Restaurant Finder

Hook

Cuisine: Seafood Neighborhood: Georgetown

Based on 8 reviews.

Address	3241 M St., Washington, DC
Phone	(202) 625-4488

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by hyojong on January 30, 2008

Hook is seafood theme, very chic upscale restaurant.

Food is very fresh and tasty. Desserts are TOO DIE for and must try items. Not sure about appetizers...

Review by mcunningham on October 8, 2007

Media darling Barton Seaver’s newish restaurant, Hook, lives up to all the hype. My recent dinner was delicious, the service was impeccable, and the ambience was hip and comfortable. My recommendations include the fried cornmeal oysters, the Black Fin Tuna, and the Fennel soup. The soup was a mouth-watering surprise with a smooth table presentation. My only complaint was the risotto, which I didn’t care for very much. I would like to see more inventive or seasonal sides. The desert, however, was a nice suprise--goat cheese cake with beet gelato and arugala gastrique. Yummy and different.

Overall, it was a great experience. The waiter was very knowledgeable and we were lucky enough to get a front row table by the kitchen.

This restaurant is among very few good things in Georgetown.

Review by cz2515 on September 20, 2007

Not having a reservation, we chose to have dinner at the bar -- good choice; we were well taken care of. Our bartender helped us navigate through a couple unfamiliar fish selections on the menu and his recommendations were on the money. The Atlantic char was fresh and delicious, as was the mahi-mahi dish. Both came with different incarnations of risotto; both also done well. Our bartender made sure our glasses of wine were full and even treated us to some dessert wine with our fun dessert trio of cannoli, pain au chocolat and a sprinkle-covered donut. The atmosphere and decor are sharp and fresh, but the vibe isn't pretentious -- it's more neighborhoody and laid back than it looks. Great dinner and we wouldn't hesitate to head back -- at the bar or maybe with a reservation next time.

Review by frogma on September 20, 2007

Hook sets the mood with modern décor, an open kitchen and underwater photography from diving hot spots like Bonaire. This is a place that is serious about its fish. Starters set high expectations. A flight of three crudo starred crisp and refreshing Wahoo with melon, deliciously briny trout roe mellowed by a bed of crème fraiche and fresh unadorned tuna tartare. Grilled shrimp arrived fragrant and blackened atop a bed of white beans and tomato that served to enhance their sweetness.

Entrees were less dazzling. A hunk of Sablefish was silky but under seasoned, served with savory eggplant couscous, stemmy arugula and…concord grape jelly? Although the components were tasty on their own the combination did not contribute anything to the fish and left one slightly confused. Tabago Snapper arrived rubbery and overcooked. Its cornmeal crust prevented the fish’s skin from properly crisping and its accompanying collard greens were excessively salty.

Service was choppy but friendly; our waitperson spilled water on the floor next to our table and later brought the wrong bottle of wine.

Patrons are lured to Hook by the promise of simply prepared sustainable seafood but the kitchen offers overly complicated preparations that too often miss the mark.

Review by raporter on August 7, 2007

Had lunch at Hook for Restaurant Week, and the meal was stunning. The menu featured a fairly extensive list of choices for each of three courses (unlike others that offer only their tried, true, and inexpensive dishes for Restaurant Week), and the waitress said most of the selections were from the regular dinner menu. Everything was outstanding - the crudo of white smoked salmon, wahoo, and monkfish; the aioli that sparked an OK bread basket; mussels in a pepper-spiked sauce that my companion unashamedly finished up by twirling his fingers through the plate and licking them; baby squid ever so lightly fried; a Caesar served with plump, pale anchovies; a tender, meaty barracuda - not something I've seen on a lot of menus - on a bed of delicate polenta topped with twists of fresh local vegetables. We ate everything we could possibly sample for our $20.07 apiece, finishing with a chocolate tart swathed in whipped cream and crunchy chocolate beads and a trembling buttermilk panna cotta napped with fresh blueberries in a gentle sauce and two biscotti for my coffee.

While I was waiting for my companion to arrive (I'm compulsively early), our lovely waitress proposed a glass of wine, and I let her choose me a Spanish white "perfect for this humidity" - she was right on. My companion arrived, wilted into his seat, didn't glance at the wine list, and just grunted "Merlot." Without a hint of the snarky allusion to "Sideways" that I longed to make, our lovely waitress merely returned with two reds, one milder, one darker, for him to taste, and he chose the Italian. Twice. So our wine - 3 glasses' worth - doubled our check's total. I suppose Hook's usual clientele drinks this way. But my maxim is always "I'll have your finest, and second-cheapest." I have to look at the prices, because American expressly denies me any credit to spare.

I won't be lunching here weekly as I long to do; the fish and vegetables served at Hook are all raised sustainably and mostly organically, and that's not cheap. But it's totally worth trying to park in Georgetown when you want to impress either someone special - or yourself - with some carefully cooked and presented fish. And I hear there's a Sunday brunch with bacon bloody marys. This place might have just hooked me.

Review by PhiloDC on June 22, 2007

a great dining experience without a guilty conscience. the food was excellent all the way through. we had crudos and entrees. the raw meats were fresh and light. all the entrees were amazing, with the fish entrees perfectly executed, neither under nor over cooked. and to reiterate the sustainability aspects, the bathrooms are stocked with cotton hand towels! definitely worth the trip and price. great wines by the glass selections.

Review by negociants on June 22, 2007

We arrived at 8:30 for our reservation, and ended up waiting for about 15-20 minutes with a glass of wine at the bar. The place was pretty full, although not to packed that it was uncomfortable to move around. Our bartender was less than sociable, but seeing as it was a busy night, I'm willing to cut him a little slack. Service was attentive, with a few hiccups, (main course came out a little early, we kept having to remind the busboy and server not to clear our appetizer plate, as we were still scraping off every bit to the fantastic trout roe). Our server was kind enough to walk us through most of the dishes on the menu, and to explain that one of the choices, the snapper, is generally not sustainably sourced, but they found a place in Tobago that foes it, hence its inclusion on the menu. I highly recommend ordering a flight of the crudos (small appetizers). As mentioned, we had the trout roe, barracuda, and tuna- all stunners for both their simplicity and flavors. I had Tobago snapper with almond broth and zucchini, my companion had bluefish with a potato parsnip cake and pesto.

Review by jerseygirl on June 20, 2007

In a nutshell: Hook deserves the hype and will be well enjoyed by any socially/politically conscious and/or image conscious foodie. Broken down: Hook's shtick is sustainable seafood. Protein options are diverse and unusual, with the chef substituting lesser known catches for their popular but less sustainable cousins. The introductory raw "crudo" course offers an opportunity to get to know the fish for their innate qualities. The green theme is continued throughout -- produce is local and every item on the menu has a thoughtful back story (which our knowledgeable waitress volunteered with enthusiasm). The space is large, modern, and attractive, but acoustics are poor -- the noise from the bar made intimate conversation near impossible. The admittedly hip environment isn’t too pretentious – despite its address, I didn’t notice a Georgetown dress code. Overall: Hook delivers. While I found the crudo course uninspiring (someone with a more nuanced palate may disagree), our two entrees were amazing and stood brightly on their own. The fish was cooked impeccably with surprising but complimentary, perfectly executed sides. The nutella dessert is the ultimate indulgence -- a trio of mousse cake, truffle, and ice cream. 25 wines by the glass complete the elegant, but surprisingly affordable (for a restaurant of this caliber) experience. My favorite part: the Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood which accompanies the check. Consciousness raising and delicious...!