This is the second time we’ve eaten at Cooper’s Hawk, with the first time being in the Ashburn Location. The restaurant is a bit on the pricey side, but the food is high end and their wines are excellent. We will definitely go there again.
Beef Short Ribs Risotto
John: This was the dish I ordered. We like making risotto at home, but have never attempted risotto with beef, so I was curious to see how this would turn out. Plus, I’ve had their short ribs before at the Ashburn location and they were really good. The short ribs risotto were very good. I’m guessing they did the short ribs separate from the actual risotto and added them at the end with a nice sauce drizzled over the top. There were large chunks of short rib beef, which were very tender and tasty.
Shrimp and Grits
Joanna: Overall, I enjoyed the “Southern Grilled Shrimp and Polenta” at CHW. Here is the description from the menu: Andouille, Corn, White Cheddar, Tomato-Braised Kale, Smoked Paprika Cilantro Oil. When they set the dish down in front of me, my first thought was that it looked greasy! Judging on my first bite of polenta, I actually thought the excess oil was from the cheddar; it was so cheesy! I am just realizing now (after I just typed in the description above) it was the paprika oil that gave it the oily look. Cheesy-ness aside, the rest of the dish was tasty — the shrimp was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the kale added some bulk to the dish and the corn and andouille went well with the smooth polenta. In the end, the the dish as a whole was very flavorful and comforting, it was just too cheesy for my taste. We always have a good experience at CHW, next time I’ll be sure to check out something different! 3 out of 5 stars.
Old Fashioned
John: Maker’s Mark Old Fashioned before dinner. This was pretty good, maybe a bit on the weak side. I would give it a 7 overall.
Calamari (Appetizer) (no image)
John: I thought the calamari appetizer was really good. The calamari rings were big and very tender. You could make this your meal as the portion was large enough.