It's been said that the way to outsmart the inflated pricing system of fancy restaurants is to go out for lunch. According to this theory, you can get a dinner-quality meal at lunch-special prices. A swanky staple of the Downtown dining scene since 1996, Hamiltons' at First and Main is a bustling rendezvous for the chic business lunch. Since it also features an extensive menu with fairly reasonable prices, it seemed like a good place to test this theory last week.
Hamiltons' interior has a bright, clean atmosphere. Sunlight shines through the big glass windows that look out onto the Mall, illuminating the soaring yellow and terracotta walls and reflecting off of the restaurant's ubiquitous blue glassware. But while the airy structural design (which includes a trellis-inspired awning around the bar) is nice, Hamiltons' interior decoration seems to be stuck in the 80s, with the same tacky "Southwestern"-style print motif adorning the booth seat-covers and curtains.
Where the decoration is cringe-worthy, however, the food is consistently delightful. You won't waste any time deliberating over Hamiltons' tiny appetizer menu, which consists only of soup du jour and green salad (although the Jamaican black bean soup with spicy cilantro-cream is certainly above average).
However, the famous Blue Plate Special entrée (featuring five vegetarian samples that change on a daily basis) doubles nicely as a crudité-style appetizer conducive to sharing. The five-bean salad --- a warm, salty, garlicky, herby, crunchy mix of greens --- is a dressed-up version of the picnic staple. The piquant arugula salad contrasts nicely with a topping of buttery pecans (although the dressing is a bit too greasy), and delicious blanched broccoli spears are topped with slivered almonds and a surprisingly lemony caper-and-olive tapenade.
The Blue Plate is rounded out by two more substantial dishes: The tiny ramekin of spaghetti squash with a carrot coulis and melted gruyere is inventive, but it's upstaged by a delicately-sautéed risotto croquette topped with red-pepper purée. While the plate features only a small portion of each dish, it's still an impressive array of delicately-prepared food for only $9.
It's hard to choose from among the innovative-sounding meat and seafood entrees, but the moist, meaty crab cake delivers on its tempting promise. The crab is served over a tasty couscous and red pepper salad, which looks like confetti and has the authentic couscous texture of finely-sifted sand. The cool pickled cucumber-relish side is good, too, with the vinegary-sweet cucumber served julienne-style. In fact, the only disappointing element of this dish is the crab cake's ginger-carrot sauce: its bright orange color is a visual treat, but the actual ginger flavor is conspicuously absent.
The pork tenderloin, tender but grilled to a nice crunch on the outside, is sublimely rich and smoky. (Again, however, the sauce is a something of a letdown, because the sherry-Bartlett pear sauce's sherry flavor is indecipherable.) Sides include warm sautéed snow-peas and an inventively-embellished grits concoction. With a generous addition of Maytag Blue cheese, the dish is far more creamy than gritty, and the occasional juicy kernel of fresh corn only adds to the interesting texture. At $12, this dish is the essence of the bargain-gourmet lunch.
It's a good thing Hamiltons' intricate entrées are nevertheless restrained enough to leave a little room for dessert. The local apple cake with caramel ice cream is rich, nutty and more than adequate, though its intense sweetness could be overwhelming to a sensitive palate. The Bailey's crème brûlée, however, is exquisite. In this little ramekin, below the perfect, crackly brown-sugar top crust, the liqueur flavor finally emerges, infusing the richest of puddings which is more creamy than egg-y.
Hamiltons' is by no means diner-cheap, but it is certainly affordable given the high quality of the lunch menu items. No detail is careless, and the only overarching weak point of the cuisine is its disappointing sauces, which are more decorative than functional. If you're seeking a gourmet lunch and are looking to rub shoulders with Downtown's business class, Hamiltons' is worth the visit.
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