For Rick Allison, The World Is His Oyster

For Rick Allison, The World Is His Oyster

By Jan Mercker

Rick Allison didn’t plan to come to Middleburg. But when Middleburg came to him, he answered the call. Now his King Street Oyster Bar on Washington Street is a hub of the local restaurant scene, a bustling place to see and be seen.

Rick Allison, owner of the King Street Oyster Bar

Rick has been shaking up the dining scene in Loudoun’s historic downtowns for nearly a decade. His first Oyster Bar opened in Leesburg in 2016, followed by the Middleburg location in late 2017. And he’s not done yet. He confirmed to Country ZEST he’s looking for just the right spot to launch a new Italian concept venture in Middleburg.

A Pittsburgh native, he fell in love with cooking thanks to his Italian-American grandmother who ran a restaurant in his hometown. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., he headed to the legendary Cafe Normandie in Annapolis. He then moved on to executive chef roles at DC-based chains Great American Restaurants and Clyde’s Restaurant Group.

He launched The Dock at Lansdowne in 2006 before opening his casual comfort food cafe, Pittsburgh Rick’s in 2014, filling Leesburg bellies with Pittsburgh-style sandwiches and loaded fries. He and his family settled in Purcellville, where he raised his now-adult children.

“We love Loudoun County,” he said. “Back then it was very reasonable to have space and a great community to go with it.”

He had also honed his seafood chops at Cafe Normandie, but noticed a dearth of fresh seafood and raw bar cuisine in Loudoun.

He wanted to bring some urban flair without high price tags to downtown Leesburg, and the Oyster Bar concept was born. Allison’s friend, commercial real estate broker Don Devine, told him he had the perfect spot in the former Cooley Gallery on King Street.

That location is known for its full-length windows, nautical decor and hand-hewn wood furnishings. The restaurant breathed fresh air into the restaurant scene downtown and attracted other trendy eateries.

“It was successful pretty much right off the bat. I think it was a good draw,” Rick said. “I feel that we helped put Leesburg back on the map. It helped some other restaurants that may have been hesitant to be like, ‘Hey this is pretty cool–let’s try it.’ Honestly, the more restaurants, the better because it’s going to draw more people and we feed off of each other.”

After seeing the success of the Leesburg flagship, members of the Middleburg Town Council came to Allison about the possibility of a sister restaurant to the south.

He declined three times, but thanks to the town’s persistence, along with the local real estate community, he found a location he couldn’t pass up–the 1920s former Middleburg Bank building on Washington Street. He and business partner Jorge Esguerra were sold.

“We loved it so we were like let’s take a chance and see what happens,” he said, adding that he’s working with local leaders to encourage shops to stay open later so diners can shop and stroll. Meanwhile, he’s on the hunt for the perfect Middleburg spot for his “light Italian” concept.

“I’m waiting to decide what the locations are and what the need is,” he said “We’re flexible….I don’t want to do anything high end. I want you to come twice a week to the restaurant. I want you to feel good. I want a good vibe, and we can feed off our other restaurant.”