slightly sweet.  However his flavor profile was the least complex.  He was a boring little oyster.  Poor guy.

Tar Bay

Have you ever had an oyster that tastes like chicken?  Well this little puppy sure did.  I know it sounds weird but he really did have a chicken overtone to his flavor profile.  His taste was subtle and light but once the chicken flavor finished a nice fishiness appeared. 

New Point Comfort

The new point was super sweet!   The sweetness overwhelmed all the other flavors.  If you like sweeter flavored oysters east coast oysters are for you. 

Battle Creek

We see why they call it Battle Creek, cus there was a war going on with this oyster.  There was a sweet and salty battle being waged.  This oyster had both going on at the same time, on top of all that there was a wonderful savory element.  It was a flavor akin to onion in this oyster.  It was very intriguing. 

Lobster Roll

I had never heard of a Lobster Roll until this day.  Angela had and she schooled me on this most delicious phenomena.  Imagine a super soft buttery brioche roll stuffed to capacity with perfectly cooked lobster meat salad.  This thing was amazing!  So yummy and fresh.  The Old Bay fries that came with the dish were lackluster.  They were hard, cold and not good.  I think they tried to hard with these fries.  Just keep it simple folks. 

Smoked Trout Hash

Ok…the chef took cubes of smoked trout and white potatoes and drenched them in a very light and delicious cream sauce.  We will admit we were not expecting the cream sauce.  It honestly scared us at first.  We knew it was going to be too heavy, rich and over whelming.  Well… let us tell you we could not have been more wrong.  That hash was amazing.  The cream sauce was light and delicious.  It actually complimented the dish wonderfully.  The dill in this dish was a perfect compliment and greatly enhanced the flavors.  The grilled sourdough bread that came with the dish was both grilled to perfection and delicious. 

Chilled Marinated Beets

They were a combination of sweet and sour.  The pickling was not overwhelming.  They were very delightful beets. 

Lemon Yogurt Pana Cotta

This desert was perfection.  It was slightly tart because of the yogurt and had a lovely subtle crunch because of the vanilla beans.  It was creamy, sweet and light.  This was one of our favorite Pana Cottas. 

Oyamel Photos

Nopalitos

Ceviche el Peto

Alondigas Enchipotladas Con Queso Doble Crema

Swiss Chard

Cayo de Hacha Con Pipian de Chile Pasilla

Viva Las Raspas

Oyamel Review

Oyamel
401 7^th Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

Corner of 7^th & D Streets

202.628.1005

www.oyamel.com

Oyamel Cocina Mexicana is a wonderful little spot in Washington DC, located near Chinatown.  The front of the restaurant is almost exclusively glass. The top and the bottom, and outline of the doorway are done in a dark, glossy black with orange accents. Through the front window can be seen purple brightly colored seating. The inside of this restaurant is so lively and eclectic, warm and inviting, and has so many things to draw ones attention.  It makes you happy just to be there. There appear to be three different sections of this restaurant in which to sit. There are two bars, one to the left and one a level down. The seating involves heavy wooden tables and chairs in alternating colors of red and orange on the first level and the second levels as well as seating involving booths, benches and chairs along the windows and along the walls. When we arrived, we were led to the right and down two stairs to the “lower” section and seated at a table next to booths outlining the windows. The atmosphere was casual and friendly, the noise level not too loud and not too low. There are ethereal butterfly sculptures hanging from the ceiling overhead. The color scheme of the restaurant involves orange and peach walls and ceilings in some places and behind the bar on the lower level a tiled wall in alternating shades of blue, while the main bar on the first level is brightly colored. Then there are some walls with murals drawn onto them, some with writing and others with masks on the wall and other artwork placed throughout.  This is a wonderful place to go for almost any reason as far as we are concerned. Take your friends there, your family members, coworkers, acquaintances, go there on a first or heck fiftieth date, go alone... just get there. Parking is what it is, this IS DC folks, you already know what I mean. Be prepared to park in a garage nearby and to pay for the privilege. No worries. Any hassle you must undergo, either traffic or parking wise is worth it. This is a restaurant that is everything another restaurant we went to wanted to be (see review for Willow here in Baltimore... ugh!). The service was very good as well. Our waitress was attentive without hovering and was very knowledgeable about the menu. Overall, we give this spot ♪♪♪ and a half note.

Ceviche el peto 

This dish consisted of Hawaiian ono (A delightful fishy fish), fresh hearts of palm, baby cucumber, passion fruit, vanilla and rose. Can you say, heaven on a plate? Hmm...hmmm..hmmmm. The vanilla, rose and passion fruit perfectly complemented the fishyness of the Ono. Jalapeño slices and oranges gave a  kick of heat and of sweet. Pumpkin seeds added earthiness. Sea salt enhanced the flavors tenfold as sea salt tends to do. I have dreamt about this dish since. I am sure Melissa will agree...Yup I agree :)

Nopalitos

This salad consisted of baby cactus with tomatoes, in a lime dressing. This dish was actually extremely tasty. Melissa and I agreed on this point. It was flavorful, refreshing and light; a very well conceptualized and executed effort. However, where the problem comes in is with the texture, you have to be ok with the texture to enjoy it, which I most definitely was NOT and Melissa was. If you have ever eaten cactus before, you already know where I am going with this. If you have ever tried okra, you do too. If you have not tried either of these things, well let's just say it is...well... how do we put this....it is... slimy!

Albondigas enchipotladas con queso doble crema

This dish consisted of meatballs in a chipotle sauce with crumbled double cream cheese and cilantro.

