Hook

Loved this place!!!

I remember coming here for lunch during DC restaurant week. They have a 3-​course lunch menu at this seafood spot for just $ 20. For appetizers, we got Tuna Tartare & Smoked Salmon — Trout roe, crème fraîche, shallots, coriander, brioche. Both of these are delicious. They have a lot of flavors in them & the plating’s pretty nice.
For our entrees, we got Yellowin Tuna — Ponzu, soba noodles, watermelon radish, carrots, scallions, sesame seeds& crispy taro. This was recommended by the waiter and he wasn’t wrong. It’s pretty dang good, they really know how to play with your taste-​buds. We also got Fish & Chips — tartar sauce, mixed greens with fries. I know this dish sounds like a classy restaurant would offer, but their beer batterd Fish & Chips’re cooked very nicely. They are also not as greasy as most Fish & Chips.
For our desserts, we ordered Apple Frangipane Tart vanilla ice cream,
Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Hazelnut ice cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Pie chantilly cream. They’re a good ending for our meal, I especially enjoyed the Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream.
Overall, I’d give this restaurant a 3 ½ stars. The dishes can be quite expensive, particularly for dinner. However, it’s worth a try, especially during restaurant week.

This is definitely a special occasion kind of place because, even with a Livingsocial certificate and us splitting an appetizer, an entrée and fries (with one glass of wine), it ended up being a pricey experience. But the food and the service are definitely special and I would come back if I came upon some unexpected cash.
We ordered a grilled octopus appetizer served on a delicious, earthy bed of lentils — very good. For an entrée we split what ended up a totally split-​able but expensive ($ 38) dish of delicious, packed-​with-​lobster risotto. The risotto was darkened with squid ink which gave it a just-​out-​of-​the-​ocean kinda of taste.
And then there were the parmesan fries… These were outstanding! Crispy, just the right thickness, encrusted in parmesan cheese yummy potatoey goodness. One of the best fries I have ever had. Fries you don’t need any condiments for. Just perfect!
Even though we split all these dishes we unfortunately had no room for the famous Hook desserts although we gamely perused the dessert menu and left satisfied that we would have trouble choosing just one of those to sample.
The service was attentive yet unobtrusive. Maybe those who complained about Hook’s service like to be constantly badgered while eating but we enjoyed the fact that water glasses were promptly filled, the waiter knew the menu inside and out and that, for the most part, we were left alone to enjoy the delicious food.

Enjoyed Sunday brunch here, thanks to a Groupon. This was our first visit but we’ve enjoyed Tacklebox next door. I’d checked out the menu online and had some ideas of what to order, but the actual menu onsite varied a little so change in plan.
We started by sharing the cantaloupe gazpacho with crab and prosciutto. The kitchen was nice enough to split the soup into two smaller bowls. It was too sweet for my taste, although refreshing on a hot day. Neither of us finished our half portions, and at $ 11/​bowl, it was a splurge. We also shared the apricot scones — five small scones for $ 6 were okay, but I actually liked the complimentary cornbread a bit better. Split a large French press ($ 10), too.
I was disappointed not to see more seafood brunch options (only a crab omelet was seafoody), so I decided on the fish and chips ($ 16). Fish was okay — two nice size pieces — and the fries were yummy. DH had the crabcake sandwich ($ 17) with fries. He said the rémoulade was the star of the dish — the «lump» crabcake was mainly comprised of pickings and was just okay.
Total for brunch, including tip, was $ 78. Pricey, and we don’t mind spending that much if we think the value is there. In this case, we are undecided. The food was okay, but unimpressive. Service was pretty good — our waiter was attentive and the food delivery was timed nicely. We were seated at this odd little table crammed up against a post. I seriously couldn’t bend my right arm without whacking my elbow. Beware if the hostess takes you in that direction!

Unbelievably bad management.
We made an 8:30 reservation at Hook. Our party of eight arrived on time. At 9:15, after patiently waiting 45 minutes, we asked about our reservation. We were told that an earlier party was taking longer than expected. They comped us a round of drinks. We were a bit disappointed/​frustrated, but we understood and enjoyed a glass of Malbec. At 10pm, after patiently waiting for an hour and a half, a large table opened up. We assumed it was for us, but another party — with a later reservation — was seated instead.
We inquired with the host. At that point, we were told our table was upstairs, and that they «couldn’t» seat us at that table, because it was for twelve.
We asked for the manager, explained the situation calmly, and we were greeted by yelling. Never have I encountered such rude and unprofessional behavior from the manager of a restaurant.
After waiting patiently for 90 minutes, we left and went to the Indian place next door (which was delicious, by the way.)
Though I have been to Hook for some moderately pleasant lunchtime dining with pleasant (if not outstanding) food, after this experience I cannot recommend Hook in any fashion.

