Squid ink soprese with ‘nduja sauce are made in-house.
Photos by @steakandmeggs
The former Fish & Game space finds a new life with a lighter, Italian menu powered by Hudson Valley ingredients.
Gone is the dark leather and taxidermy that paired so aptly with Pelaccio’s impeccably wood-fired meats and ember-roasted vegetables. The newly airy, light-and-bright dining room is now anchored by a flower cart bursting with brightly colored blooms. In between tables, potted shrubs provide natural social distancing. At the bar, sprays of dried flowers, curated by The Quiet Botanist, have a distinctly feminine feel.
“Our babysitter says that Feast & Floret is like Fish & Game’s wife,” quips Lavinia Milling-Smith, whose partners in the new venture include her husband, Patrick, and NYC-restaurateur-turned-Hudson-transplant Jason Denton. Chef Amelia Telč joined the team this spring, leading an all-female kitchen staff.
“Fish & Game was definitely fine dining. It was a restaurant where you went for an occasion,” says Telč. “People can still do that here, but we have a couple who came in four or five times last week to eat. I love that.”
The lighter menu features seasonal and signature dishes, including bite-size arancini, the crunchy coating giving way to pearly rice and a molten, cheesy core; house-made tagliatelle with a minimalist, meaty Bolognese; indulgent truffle-egg toast cloaked in melted fontina; inky black soprese and squid, glossy with ‘nduja sauce; and pan-seared, locally farmed Hudson Valley Fisheries steelhead trout.
Inspired by Italian culinary tradition, Telč sources many ingredients from local purveyors including Kinderhook Farm, Blue Star Farm, Verdigris Tea & Chocolate, and DPNB Pasta & Provisions.
The restaurant also functions as a flower market, where customers can pick up single stems or a designed bouquet. “My husband grew up in London, and I spent a lot of time in Paris. You walk around and come across these beautiful flower stalls,” says Milling-Smith, who heads up the floral program. Flowers also feature in the bar program, with hibiscus, chamomile, and rose petal syrup all finding their way onto the cocktail list.
Thus far, the community seems to be embracing the new direction. “[We] didn’t want the space to not be a restaurant,” says Denton. “We’ve been so fortunate; the response has been great.”
13 S 3rd St, Hudson 518.822.1500
Wed–Sun, 12 p.m.–9 p.m.
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