The dish had a smoky tomato-y flavor. Cilantro gave a slight flavor of licorice to the dish. Almost no filler was used in making the meatballs so they fell apart a bit too easily. We thought they could have used some egg or something to keep them together a little better. The chipotle gave the right amount of heat to complement the heartiness of the beef and the cheese give a slight overall richness.

Swiss chard 

This dish consisted of some cooked chard and some raw chard which gave it a multi-layered texture and nuts and raisins, which added a sweetness and savoryness. This dish was sweet, tart, savory happiness as long as you stayed on top. Unfortunately it was accompanied by an Apricot puree that had a consistency like paste at bottom. It was too thick, too gooey and too sweet.

Cayo de hacha con pipian de chile pasilla

This dish consisted of two ginormous scallops seared to perfection with a pasilla chile and pumpkin seed sauce, orange segments, pumpkin seed oil and toasted pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin seed sauce and pumpkin seed oil gave the dish a rich, smokey, charred, slightly bitter taste. The pumpkin seed sauce was more the consistency of a puree. The toasted pumpkin seeds were a fabulous touch. Can we just say that this chef seems to have perfected the art of pairing orange slices with seafood. The orange slices complemented the sweetness of the scallops and cut the spiciness of the chile. It was wonderful.

Viva las raspas

This desert consisted of a coconut vanilla bean panna-cotta made with condensed milk and lime zest, which was very tasty, but was unfortunately paired with a hibiscus-raspberry granite, aka granita. The granite/granita (flavored, shaved ice) was made with mezcal vida (which we realized a bit too late was another mexican liquor akin to tequila), and which entirely ruined the dish... or maybe it was the hibiscus flavor that did it, but either way, it was too strong and too bitter... and we would not try it again. We did suggest to our server that the granita was too strong, too bitter and perhaps needed to be toned down quite a bit...lol.. a suggestion for which she thanked us and indicated she would let the chef know. So, who knows? :)

Virtue Feed & Grain Photos

Flash Fried Calamari

Quinoa Salad

Fried Chicken & Waffles

Fish Tacos

Peanut Butter Pie

Virtue Feed & Grain Review

Virtue Feed & Grain

106 S Union Street

Alexandria VA 22314

571-970-3669

http://virtuefeedgrain.com

Virtue Feed & Grain is a lovely restaurant situated on the edge of Old Town Alexandria.  It appears that it used to be an old barn or warehouse of some sort.  The décor is rustic with lots of brick and refurbished slabs of wood.  There are lots of benches and chairs pulled up to old wooden tables.  The upstairs seating area is a bit more trendy.  There are high top tables as well as private seating areas closed off with cream colored sheer fabric.  The farm feel of the restaurant matches the farm to table cuisine.  Virtue Feed & Grain prides itself on fresh foods brought in daily and processed each morning in house.    The food can be best described as American Fusion.  The Chef maintains an American foundation but blends in Latin and Asian flavors.  The wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable about menu.  This restaurant is a wonderful spot for hanging out with friends, date night or even a business diner.   Old Town Alexandria is very trendy and often crowded on warm days and in the evenings.  Parking can be found on the street or in local parking garages.  Overall we give Virtue Feed & Grain ♪♪♪.  

Flash Fried Calamari

These scrumptious little sea morsels were perfectly seasoned and very tender.  The charred scallion romesco dipping sauce was amazing!  The sauce was a perfect balance between smoky and herby.    The addition of picked peppers to the dish added kick and character.  Our only complaint was that the chef should have made the grease hotter in the frying process.  Our calamari was very greasy. 

Quinoa Salad

This dish was the highlight of our meal.  There were so many fun and complex additions to this dish.  Rich, earthy, fresh, herby and sweet are all adjectives we used as we savored every bite.  The use of lemon was so appropriate in this dish.  The chef also managed to toss a slight anise flavor throughout the salad.  This was an extremely well executed culinary creation; it left us licking our chops and wishing for more.

Fried Chicken & Waffles

This dish was interesting.  The chef made a bold choice by using thigh meat and not chicken breast or tenders.  Seeing as how I love dark meat, I appreciated the chef for this decision.  Dark meat is so much more flavorful and moist.  The waffles were fluffy and tender and somehow tasted like sausage.  Yes that’s right, sausage.  We could not figure that part out, but they were good.  The orange yuzu puree was both sweet and savory; we only wish they had added a little more.  Yet again with this dish the chef made the tragic mistake of greasy chicken.  Will someone please increase the heat on the fryer!

Fish Tacos

So this is when everything went straight down hill…This dish was an epic fail.  We mean a fall down the steps and break both legs, both arms and your neck kind of epic fail!   Issue number one, corn tortilla are rarely a good idea.  They are an even worse idea when they are dry, unflavored, hard and brittle.  Their poor tortillas were so bad that they put two on each taco because they were falling apart.  To add insult to injury, the chef chose not to season the fish at all..none..zero..nada.  Sigh...  The sauce used on the taco was also flavorless and season less.  Oh and the fries…tasty but let’s say it all together…GREASY!  

Peanut Butter Pie

We are so grateful for restaurant redemption though desserts.  This peanut butter pie was delicious.  The rich and creamy peanut filling was dense, rich and delicious.  The chocolate cookie crust was delightful and the macadamia nut ice cream made you wiggle in your seat with delight.  I do believe these two soul sisters engaged in some dueling spoon action as we fought for the last bite.  This desert was yummy.

 

Willow Latin Cantina Photos

Queso Flameado

Tuna Tartar Taco

Crispy Cauliflower Taco

Duck Confit & Avocado Spring Rolls