«HOOK HOOK WHERE’S THE HOOK! HOOK HOOK WHERE’S THE HOOK!»
I know what you’re thinking… Dana, you don’t eat seafood! Or at least my friends that know me would think that! So why are you giving this place 5 stars? You don’t have any other seafood places to compare it to. Because my friends… I’VE BEEN CONVERTED! I’m a believer! They made me believe I love seafood!
«BANGARANG RUFIO!»
I started off with the curried cauliflower soup with blue crab and fennel. Ummm… YUM!?! This was actually my favorite thing I ate the whole night quite possibly. Just the perfect amount of spice and I loved the chunks of crab.
For an entrée I went with the fish tacos. I figured not being much of a seafood person this would be a tame fish for me to try. The plate comes with two tacos which I ended up not being able to finish — not because I didn’t like them, (I loved them!) but it was so much food. Great deal for just $ 21.
«Good form!»
I had heard great things about the desserts (apparently Top Chef Just Desserts pastry chef Heather had worked here…) and actually got one to go. They can pretty much do anything to go as long as you hold the ice cream. I ended up taking home the cream cheese mousse, which was a lot like cheesecake except lighter.
The service was excellent and my food came out FAST! The waiter forgot to bring me the bread that everyone is talking about in their reviews but I didn’t really mind since I had so much food. But there WILL be a «next time» when I can come and try it – «Don’t try to stop me, Smee!» I already can’t wait to go back.
RUUU-​FI-​OOOOOO!!!
— — —
Oh I almost forgot! I checked in on Unilocal and I noticed the beautiful Amanda S. had just checked in 10 minutes before me. I sent her a message (because we never met in person!) telling her I was there too. She replied «omg I thought I saw you waiting outside the bathroom!» haha yup, our Unilocal meeting was like destiny, haha =P
— — —
«At least now I know you’re making movie references instead of my original feeling that you might be insane.» — Brian B.

So I’ve heard so much about this place and I finally had a coupon from Groupon to check it out.
Well my boyfriend is allergic to seafood so the only items that were non-​seafood related was 2 salads and the ribeye. So he got the ribeye and I got the grouper. Both were very large portions, I uploaded photos on here. The food was delicious and the atmosphere and décor was nice. I will definitely come back.
We got the s’mores dessert which was not very good. $ 9 for a really small ok tasting dessert. I got the french press coffee and it was not very good either.
The prices for the entrees were a little high in my opinion, $ 28-​$ 32 with a limited selection of only 7 – 8 entrees. I also wish they had more of a selection of non-​seafood items and they had some specials like a risotto of the day and fresh fish of the day.

I was so so so so so close to giving Hook a 5-​star review. If I were rich and money were no object, then yes, its a 5-​star. Luckily we had a groupon, so the pain was a little less intense.
Started off with a soup — cucumber spicy crab bisque if I can remember correctly. The soup was really amazing, perfectly rich, creamy, slightly spicy, and full of good fresh crab.
Olive foccacia — very good.
We ordered the Seared Scallops and Arctic Char. The scallops were perfect, served with an amazing sear, a perfect warm center, and literally melting-​in-​mouth flavor. Simply amazing, simple, and deadly fresh. Served over smokey brussel sprouts and braised mushrooms, with a little circular line of pomegranate sauce. The sprouts and mushrooms were a tad bit salty for me, but paired with the lightly seasoned scallops, were pretty much in line. Just a perfect spot on dish, with hockey puck sized scallops.
The Arctic Char was just another leve. The chef added an amazing touch of separating the skin and crisping it, adding it to the top of the dish. The char was seared lightly on the outside, served almost raw inside, so that it combined to be a tender, fresh, juicy (can i describe fish as juicy) and just melting in my mouth (much like the scallops). Served over braised oxtail (wish there had been more) and polenta (almost nonexistent however), and a grilled onion (weird addition?), it was an almost perfect dish.
Why not a 5-​star? For me, even though yes they fly in their own seafood fresh every night, the service was top notch, and the food was pretty much some of the best seafood I ever had, I couldn’t get past a shared app, two entrees, and 2 glasses of cheap wine for $ 95 (outside of tip). Luckily the $ 50 off groupon helped with that wallet pain.
Overall, its 5-​star food. Just come here if you love seafood.

