Metro: Red Line Dupont Circle Metro Stop
Cuisine: Seafood
Website: hanksdc.com
So a couple of friends of mine planned a surprise birthday dinner at Hank's for my roomies birthday. It was a Sunday night, and they don't take reservations, you just have to get there to get your name on the list and wait. Since it was a Sunday night they weren't particularly busy, so it wasn't long before we could get a table. However while we were waiting for the rest of the group & the birthday girl to show up, we decided to grab a few drinks at the bar. Everything was going fine, UNTIL, a little bug decided to run around our drinks and nearly attack us. I grabbed a napkin and quickly killed the little fellow. I was HIGHLY disappointed with how the bartender reacted, he didn't even comp our drinks or grab a manager to let them know what just happened. It was a BUG on the bar!!! Right near our glasses. I was SHOCKED that the bartender didn't go out of his way to correct this one. This action made me skeptical about the rest of the dinner, but I was put to ease once we were seated to our table and we had the most patient waitress ever!
The restaurant is pretty small and fills up pretty fast. We had a party of 10, and I know from my own experience as a waitress, that waiting on large parties can be ANNOYING. You constantly have someone asking for something or making changes to their order, and it takes a lot of patience to work with. As the waitress gave us a chance to look over the menu (which isn't that extensive but sufficient) we were given goldfish crackers to snack on. I ordered 12 Malpeque oysters on half shells (@ $2/oyster, it's not bad although I wish I would have selected a variety of oysters), the lobster bisque, and a side order of collard greens. The oysters were pretty good, the lobster bisque had nice chunks of lobster and was seasoned pretty well. The collard greens were a bit on the sweeter side, but the quantity was pretty large, a dash of tobasco sauce was the solution so it wasn't too bad.
Anytime we needed anything the waitress was excellent at being attentive and quickly solving the problem. I like this place, and would definitely try it again. Everyone enjoyed the oysters (the toten's and sister oysters are pretty good) and the sauce they serve with it, are EXCELLENT! I strongly recommend this place, it's modern, casual, and cozy perfect for these cold winter days.
