Hook & Cleaver — Restaurant in Mukilteo

Went to dinner around 6PM, two couples and two kids age 9ish. Taken right in and to our table.

For a group of six they assembled 3 tables together to accommodate us. No issues there, but wasn’t thrilled about the spot they picked, as it was immediately at the top of the stairs. Consequently, everyone coming and going had to dodge the table that stuck out into the aisle. In their defense, they did ask us if we wanted to do a reshuffle to get out the way, but the kids were already settled. Our bad I suppose…

The food was really good and I had the pork chop which was big and flavorful. My wife had the halibut cakes, which I was told were delicious. 5-star? Nah…but definitely a solid 4.

I had been to this location when it was Arnie’s, just looked like same old same old to me. Could use some artwork on the walls or something to set it off as “Hook and Cleaver”. Folks are understandably coming for the view, but at 6PM in November, not much to see when its dark and rainy. Also, did the carpet get replaced as part of the change? Maybe best not to discuss… :-(

Service was very good, took a minute to get drinks, but not a game changer. Our friends entree got lost in the shuffle and was an afterthought.

That being said, when demanding $50+ per person, the expectation is a near-flawless experience. Pobody’s nerfect, but unless it is wall to wall crowded, a best in class experience is what should be delivered.

In summary, food very good, service is somewhere between great and adequate, surroundings are kind of bland…but it did feel as though it had been minimally refreshed. Bang for the buck? I’d give it another shot, but probably be a...

I was looking forward to trying out the new restaurant in the area and was really hoping to like it. My boyfriend and I went for lunch around 2 pm on a Tuesday afternoon. We practically had the entire bar to ourselves. We were hoping to have some oysters. Unfortunately, they don't serve oysters. We odered a glass of wine and a Manhattan. Our drinks were brought out quickly. We ordered the calamari appetizer, surf and turf salad, and halibut fish and chips. The food was delivered promptly and hot. However, after our food was delivered no one came back to check on us. The next time we saw someone was when someone else delivered take out boxes. It looked like Management was preparing for an event later that evening and pulled the bartender/server away. The calamari breading was really salty, and we like salt. The surf and turf entre salad portion is very small for the price of $27. I asked for my steak to be cooked med. I usually like med-rare but not on my salads. The steak was cooked to a rare/med-rare. I just ate the "surf", the salad comes with - one shrimp. I took the 4 small pieces of steak home to have with dinner. A 3 piece fish and chips was delivered, not the 2 piece we ordered. We just paid for the 3 piece and took the extra home. The halibut and tartar sauce was really good. The fries are Jojo style, just average. The total bill was just under $100. On top of paying an extra $7 for the fish and chips, salty calamari, the under cooked steak in my small portion salad, and the poor service. They also charge a 4.5% service fee. That was the final straw for us. Overall, it was an expensive, disappointing experience. I don't see...

As i write this I'm upset that i didn't take notes during the meal, but i shall relinquish what i can recall. The main course my Ribeye was absolutely amazing, cooked to perfection and garnished with their bourbon peppercorn sauce and a side of the most delicious blue cheese i have ever had in my life, seriously i had to stop eating at one point to just process what i put in my mouth, it was a transcendent experience to say the least. For our starters we ordered the clams, poke, and calamari. The clams with their sauce was phenomenal, as well the calamari was some of the freshest and best i have had in a very long time if not ever. Now the poke was completely unexpected, i think that might have been the best i have ever had, even with myself frequenting Hawaii a few times, the Ahi was just tender and delicious and being paired with their special avocado sauce it sent my taste buds flying completely off guard. For desert we had the pound cake, chocolate mouse, apple cobbler, and cheese cake. Every item was beyond spectacular and an experience itself, two that specifically stood out to me was the apple cobbler and the cheese cake, and that's coming from a person who doesn't even really enjoy sweets.

Overall i give this restaurant 5 stars, their use of ingredients pairing the dishes together is amazing and delicious, a beautiful change from past experiences in other places, their service was wonderful, as for price its a bit expensive but for what the quality of the food was i felt like i was getting a deal. because food of that quality and expertise i haven't even been able to...