The food at Hook was good. The best thing, by far, were the green curried mussels — they had lemongrass, green apples, ginger, coconut milk, and they were served with fries and bread. If it wasn’t such a nice restaurant, I probably would have licked the bowl.
We also shared the scallops entrée and the fish tacos. Both were pretty good, though not as amazing as the mussels. Overall, it’s a good place, though it is a bit pricey — but still worth going back to!

I had a Groupon for Hook that was due to expire in less than a week. Truth be told, I was feeling pretty beat and was thinking about letting it go unused. Boy, am I glad that I got my second wind and made the effort to treat the GF to a Saturday brunch at Hook. I love surprises and Hook was a most pleasant one!
Hook resides in a long, narrow space along M St. It’s décor is modern-​looking, and bright given the taupe-​colored walls. Adding to the modern/​hip feel of the place was the piped in lounge/​trip hop music which seemed a little out of place given it was noon on a Saturday. That said, the GF and I came here for the food, not the atmosphere.
We started out with a selection of a dozen Washington state oysters (Chef Creek, Pt. Julia, Little Skookum, Totten Inlet, and Fanny Bay/​$ 30). I love months with an «R»! The oysters further confirmed that Pacific oysters are FAR superior to Atlantic and Gulf oysters. All were nice, juicy and flavorful in different ways. The Chef Creek was my personal favorite. For our entrees, I had the Cioppino ($ 19) which had a generous portion of king crab, bay scallops, clams, mussels, fish (Arctic char?), and laughing bird prawns, in a spicy tomato broth. Unlike the cioppino I had at Central, this one was perfect in every way… an ample amount of seriously flavorful broth and perfectly-​cooked seafood! My girlfriend had the Seared Arctic Char ($ 18) with coconut Forbidden rice and scallion purée. It was a winner, too! To top of the excellent meal, we were well-​served by Maja who gave solid effort!
In a nutshell, fresh seafood… CHECK! Properly-​cooked, good portion sizes, and presented in an aesthetically-​pleasing way… DOUBLE CHECK! Good service by the entire restaurant team… ANOTHER CHECK! Definitely one of the best meals I’ve had in the DC-​NoVA area!

Once I create a list for places to go eat brunch, this will definitely be a great one to go to.
My boyfriend and I started off with the French press coffee — delicious (next time we will most likely get the bigger portion).
We started out with oysters. We got a sampling of all of them on the menu and truth be told they were all good but for my favorite — I’m torn between the Chef Creek and the Pt Julia.
My meal was the Arctic Char with coconut forbidden rice, scallion purée and a miso sauce. Absolutely delicious! The Arctic Char was perfectly cooked with a nice crispy skin. The coconut forbidden rice was an extremely good choice to accompany it. I love coconut, and though you could taste the coconut, it wasn’t overly sweet and only enhanced the whole dish. The scallion purée and miso sauce also gave a nice zing to the whole dish. A top notch meal.
All I can say is — Honey, when can we go back?

Brunch visit at 11am on a January Sunday
Pros:
–Enjoyed my crab omelette, but thought the potatoes that came with it were rather dull.
–Dessert was very good — a dark chocolate caramel tart.
–My sister enjoyed her French toast, but I found it somewhat pedestrian and overpriced.
–Large and clean bathroom.
–Service was fine, but nothing fantastic.
Cons:
–It’s in Georgetown.
–Front door slams, so if you’re sitting near it you’ll be subjected to the sound of a heavy door slamming frequently.
–Coffee was terrible (french press — I think the waiter didn’t let it steep long enough)
–I didn’t care for the bacon, although my sister did like it and the portion was very generous.
–Weird metal bead curtain in front of restroom area is just bizarre. And stupid.
–They don’t give OpenTable points (wtf?).
–They don’t take Discover Card.

