Hudson Restaurant

Jen and I went to check out Hudson, a place that we’ve both passed by numerous times, but have never actually visited. I’ll notice in the late weekend mornings that they have a pretty sizable crowd that goes in for brunch, so we finally took the opportunity to check it out.

Specializing in what the website describes as contemporary comfort food, the establishment was setting the stage for success with the two of us. At night, the entire place is illuminated by large pink lights that are a little less cotton candy and a little more 80′s horror flick. It’s not really too much of a problem, as it does give the place a certain distinction, but having all of our food cast in a pink glow wasn’t doing anything to accentuate the presentation of what we ate.

Luckily I managed to shake most of the pink off the photos I took.

The interior is very modern, but it would seem that people who frequent Hudson are more interested in the drinks rather than the food. It’s got to be a bit unnerving for the restaurant owners to see more than half the tables empty on a weekend night. This did, however, work out in our favor, as we received exemplary service all night. The wait staff was patient with our questions, diligent about keeping our drinks filled, and quick to clear our finished plates. The manager even came by to check on our during our meal, which was an added bonus, to know that they really care about the business that comes in.

Jen and I started off with the Truffle Mac’n'Cheese. Served piping hot in a cast iron skillet, this dish was amazing. The smoked cheese really came strong with the lactorial pimp hand. So strong, Jen and I had to verify that there wasn’t any bacon in here, and there wasn’t. Completely vegetarian, the smoky flavor is so intense, I started to stammer ‘Tha-buh-be-tha-buh-be-tha-buh-be-that’s all folks!’ after my first bite.

I don't know if the bacon censoring makes this better, or worse.

Jen didn’t hear it. So we’ll pretend it didn’t happen. But really, you have to try this mac’n'cheese, and tell me that you don’t think it tastes like bacon. Amazing for vegetarians with a serious bacon craving, although I couldn’t tell if it was the gruyere, the fontina, or the parmesan.

Truffle Mac'n'Cheese

For our main course, Jen had the Wild Mushroom Risotto and I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Another great detail about Hudson is that you’re ordering a dish with no meat, they make sure to cook it completely meat free, and this included the risotto. Traditionally chicken stock is used to cook the risotto, although some places are thoughtful enough to use vegetable stock, which has less flavor, but works as a good vegetarian substitution. The risotto at Hudson was cooked with just butter and water, with no stock whatsoever, a complete surprise to the both of us.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

It’s so rich, it made me wonder just how much butter they used. Except asking ‘how much butter is in this?’ is never something you should or would want to ask. Jen really enjoyed it, with porcini and oyster mushrooms at the top of her dish, and a mountain of risotto underneath. I mean a LOT of risotto. There was definitely enough for two more meals by the time she was done eating.

I was, however, a little underwhelmed by my fried chicken. There wasn’t anything particular wrong with the preparation, as it came out perfectly crispy, laid out on a bed of dense, creamy mashed potatoes, and propped up by a fresh buttermilk biscuit. Perfect presentation. It was all exactly what you’d expect from the dish, were it to be served at any number of places. But that was part of the problem. The dish just didn’t really stand out. It was a little boring, for comfort food, and for the price of this entree and on the strength of the mac’n'cheese, I had higher expectations of this dish.

Imagine ordering a milkshake at a diner, and having the server pour a glass a milk, grab you by the shoulders, and vigorously shake the shit out of you until you’re so dizzy that you vom everywhere. You’re getting exactly what you asked for, so you can’t really complain, but it’s not what you had in mind. And the fact that you haven’t had a good shaking like that in a few years, well, you might as well take it.

The plain Jane of Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Hudson’s a decent little restaurant that has a fantastic location. Some of their dishes, like the truffle mac’n'cheese, are outstanding, some are freakishly large and rich, like the wild mushroom risotto, and some are complete wallflowers, like the buttermilk fried chicken, but nothing here is bad or even terrible. The service is excellent, and the staff definitely knows their food very well, if not their wines. The prices are a little bit on the more expensive side, but this is a good place to take anyone with a less adventurous palette who just can’t seem to find what they like with all the ‘crazy’ food here in DC. I’m sure you’d get a much better deal if you were to come in during Restaurant Week, which we just might do.

View Hudson on a map here.

Good for:

• Astronauts
• Cosmonauts
• Argonauts
• Vegetarians
• Relatives from the Midwest
• Bar hoppers

Not good for:

• Havenauts
• Wantnauts
• Tiethenauts
• Colonel Sanders
• Paleo Patrons
• Kelly Kapowski

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