| Annie's Paramount Steakhosue | |
|---|---|
 Annie's Paramount Steakhouse at its current location | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1948 |
| City | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°54′46″N77°02′05″W / 38.91279328367443°N 77.03476842346102°W |
| Website | www |
Annie's Paramount Steakhouse, also known as Annie's, is a restaurant in Washington, D.C., known for its role in the city's LGBT culture.
George Katinas opened the Paramount Steakhouse in 1948, at 1519 17th Street NW, in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was originally considered a "beer joint" but later became better known as a full service restaurant, with an all-women waitstaff. [1]
Katinas's sisters, Annie Kaylor and Sue Stouts, began working at the restaurant's bar in 1952 and 1953 respectively, during night and weekend shifts. [1]
Shortly after opening, gay men from the surrounding neighborhood began to frequent the restaurant. While Katinas, Kaylor, and Stouts were not initially aware that many of their customers were gay, the restaurant welcomed a diverse set of customers. [1] Kaylor was described as "a mother to all of us," who once encouraged two men to hold hands visibly, rather than hiding under the table. [2]
In the early 1960s, Katinas renamed the restaurant to "Annie's Paramount Steakhouse" and had his sister serve as the face of the establishment. [1]
Following the 1968 riots in Washington, many businesses on 17th Street were damaged or closed, but the gay community continued to patronize Annie's, keeping the restaurant in business. [1]
In 1974, the restaurant hired its first male waiter, Mano, and the restaurant continued to support the local gay community as the gay rights movement grew following the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, and during the AIDS crisis. [1] A 1981 Washington Post column by Michael Kernan described Annie's as a place where "many of the gay guys who live in the neighborhood (and elsewhere) swarm in, mixing peacefully with straight couples." [3]
The restaurant moved to its current location, 1609 17th Street NW, in 1985. [2]
On August 23, 2004, Adrien Almstad, a waiter at the restaurant, was shot and killed as he walked home. [1]
Kaylor worked at the bar until around 2010, but continued making occasional visits until her death in 2013. [2] [4]
The James Beard Foundation awarded Annie's a Classics Award in 2019, noting its longtime support of the LGBTQ community. [5] [6]
As of 2021, Georgia Katinas, George Katinas’s granddaughter, serves as general manager, and the restaurant is still owned by the Katinas family. [2] [7]
In addition to its predominantly gay clientele, Annie's Paramount Steakhouse has more formally supported the LGBT community in Washington, D.C. The restaurant has sponsored the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. and has a contingency in the Capital Pride parade. The restaurant has hosted same-sex weddings since same-sex marriage became legal in the District in 2010. [2]
In 2015, D.C.'s Rainbow History Project posthumously recognized Kaylor as an LGBT community ally. [8]
A gay village, also known as a gayborhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establishments, such as gay bars and pubs, nightclubs, bathhouses, restaurants, boutiques, and bookstores.
The Washington Blade is an LGBT newspaper in the Washington metropolitan area. The Blade is the oldest LGBT newspaper in the United States and third largest by circulation, behind the Philadelphia Gay News and the Gay City News of New York City. The Blade is often referred to as America's gay newspaper of record because it chronicled LGBT news locally, nationally, and internationally. The New York Times said the Blade is considered "one of the most influential publications written for a gay audience."
Dupont Circle is a historic roundabout park and neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The Dupont Circle neighborhood is bounded approximately by 16th Street NW to the east, 22nd Street NW to the west, M Street NW to the south, and Florida Avenue NW to the north. Much of the neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the local government Advisory Neighborhood Commission and the Dupont Circle Historic District have slightly different boundaries.
14th Street NW/SW is a street in Northwest and Southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C., located 1.25 miles (2.01 km) west of the U.S. Capitol. It runs from the 14th Street Bridge north to Eastern Avenue.
Capital Pride is an annual LGBT pride festival held in early June each year in Washington, D.C. It was founded as Gay Pride Day, a one-day block party and street festival, in 1975. In 1980 the P Street Festival Committee formed to take over planning. It changed its name to Gay and Lesbian Pride Day in 1981. In 1991, the event moved to the week prior to Father's Day. Financial difficulties led a new organization, One In Ten, to take over planning of the festival. Whitman-Walker Clinic (WWC) joined One In Ten as co-sponsor of the event in 1997, at which time the event's name was changed to Capital Pride. Whitman-Walker became the sole sponsor in 2000. But the healthcare organization came under significant financial pressures, and in 2008 turned over producing duties to a new organization, Capital Pride Alliance.
