Sunday!

Yesterday’s Body Combat class left me feeling so empowered that I dragged my sore bum out of bed this morning and headed over for round two – Body Pump. Although I’ve been a big fan of kickboxing classes for years now, Body Pump is something I’ve never done before and ohhh my did it kick my ass. For those unfamiliar, the class is an hour of strength training using a weighted barbell while doing moves like curls, lunges, squats and lifts. Holy Hardness. I used to think I was in shape but then today happened…

Never mind! What’s a new year for if not to challenge yourself, right??

But who wants to talk about boring old work-outs when there’s amazing food to be discussed?? Let’s move along.

Hook!

My friends Jackie and Bart and I took advantage of Restaurant Week today and headed over to Hook for lunch. I’ve never been there before but it’s been on my list, if only because their pastry chef, Heather Chittum, was voted DC’s Pastry Chef of the Year and I am a girl in love with all things sweet.

We started out with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for the table which was crisp and sweet. I generally prefer red wine but I thought white would pair better with seafood – plus red wine in the middle of the day sounded like a long nap waiting to happen. What we did order was just perfect for the occasion .

Next was our first course, for which I ordered the Beet Salad - goat cheese, pistachio, wheat berries, pickled watermelon, vanilla. This is not just a post-Body Pump tummy talking, the salad was divine. I was hesitant at first because I’ve had quite a few beet salads in my life and while I enjoy them, they tend to be very similar. However, the addition of watermelon and vanilla took this one to a whole new level. Plus I must say it was the prettiest I’ve ever seen!

For my main I had the Tasmanian Salmon, medium rare. The online menu doesn’t contain its proper description but it also came with a mushroom risotto. The salmon was perfectly cooked and flavorful. The risotto’s flavor was also fantastic although I felt it could have had a slightly softer bite. Have no fear though, I ate every delicious morsel .

And finally (drumroll please)…dessert! Vanilla Cheesecake on a gingersnap crust with blood orange glaze. DELICIOUS. I am always a chocolate dessert girl but something told me I would love this and I certainly did. The crust was buttery, the cheesecake smooth and creamy and the vanilla was intense in the best way possible. I loved the orange glaze too which was sweet but not too much so, enough to cut through some of the creaminess nicely.

All in all, a fabulous meal. Fabulous!

Annnnd, because I realized that while Jackie and I dine together at least twice a month and I have yet to show her face on the blog…

Here we are! Almost as pretty as that beet salad .

Soooo there you have it! Hook gets my thumbs up. I’d love to go back outside of Restaurant Week and see the full menu. I definitely enjoyed the taste we had today.

See you for the work week!

- Beth