On Thursday night, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray was spotted dining at Hank’s Oyster Bar in Dupont Circle. We’re told Gray visited the eatery with his girlfriend Linda Mercado Greene and tried the lobster bisque and flounder. She sampled mussels and soft shell crab. As first reported by the neighborhood blog Borderstan, Gray chatted with Hank’s owner Jamie Leeds during his stop and commiserated with her over what we will call “patio-gate.” Last month, the restaurant had to close a portion of its outdoor patio after a D.C. appeals court found that the District’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board had wrongfully allowed Hank’s to terminate its voluntary agreement with neighborhood residents. In this case, the voluntary agreement dictated patio size.
Then on Friday, it was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who was seen out in the District grabbing a sandwich at the Potbelly on 13th and E streets NW “It’s a little basement Potbelly’s,” our source reports. “He looked very alarmed to witness the East Coast practice of setting up dining establishments in dark, dingy basements.” The LA mayor, who was due at the White House later in the day to watch President Obama sign the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, was very tan and his tie was very pink, our source added.