Get ready to go home hungry after this medocre over priced dining experience.
Generally the food was bland and disapointing like the other reviewers point out. Really need salt and pepper to give the flavor a boost. (sad)
Food portions were shockingly tiny. The smoked appitizer was maybe three small bites. Deserts, 4 bites. Main course was better but about 30% smaller than they should be. My cappichino was served in a small tea cup that would just fit two shots of espresso with a drop of milk. A 4 course meal and we were hungry afterwards.
For food presentation, they rate a solid ‘B’ (not bad, but definately not impressive).
Service was prompt but when they tack on 20% gratuity to the bill (on top of the tax), I expect perfect service but got fumbling friendly instead. Sigh.
They made mistakes in the delivery of the food and at the end had the wrong deserts. To their credit they brought the right ones without any fuss and left the extras. Deserts were also tiny. Each desert was roughly 4 bites ($ 2 per bite). See the photos to get an idea. More like a tapas place than entrées and dinner.
My second martini was literally ½ filled compared to the first. THAT was annoying!
The ahi tuna was disapointing at best. Two of our ladies agreed and we should have sent it back in hind sight.
Hook is not horrible, just significantly over priced & medocre at best.
Without a comparison, there is no basis for judgement. For relative reference, Bone Fish for example is by far superior in food quality, food portions, service, décor, and price.

Who knew that Hook turned into a lounge?
Reviewing the latest DC hot spot is about as useful as predicting when lightening will strike next. It’ll either be hit or a miss. Experiences vary from person to person because there are so many variables to consider; for instance, personal preferences, budgets, short-​term agendas, alcohol consumption levels, time of entry, and the specific day of the week. About the most useful thing here would be a status report that helps you gauge whether its worth the risk.
* Date: Saturday, August 21
* Time of Entry: 12:30 AM
* Duration: 30 minutes
* Cover Charge: $ 0.
* Male-​to-​Female Ratio: 3:2 … Almost half and half … but that was because there was my crew, a couple of girls from Boston that night, my crew, and a few random people that realized Hook was still open
* Attractiveness of the opposite sex (on a scale of 1 to 10): 7 … I think those Boston girls followed us in.
* Music: Techno.
* Accessibility to Alcohol: Easy, we were pretty much the only ones there.
* Interesting features: You won’t find cheap beer here.
* Approximate Waiting Line at 1AM: None.
* Total Tab: $ 15. $ 66 (plus tip) for 10 bottles of Stella.
4 Stars — No cover, no popped collars.

Decent food that’s not worth the price.
I had the Artic Char which was accompanied with polenta, chorizo and some peanut purée. The fish was okay, nothing special. It did melt in your mouth however. The chorizo tasted a little different from what I’m used to, the polenta was pretty creamy, and the peanut purée I could have done without.
We also ordered the NY strip steak (medium rare and came out medium) which came with a salad and one fried green tomato. The steak was pretty tasty, the salad eh, and the fried green tomato tasted like pizza for some reason.
The place was decorated wonderfully and had a modern feel to it. When you come here, I think your paying to hang out in a nice place not eat high quality food.
I’ll skip this place next time I want to eat somewhere nice.

They say the devil is in the details, Hook will have you in the weeds, but in a good way.
That devil, well he’s the ingredients, rather the unique flavor selection and quality — they always were just a thought above = great vs norm. For example, as a foretaste we were served little dense sweet bread squares with garlic aioli.
Going against the current, the girlfriends and I did a Saturday brunch, lucky for us it wasn’t too busy. Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, and my new favorite G and T of choice Hendricks and Tonic with cucumber, and the waiter didn’t even bat and eyelash (when they usually do as it’s not the norm for Gin and Tonics). Poured perfectly. Primo!
I was feeling brunch boring and anything but breakfast, so I ordered the spring mix salad with goat cheese and olive tapenade sans ham. It was a rather large salad and it was dressed to the 9s. The ladies ordered some delicious looking omelets and shrimp and grits. The shrimp and grits looked amazing and according to Karen were, as were the sausages.
The dessert menu made me do a little snort laugh (is that called a chortle?) as I read it; Hey Shawdy especially — I even took a picture.
Hook really hooks you with its summery casual JCrew-​happily ever after Smith and Hawken I-​drive-​German «the Good Life» cozy décor. Cork menus, modern, clean line chairs (and chic cabana booths) and tables punctuated by ocean inspired accents and photographs. Picture this: it’s just you and your buddy diving in warm, clear tropical waters (the Solomon Islands to be exact) looking up in the vast ocean at a swirling school of beautiful silvery fish. Well you don’t have to — the beautiful pictures are already there.
For scuba divers the ocean becomes a whole new and very different world at night. I’d like to come to Hook at night to experience the same phenomena and well, to erm. eat dinner so maybe I’ll be hooked…

