100 Best Restaurants 2009: Hook

Reviewed by Todd Kliman , Ann Limpert , Cynthia Hacinli , Rina Rapuano , Eve Zibart

No. 79: Hook

Hook

3241 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: 202-625-4488

Cuisines:
Seafood, American, Modern

Opening Hours:

Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Nearby Metro Stops:
Foggy Bottom-GWU
Rosslyn

Price Range:
Expensive

Dress:
Upscale Casual

Noise Level:
Chatty

Reservations:
Recommended

Special Features:
Party Space, Weekend Brunch

Website:
Click here to open in new window.

Price Details:
Lunch starters, $8 to $10; entrees, $12 to $24.
Dinner starters, $8 to $11; entrees, $22 to $28.

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Reader's Rating:
1 out of 5

Cuisine: Sustainably sourced seafood and fish embellished with pristine local and organic produce. Chef Jonathan Seningen picked up after the departure of opening chef Barton Seaver with minimal transition pains. Sauces still rely mostly on virtuous alternatives to butter and cream—vegetable and bean purées, herb-infused oils and vinaigrettes.

Mood: Georgetown in microcosm. The white-walled dining room with its glass-bubble light fixtures draws all kinds, from Birkenstock-wearing grandmas to young families to edgy artists.

Best for: Fish lovers (there’s only one meat dish, a rib eye, on the menu); lunch or dinner after shopping in Georgetown.

Best dishes: The menu changes almost daily, but recent hits have been crudo of mahi-mahi with pickled squash, fingerling potato, and juniper oil; oysters three ways with Champagne gelée and Bloody Mary and dirty-martini sauces; sturgeon carpaccio with juniper-cilantro oil and beet sauce; Arctic char with sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and celeriac purée; lobster-and-prawn risotto with Parmesan and kabocha squash; lingonberry linzertorte with Taleggio-cheese ice cream; Hooked on Chocolate, a feast including hot chocolate, milk-chocolate ice cream, and chocolate-ganache tart.

Insider tips: Well-informed servers can expound on the esoteric wine list and decode cryptic items on the menu. Pastry chef Heather Chittum’s desserts are still a good reason to visit.

Service: ••½

Open Monday for dinner, Tuesday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner. Expensive.

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Reader ReviewsWrite your own review
 
Terrible Worst Dining Experience Ever!
diningbelle — October 26, 2009 8:24 AM
What a disappointment! I would like to know their definition of "fresh" fish. Why serve Lousiana crab cakes when the Chesapeake Bay is in their own back yard? My husband's fish was so tough that he had to saw it with a knife! As for the desserts More ...
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Terrible Worst dinning experience in DC
ednj — May 26, 2009 10:43 AM
Over the past seven years we have visited Washington often due to a son in college and now working in the area. Most of our dinning experiences have been positive and we enjoy the variety of restaurants available in the area. We recently had dinner More ...
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