Inn of the Hawke

This restaurant holds its own amid an increasingly stylish scene with well-prepared food and comforting atmosphere.

By: Kate and Tom O’Neill

Inn of the Hawke

74 S. Union St.

Lambertville

(609) 397-9555



Food: Very good

Service: Informal, friendly

Prices: Moderate

Cuisine: Pub food to upscale cuisine; seasonal changes and themes

Vegetarian: Menu offers several vegetarian and vegan entrées

Ambience: Informal neighborhood pub

Hours: Lunch: Mon.-Sat. noon-5 p.m., Sun. noon-4:30 p.m.; Dinner: Mon.-Sat. 5:30-10 p.m., Sun. 4:30-10 p.m.; Late-night pub menu: Daily until 11 p.m.

Essentials: Accepts American Express, Visa and Mastercard; wheelchair accessible, though step to patio can be a problem – call ahead for special arrangement; liquor license; no reservations, but "preferred seating" offered to guests who call ahead; off-street parking in rear; seasonal outdoor dining.

Directions:

   A pub at heart, the Inn of the Hawke welcomes visitors in its lively bar, busy with a crowd so convivial they must be regulars. This unpretentious, somewhat smoky room is the hub, perhaps the heart, of the inn. Two smoke-free (except for the pleasing scent of wood smoke from the fire) dining areas flank the bar.
   Arriving on a chilly evening, we slipped past the bar regulars to take seats in the dining room, where we thawed out body and soul in front of a blazing fireplace. Paneled, hunter green walls sustain the restaurant’s old English feeling amid the classiest portrait show this side of a John Singer Sargent retrospective. Its subjects include a dignitary from the Revolutionary War, a Great Gatsby look-alike, complete with tennis sweater, and a grande dame, who must be Your Great Aunt in her heyday.
   Our server, Rayna, brought us menus — printed daily — ranging from classic "pub grub," such as fish and chips, to pastas and new American cuisine. Divided into four sections, the menu regularly offers soups and starters ($4-$10), hearty fare ($12-$24), light fare ($7-$9) and salads ($11-$12). We benefited from a post-Mardi Gras theme and enjoyed several dishes inspired by traditional New Orleans cooking.
   With 12 beers on tap ($5/pint) and another dozen available by the bottle ($3-$6.75), the inn offers a wide choice of beverages. Wine drinkers may choose from 16 vintages ranging from a South African Cape Indaba Merlot ($18.75/bottle) to a Californian Jordan "J" Brut ($42). We chose wines by the glass ($6.25 each): a Terrace Road Sauvignon Blanc with a balance of fruit, citrus and fresh acidity that complemented our more assertively spiced seafood dishes. An Amity Pinot Noir, on the other hand, was rich and smooth, with berry flavors that matched well with steamed crawfish and game hen.
   In the mood for spicy starters, we ordered andouille sausage and seafood soup ($4.25) and Cajun peel-and-eat crawfish ($9.95). The soup struck a nice balance between the light, savory broth and a generous helping of diced, spicy sausage and chopped clams. We later learned that this soup, a true fisherman’s chowder, contains different seafood from one night to the next, depending on availability. Steamed in herbs, the brilliant red, aromatic crawfish were a culinary winner. They burst with characteristic nutlike flavor and were both messy and delicious to eat, dipped in ramekins of garlic butter and aioli dip.
   An entrée of blackened drum fish ($10.95), the "red fish" staple of Creole cooking, continued our Gulf Coast culinary tour. The "blackened" fish was not served charred, as is so often the case. Instead, it had been pan-seared to retain both its flaky texture and natural moisture. The lemon wedge garnish remained a purely decorative touch. The fish was accompanied by Chinese black sweet rice topped with aromatic lemon verbena butter. Sweet vegetable ratatouille was either prepared without the usual eggplant, or the eggplant had been slow-simmered to invisibility to thicken and enrich the dish.
   The drum fish entrée was a genuine, individual portion. This sharply contrasted with the roasted game hen topped with pan gravy ($14.95). The hen approached the size of a roast chicken rather than the miniature fowl the menu had led us to expect. Aside from its daunting proportions, however, all was right with this dish: roasted to a T — crisp skin and moist meat enriched with a savory herb, dried cranberry and pecan stuffing. With the accompanying creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed, julienned vegetables, this was ideal comfort food for a blustery evening.
   Our son Tim, pleased with the variety of vegetarian and vegan options, selected the Santa Fe gardenburger on a French roll ($6.95), with additional sautéed mushrooms and onions ($1.50 extra). The burger came with piquant pico de gallo and spicy black beans, forming a delightful, hearty combination of flavors.
   Rayna displayed an engaging, quirky personality that enlivened the informal atmosphere. When she brought the tempting dessert tray, we selected Grand Marnier truffle and "bourbon chocolate cake" ($4.95 each), which turned out to be German chocolate cake. Could it be that Rayna, due to start a new life in Savannah, Ga., three days later, already had her heart in the South? Or had our culinary foray into Creole cooking warped our hearing? Well, what’s in a name? German chocolate by any other name tastes is just as sweet, and we enjoyed both desserts. Grand Marnier had lent orange-tinged undertones to the dulcet truffle, and the chocolate cake, though slightly dry, was frosted and filled with a sublime combination: dark chocolate on the outside and inside, an inter-layer butter frosting with the heart-stopping texture of hard sauce. Rayna prepared excellent decaffeinated cappuccino ($3.25) and espresso ($2.25) that completed the meal.
   Amid Lambertville’s burgeoning roster of stylish restaurants, the Inn of the Hawke holds its own with interesting, well-prepared food, in an atmosphere long on comfort and short on pretense. Even the blue bloods, gazing out from their frames, seem to have dropped by to join their neighbors in an elbow-rubbing good time — peeling crawfish and catching up on the talk of the town.