The Hamilton is a HUGE new restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C. Huge as in size, not worth – it spans the entire corner of 13th and F streets NW. A corridor already owned by several other important landmarks in WDC like, Old Ebbitt Grill, The Willard Intercontinental Hotel, The JW Marriott and the National Press Building. Oh yeah, it’s a block from The White House too…

Atmosphere: Did I mention this place is HUGE! It reads as old establishment, but, because its new, it’s currently attracting hip and trendy. Eventually, I think it’ll settle into old establishment, but for now…
If you’ve ever been to Old Ebbitt Grill, I don’t need to explain further. Just triple the size. If you haven’t, think high-end steak house, cigar bar, scotch drinkers. Wood, wood, wood – white table cloths, brass fixtures, more wood… Even had private booths with doors. Impressive. Well planned for the neighborhood. A-.

Food: Now we have a problem. The carpet doesn’t match the drapes…
There’s a raw bar which we did not try, but, my seafood expert did have the rockfish. She said it was okay, but, a bit dry. She’s had better. I’m not sure what to make of the dish I had, but, it looked and tasted like something I’d get at Denny’s. Not knocking Denny’s; You know what you’re getting there in the middle of the night. A star-rated restaurant should do a bit better. It was called Flat Iron Steak Poutine. It was basically meat and fries covered in cheese and gravy. Bad pot roast with no vegetables. I didn’t even finish it… Food gets an F.

Service: My most important category and The Hamilton gets a D. The server also came across as out of place. He was not very friendly, didn’t seem very knowledgeable about the food, was a bit disheveled and wasn’t that attentive. He just didn’t seem into what he was doing. He was in stark contrast to the server from my last review at Brasserie Beck, but, he did seem on par with my food if we were at Denny’s…

The final word on The Hamilton: It gets a C-. I’m reserving total judgement because it was so big and there’s so much else to experience there – I might need a second pass. That won’t happen anytime soon – the first impression has made a bad impression. But, there’s also a live music venue below the restaurant which I’m sure will get a lot of attention because its new. Try it if you have nothing else to do, but, if you really want good food, there are many, many other places to try first.