Bar Review: King Street Oyster Bar (Leesburg, Virginia)

Serendipity is sometimes the best part of a trip.  We have gone on vacations without hotel reservations or knowing where our travels might lead us.  On our recent  trip to Virginia we landed at Dulles and before heading to our hotel wanted to explore the area a little bit. We landed in Leesburg.

img_5819

In Leesburg we did a little shopping before dinner and saw a cute place called King Street Oyster Bar.  It’s a small restaurant and bar set up in an old storefront right downtown, and, it turns out, had only been open a couple of months.  Lynn likes to get good shellfish when she is on the east coast and this looked like a fun place to start.  Me, well, I was looking for a bourbon drink!

img_5816

We sat right in the front window and decided to drink and graze.  They have a fun menu with a good selection for anyone.  We started with a “New York Sour.”  It was made with the bourbon of your choice,  lemon juice, simple syrup, and topped with red wine.  It was really good and very different.  They have a good bourbon and whiskey selection and a very friendly staff to help with you with your choice.  And great happy hour prices on drinks and oysters.

img_5810

Speaking of selection, the apps and food options were terrific.  We started with the “Bleu Cheese Chips” which are potato chips (looked home made?) topped with basil aioli, marinated tomatoes, and warm bleu cheese.  You can see by the picture it’s a meal itself.

img_5812

For dinner, Lynn then had 2 varieties of raw oysters followed by “King Street Oysters” – which were grilled oysters with blue crab, Tasso ham, and roasted corn.  I am so sorry I didn’t get a picture, they tasted and looked amazing.  I also had fish and chips, which were very good.


If you are looking for a little history, some fun shopping, and a taste of Virginia near Dulles Airport, try King Street Oyster House.  The patrons and staff were all very friendly.  We were so glad we stopped in and I am sure you will be pleased as well.

Bourbon Bill is on Vacation!

Bourbon Bill would like to apologize to all my faithful readers. We are on vacation… again. Although I am gathering a lot of material for future blogs, I am having far too much fun to write. Hang in there, lots of great stops on our travels to share!

As you saw in my last blog, we were in Washington State for a wedding. The following weekend we headed to Northern Virginia for Stacey & Benji’s weeding. Great weekend, glad I took notes! Got to spend time with Taylor and Carter, see other friends while eating and drinking in some fun places.

Just left the Houston Airport where we had a refreshing, “Honey Bee” at Pappas Burger. The Honey Bee was made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, Texas Silver Star Honey bourbon, fresh lime juice and blackberries. Garnished with a lime wedge and huge blackberry. It hit the spot along with a juicy half pound bacon cheeseburger. Headed to Corpus Christi to see my son, Burch, and his wife, Sara.

unnamed

Stay tuned for blogs from Virginia, Texas, and exciting Bourbon news!

Bourbon Bill

Distillery Tour: Woodinville Whiskey Co. (Woodinville, Washington)

Lynn and I were in Washington for a wedding a couple weeks ago and while there toured Woodinville Whiskey Co., a bourbon distillery. You say bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. Well, as I’ve talked about before – it doesn’t! Yes, Bourbon can come from anywhere in the USA.

img_5771

We met our friends Tim and Susan at Woodinville Whiskey Company. It’s a small craft distillery that was established in 2010. It’s a really attractive building close to Chateau Ste. Michelle and across the street from Columbia Winery. We took the tour which gave an informative introduction for those who don’t know much about whiskey, bourbon, or distilled spirits.

img_5768

Woodinville Whiskey Co. is a small, well designed, and efficient distillery that makes a very good product. All their grain comes from a contracted farm in Quincy, Washington. They can control the quality and supply this way. They also age their barrels on the farm. Quincy is in eastern Washington and a much better environment to age the bourbon because they get the climate and temperature swings you need to get the bourbon in and out of the oak in those barrels. That helps to enhance the flavor.

img_5767

They have a very fun tasting room with a friendly knowledgeable staff. Kaytlyn greeted us as we walked in the door and helped us with our tasting and got us on a tour.   You get to taste their Rye, Whisky, Bourbon, and Vodka. In addition to that, you get to taste what turned out to be one of my favorites – their Barrel-Aged Maple Syrup. Wow, what a great maple syrup! I saw they had a gift pack with a bottle of their bourbon, 2 bottles of maple syrup, and 2 logo Glencairn glasses (I could not resist the gift pack).

img_5770

After tasting we had lunch in The Hollywood Tavern which has been in that same spot since 1947, and is next door to the distillery. It has inside dining and a fire pit on the patio. The food is amazing. They have a good selection of wine and beer. It hit the spot on an overcast cool day.

img_5765

I highly recommend you visit Woodinville Whiskey Co. You can’t buy their product outside of Washington State. If you are in Seattle it’s worth the time to see Woodinville. You can also tour some of the surrounding wineries. It makes for a great weekend!