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The Dupont Circle Citizens Association and a group of six Dupont Circle residents
filed separate protests last month asking the city to deny a license for a new
seafood restaurant and oyster bar owned by a lesbian chef.
Jamie Leeds, who has been praised by food critics for her culinary work in
upscale restaurants in New York and D.C., said she hopes to open the first oyster
bar and full-service seafood restaurant in the Dupont Circle area by May 15.
The DCCA and the group of six say their protests are aimed at concerns that
Leeds’ restaurant would attract more customers than the pizzeria it is
replacing at 17th and Q Streets, NW, and that it would generate more noise,
traffic congestion and parking problems in the bustling 17th Street neighborhood.
Leeds disputes these claims, saying her new restaurant, Hank’s Oyster
Bar, which she named after her father, will complement the neighborhood by providing
a pleasant atmosphere and good food at a reasonable price.
She has retained an architect to design and overhaul the inside of a first-floor
space previously occupied by Trio Pizza at 1624 Q Street, NW. Her restaurant
in the newly refurbished space is slated to seat 65 people inside and another
20 on the sidewalk outside.
Leeds said she sees no evidence that the individuals initiating the protests
are targeting her because of her sexual orientation. And she notes that an official
with the DCCA and a spokesperson for the group of six protesters told her that
their goal is to negotiate certain terms and conditions for the operation of
her restaurant — such as an earlier closing time — rather than to
prevent the restaurant from opening.
But Leeds said the protests have already forced her to spend money on legal
fees needed to wend her way through the licensing process. They also threaten
to delay the approval of a beer and wine license that would greatly reduce revenue
while she continues to absorb overhead costs such as rent, Leeds said.
She said the restrictions the protesters want to impose on her restaurant could
hinder her ability to turn a profit on a business that she had hoped would contribute
to the livelihood of her family, which includes her domestic partner, Leslie
Detenber, and their 2-year-old son, Hayden.
“It’s costing me money that I don’t have,” Leeds said.
The protests have prompted other neighborhood residents to come to Leeds’
defense. Gay activist Peter Rosenstein, who lives nearby, said that many neighborhood
residents had been looking forward to an oyster bar and seafood eatery in the
area. For those who support the new restaurant, according to Rosenstein and
others, the protests have renewed a longstanding dispute between Dupont Circle
residents who favor vibrant nightlife businesses and restaurants and those who
prefer a more quiet, suburban-like atmosphere for the area.
The issue before the city’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is whether
Leeds should be allowed to expand the seating capacity of the former Trio Pizza
space from 35 to 65 seats. Trio Pizza had a license to serve beer and wine,
and Leeds said she would seek to retain that license, with the goal of upgrading
it later to allow her to serve liquor.
The Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, ANC 2B, voted unanimously
last month to approve Leeds’ application to increase the indoor seating
capacity to 65 indoor seats and 20 outdoor seats. ANC Commissioner Mark Bjourge,
who represents the area where Hank’s Oyster Bar is slated to open, said
nearly all nearby residents like the idea of an oyster bar and seafood restaurant
in the area and have no objections to the additional seating capacity.
Bill Glew, president of the DCCA, said his group also has no objections to
Leeds’ restaurant. He said the group filed its protest with the goal of
negotiating a voluntary agreement with Leeds to ensure that her establishment
closes at a time “considerably” earlier than the hours at which
Trio Pizza closed. Trio Pizza closed at 3 a.m. on weekends and 2 a.m. on weeknights.
Leeds said she was “very close” to reaching a closing hour agreement
with the DCCA, and expected to sign such an agreement late this week.
She said she was less certain about a resolution with the group of ...
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