Horace and Dickies

"Long-running local favorite Horace and Dickie’s is known for its cornmeal-coated whiting with French fries ($17). The original closed in Northeast after a three-decade run, but its Takoma location is still going strong." - Tierney Plumb

"Though the original iconic carryout on H Street closed after a decades-old run, late owner Richard “Dickie” Shannon’s daughter operates a Horace and Dickie’s in Takoma with heaping boxes of cornmeal-crusted fried whiting." - Missy Frederick, Tierney Plumb

"The iconic blue-and-white carryout, known for its heaping styrofoam boxes of cornmeal-crusted fried whiting for around $15, blamed its demise on the gentrification of its booming nightlife neighborhood. While the original closed, Horace and Dickie’s maintains a local presence in Takoma that’s operated by owner Richard “Dickie” Shannon’s daughter." - Tierney Plumb

"Horace and Dickie’s, a D.C. institution for takeout trays of fried whiting, ended a three-decade run on H Street NE on March 1." - Gabe Hiatt

"Horace and Dickie’s, the tiny blue-and-white carryout off H Street NE known for serving heaping styrofoam boxes of cornmeal-crusted fried whiting for around $15, will reportedly close March 1 after a three-decade run as a D.C. institution. Owner Richard “Dickie” Shannon tells WJLA reporter Sam Ford that his landlord is pressuring him to leave the space in the booming nightlife district that has punk rock venues, dive bars, and soul food spots next to new high-rises, a Whole Foods, Starbucks, and trendy restaurants. Shannon directly links this displacement of lower-income residents around H Street NE to the closing of his shop. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition published a study last year that said D.C. had the highest percentage of gentrifying neighborhoods of any city in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013, and around 20,000 black residents were displaced over that period. Shannon tells WJLA that the city has also enacted change to penalize his customers by turning the surrounding stretch of 12th Street NE into a commercial parking zone that lures tow trucks to the shop. In 2018, the Washington Post credited Horace and Dickie’s with serving one of 24 dishes that shaped how D.C. eats. “While trendier restaurants adopt chicken and waffles and kale, whiting remains the domain of establishments owned and frequented by African Americans — it’s an old D.C. staple amid so much newness,” the report says. Eater D.C. documented the bustling scene at the carryout with a photo series in 2015. Although the original carryout will close, Shannon’s daughter operates a Horace and Dickie’s in Takoma and a food truck that patrols the city. Shannon has another location of Horace and Dickie’s in Camp Springs, Maryland, near Joint Base Andrews." - Gabe Hiatt