Had Sunday brunch there and started with the doughnuts, which might have been my favorite thing on the menu. They were light and fluffy with just the right amount of sugar on it. The clam chowder was a solid soup and the tuna tartar was nice but unremarkable.
The fish and chips probably should not be on the menu. The batter had an ammonia taste to it but other than that had no real flavor. The chips were a little soggy and not really worth eating. The shrimp and grits were good but leaving the head on the prawns did not really serve a purpose, except possibly to decrease the number of prawns to be served with the dish. The prawns were cooked a little too much, but not so much that they were rubbery. The grits were perfect, though. The omelet was good, but not remarkable in any way.
The waiter we had was a little overwhelmed and needed a second waiter to help him with drinks and food. However, the restaurant was almost empty when we were first seated and there were not too many tables in his area (I used to be a waiter). Other than the doughnuts, the wine I had was the best part of my meal. Maybe dinner is better.

The promise of sustainable seafood filled our need during our visit to D.C.
The calamari appetizer was a bit tough, although the flavor was good.
The star of the evening wasn’t seafood, but rather a dessert item. The rhubarb compote with black pepper ice cream and vanilla «ravioli» shortbread was out of this world. The rhubarb paired with black pepper ice cream was a flavor combination to die for and the thin shortbread provided a nice hint of vanilla and crispy texture that created a trifecta of goodness. And if that wasn’t enough, a glass of ice wine was the perfect accompaniment to a heavenly dessert.

I didn’t think I was going to participate in Restaurant Week, but I wound up at Hook last night, and I’m glad I did. I seldom venture into Georgetown, so it’s nice to find there are reasons to return.
Despite a reservation confirmation call which included a warning about heavy Restaurant Week traffic, my friend Beatrice and I rolled in ten minutes early. At 6:20 the downstairs area was sparsely populated, and it was easy to appreciate the sleek building design and cozy interior. Once our coats were whisked away, a host ushered us upstairs.
At first I was a little disappointed not to be seated in the main dining room, but that soon faded; the room was beautifully lit and decorated, with light chatter from surrounding diners which made it easy to hold a conversation. And as it turns out, by the time we returned to claim our coats, downstairs was packed to the gills (we’re talking elbow-​to-​elbow, several-​people-​deep crowds around the bar, and not an empty chair in sight).
Hook was offering a RW «deal» on a couple bottles of wine; $ 35 got us a really nice Sauvignon Blanc from Australia called Ponga. (I’m trying hard to ignore the fact that a bottle retails for $ 10; I know this is standard restaurant practice.) –1 star because we were both dismayed by how different the food offerings were vs. the online ones; barramundi and the grass fed ribeye were nowhere in sight; neither were the apple frangipane tart or the chocolate hazelnut torte.
From the three course menu options I picked the half dozen oysters with coriander mignonette; ahi tuna with cauliflower, sweet potato, sage/​pine nut tartlets; and lemon meringue with blackberry coulis. Bea picked the grilled calamari; bluefish with creamy polenta, green beans, carrots, basil pesto; and tiramisu.
My oysters were a refreshing start to the evening, but Bea’s grilled calamari were buttery perfection. I never want to eat a fried squid ring again. I was surprised by how bland my tuna was; I had expected something with a little punch. The flavors went well together, but I guess I was looking for more creativity. Bea’s bluefish was a lot more complex; kind of oily and smoky.
The lemon meringue was the size of my palm and had a silky texture, well-​balanced with the blackberry sauce. It disappeared quickly. Bea’s tiramisu was hilarious — she was handed a big plate with a stick of chocolate fudge, a sliver of ladyfinger and a dollop of mascarpone cream. It was completely deconstructed and looked like a minimalist art piece. She said it was tasty; I refrained from tasting it because there wasn’t a lot to begin with.
All in all, our meal took about an hour and a half. As a former server having dinner with a current hostess, we both knew enough not to take up prime restaurant week real estate with so many people waiting, so we left. I might be back again, but if not, I will have fond memories of this place.

Oh Hook, how high my hopes for you were.
Where do I start my litany of disillusionment?
First, a couple questions:
Why’d you stick me with your least pleasant server?
Why didn’t you split my entrée after my dining companion and I told you we were going to share it?
Food highlights:
The crudo flight was enjoyable (yay sustainable fish!), especially when accompanied by a crisp glass of Prosecco.
I loved the pumpkin risotto cakes — exceptional and perfect for the season.
The particularly pungent cheese ice cream was not a winner for me, however.
In sum: I expect a lot more out of a single entrée dinner (we also split dessert) for two that costs $ 100. Even in DC.