Hank's Oyster Bar

B and I are in DC this weekend. We're visiting his good college buddies D and W, a very wonderful couple who share a similar enthusiasm for food. Upon hearing about my oyster infatuation, they decided take us to Hank's Oyster Bar for a late brunch, which is a charming little seafood establishment in Dupont Circle. Since 2005, Hank's has been a fantastic neighborhood success by renowned chef Jamie Leeds. I had just completed Rowan Jacobsen's "A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America" and have been very eager to try out my newly-enlightened palette on a fresh dozen.

Hank's was offering six freshly delivered types of oysters including: Cape May Salts from NJ, Maple Points from WA, Nisqually's from WA, Hood Canals from WA, Olde Salts from VA, and Otter Coves from WA. I ordered two of each kind ($2 each) for my personal exploratory tasting. I decided to forgo the lemon and the cocktail sauce to ensure that I could accurately taste the oyster's true flavor and better understand its "terroir." But it is absolutely acceptable to sprinkle a bit of lemon juice or spread a smidgen of sauce on them. It helps balance out the saltiness and brininess.

Something that I learned to appreciate now that I hadn't before was the shells. Depending on how and where you grow the oysters, the shells will take on different characteristics. Oysters that have had a "rougher" life will look more grungy and the shells are thicker. Those that have more pampered lives will look clean, but the shells will be thinner. When I examined all of the empty shells afterwards, I definitely could tell which oysters led more protected lives. However, this appreciation only extended so far. I didn't enjoy bits of shell in the actual eating experience, which I encountered more than a few times.

Anyway, back to the taste: each kind of oyster had its own flavor and texture profile. While I used to think that oysters had one texture (slimy), now I am able to distinguish creamy from crisp, soft from crunchy. Here are my own notes regarding the tastes:

• Cape May Salts (NJ): A small petite (1 inch) oyster that tasted very clean and crisp. The meat was very light (second photo), plump, and the liquid was moderately salty.
• Maple Point (WA): The sizes varied (1 inch - 2.5 inch) and the taste was quite briny. The shells were darker in appearance with a dark greenish tint.
• Nisqually (WA): The shell was perfect and light. The meat had a creamy consistency and was slightly buttery. The liquid was pretty salty, which was a great compliment to the actual oyster flavor.
• Hood Canal (WA): This small (1.5 inch) oyster was surprisingly mild but very plump. The meat filled the shell so that there was little liquid. The liquid that I did taste was not very salty at all. I think that this would be a decent beginner's oyster.
• Olde Salt (VA): This was a rather large (2.5 - 3 inch) oyster. Its shape was long and slender. The oyster is quite meaty and fairly salty. The after taste was slightly bitter.
• Otter Cove (WA): This substantially sized (2.5 inches) oyster was very meaty and tasted slightly sweet. The liquid was also fairly salty.

B, D, and I also shared a few sake oyster shooters. Essentially, they tasted like a shot of bloody mary (but with sake) followed by a chewy oyster. The shot size was almost too much to handle at once, but I managed to slurp everything down. As an entree, I ordered a lobster bisque. There was no doubt that the bisque was full of lobster flavor, but I wished that there had been a bit more meat in it.

The brunch specials at Hank's are definitely worth checking out.