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Hook Restaurant

You might have read my initial review of Hook back in July when the restaurant first opened. If you did, and listened to my advice and gave it a try, then you' understand why I say that it's quickly becoming my favorite seafood restaurant in DC. Just about every time I've been to Hook, the menu is a little different, which means you can come back time and time again and never get bored. One of the reasons for this is that they maintain a menu of sustainable fish and seasonal, locally-produced ingredients, which at other restaurants can translate to inconsistent dining experiences, but at Hook, it's just the opposite. Hook is very consistent.

I've been to Hook a couple times in the last month, and both times, my meals were very impressive. The fish always comes out out perfectly cooked. The server doesn't ask how you want the fish cooked, it just comes out the way it should be cooked depending on the cut of meat. A sablefish (or black cod) is left a little rare so to not cook away all the oil in the fish that gives it its aroma and flavor, yet it's not served with a typical Asian inspired soy marinade. Instead, the fish is served with a cranberry-red wine sauce, braised chanterelle mushrooms, and smoked lentils, a nice combination of flavors that I would never dream of.

Any wood-grilled fish is worth ordering. Last time, I had the mahi mahi, and the time before that, the wahoo. Both came with ingredients that complimented the flavors of the fish, but don't hide the flavor of the fish. In the case of the mahi mahi, it came with a delicate squash risotto and with the wahoo came a salty squash and shell bean ragout.

But I jumped to the entrees too quickly and failed to mention the appetizers. The first section on the menu is called "Crudo". Each crudo comes with three slices of a certain king of raw fish, each slice is topped with a different light topping, and cost about $8 or $9. Some have criticized the size of these starters calling them little postage stamps of fish, and I've had similar criticisms, but on my last visit, they had an oyster crudo. I thought the oyster crudo was a pretty good value considering they were Stellar Bay oysters.

There's usually at least one soup menu and I've ordered it every time because they've just sounded so damn good. Recently, I had both chestnut soup with raw oyster and apple and roasted beet soup with yogurt. Both soups weren't overly creamy, but had just the right silky thickness in the broth and the flavors were subtle. Other than soups on a recent trip, I also had a delicious steel head trout tartar with just the right amount of mayo mixed with blood orange, red onion, and macadamia nuts. But, the reality is that there are so many dishes that sound amazing on the menu, that it's extremely difficult to narrow your choices down to a single appetizer and entree.

For desserts, you really can't go wrong. Heather Chittum is easily the best dessert chef in DC in my opinion. I was first introduced to her creations 4 years ago at Circle Bistro. Her heavenly Madelines with lavender honey were love at first bite. Now at Hook, she's coming up with her own version of moon pies and gingerbread which require no elaborate description except to say that either of these desserts are a perfect way to end a meal.

Hook
3241 M St NW
Washington, DC 20007
202.625.4488
hookdc.com

Hours:
See web site.

Dress Code: Business Casual
Parking: There is no valet parking. I repeat, there is no valet parking despite what you may read elsewhere. Parking is not simple in Georgetown. If you can't find a spot on the street, just park in the Georgetown Mall lot across the street.
Smoking: Not Allowed.
Closest Metro: Foggy Bottom
Reservations: Taken and recommended.
Baby-Child friendly rating: 1 diaper. I wish I could give it more but the atmosphere just isn't appropriate for a child.
Amy's Bathroom Rating: Very clean and kept up well. Of course the restaurant is still pretty new that that's expected.

Comments

Emily

Yea! I have missed your reviews, Jason! My husband & I ate at Hook last month for the first time, and really enjoyed it.

noah

Prices? I would love to know I I can afford to go here. The menu on the website does not contain prices!

any help would be appreciated!

J-Coll

Noah - if you have to ask what the prices are - you probably can't afford to eat here. The prices are a bit staggering, but the food is worth every penny. I recommend selling your first-born if you need to in order to indulge at this restaurant.

Jason

It's not that bad really. I went there by myself once, ordered a whole bottle of a very nice wine, a couple apps, an entree, and a dessert and it was about $100 after tip...and I tip very well. Not cheap, but also not THAT expensive considering everything I ate and how good it all was.

I actually forgot to mention that a very good, economical wine on the list for seafood is the greco di tufo.

Keith

Just be sure to request to be seated downstairs. If you are unfortunate enough to be seated upstairs, you will literally be "blinded by the light" - a streetlight shines brightly right into your eyes.

I agree that the food is consistently outstanding, and the service has always been excellent. They have some good wine values too.

Al

I usually like hook but my last couple meals there haven't been that good and I came accross this review of hook which says the same thing (@ www.foodandbeermonger.com)

Bernie

We had a great dinner last night at Hook. The grilled tuna was awesome. My wife had Lobster Risotto that had great flovors but could have had larger pieces of lobster. My son had Black Rissoto which he loved, but to me it tasted like Ruffles sour cream and onion potato chips.
The spagetti with mussels appetizer was wonderful. All of this set off by a great discovery, Elizabeth Spencer Chardonay.

Lyra

Hook, what a restaurant. I went there last week for the second time,after my first try back in December. All the food was just as good, we were treated excellently both times and both times the wait staff were SO knowledgable about the menu and the fish and the food that it was just great.

Prices: EXPENSIVE. Especially for a grad student like myself. However, if you have a special celebration coming up, get people to take you here. Some of the appetizers can be big, so if you plan on having dessert (and believe me, you want dessert here!), then you might want to split them (I am refering to the appetizers, not the crudos, which are bite sized, and not worth the money in my opinion, but then as I said, I am on a budget).

Lyra

Oh, and the black risotto with calimari? My favorite! I had it as main course in Dec, and as an appetizer in April. Definitely delicious in my opinion.

Lyra

calamari....sorry, the thought of sunshine outside is making me woozy...

Radman

Two Comments. During lunch, sit upstairs. They do an excellent job during rest week.

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