Wakefield is a neighborhood in the Upper Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., bounded by Albemarle Street NW to the south, Nebraska Avenue NW to the west, and Connecticut Avenue to the east. It is served by the Van Ness-UDC and Tenleytown-AU station on the Washington Metro's Red Line.
Brightwood Park is a small neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. in the United States. The neighborhood is bounded by Georgia Avenue NW to the west, Missouri Avenue NW to the northeast and Kennedy Street NW to the south. More recently, areas that are technically part of the northern extremity of the Petworth neighborhood have been increasingly referred to as Brightwood Park. Often these informal boundaries extend south to Emerson Street NW, and east to New Hampshire Avenue NW. Another definition places Hamilton Street NW as Brightwood Park's southern boundary. Yet another definition places Brightwood Park's southern boundary as Ingraham Street NW. The most expansive definition state Brightwood Park's borders as Missouri Avenue to the north, North Capitol Street on the east, Emerson Street to the south and Georgia Avenue on the west. It is located in Ward 4.
One In Ten (OIT) is a non-profit, all-volunteer LGBTQ arts organization in Washington, D.C. Its largest program is Reel Affirmations, the third largest LGBT film festival in the United States and the largest all-volunteer film festival in the world.
In the District of Columbia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. Along with the rest of the country, the District of Columbia recognizes and allows same-sex marriages. The percentage of same-sex households in the District of Columbia in 2008 was at 1.8%, the highest in the nation. This number had grown to 4.2% by early 2015.
Ruby Corado is an activist who founded Casa Ruby, a bilingual, multicultural LGBT organization in Washington, D.C. Established in 2012, Casa Ruby identifies its mission as "to create success life stories among Transgender, Genderqueer, and Gender Non-conforming Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people." In July 2022, Corado was accused of mismanagement of Casa Ruby, which forced the organization to cease operations.
There were several protests organized by the LGBT community against the policies of United States President Donald Trump and his administration.
DC Gay Flag Football League (DCGFFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit LGBTQ flag football league consisting of 20 teams in Washington, D.C. It is a member of Team DC, which provides a network of sporting outlets for the LGBT community of the Washington Metropolitan area, and National Gay Flag Football League.
In Washington, D.C., LGBT culture is heavily influenced by the U.S. federal government and the many nonprofit organizations headquartered in the city.
Casa Ruby was a non-profit organization and community center in Washington, D.C., that provided housing, food, and other social services to LGBTQ people, primarily transgender, and gender queer people. Casa Ruby was founded by Ruby Corado and first opened in 2012. The organization was bilingual, providing services in both English and Spanish.
Annie Kaylor was an American restaurateur known for running Annie's Paramount Steakhouse and for her support of the LGBT community in Washington, D.C.
The Rainbow History Project, also known as RHP, is an American history project founded in Washington, D.C. in November 2000. Its purpose is to “collect, preserve, and promote an active knowledge of the history, arts, and culture of metropolitan Washington DC's diverse LGBTQ+ communities.” RHP's various activities include collecting oral histories, providing walking tours, hosting panel presentations, gathering archival materials, recognizing community pioneers, and research assistance.
Sushi Taro is a Japanese restaurant in Washington, D.C. The restaurant specializes in sushi, and has received a Michelin star.
The Little Gay Pub is a gay bar in Washington, D.C., established in 2023. In February 2024, during Britain's LGBT Pride Month, the British ambassador to the United States Karen Pierce led a ceremony dedicating a mural on the side of the pub which was sponsored by the British government.
Victor Albisu is an American chef and restaurateur. He has created fine-dining Latin American restaurants Del Campo and Poca Madre in D.C. and the fast-casual chain of taquerias Taco Bamba, featuring traditional as well as inventive house-special tacos often influenced by other culinary traditions. Opened in 2013 in the Falls Church, Virginia shopping center where Albisu’s mother has a Latin market, as of June 2024 Taco Bamba has 15 locations in the D.C. area and nearby states. In 2015, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington named Albisu chef of the year, and in 2016 and 2020, he was a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.
