Here’s Where to Stop on a Dining Day Trip to Hudson

Here you’ll find a mix of understated hangouts, off-the-wall concepts, and ambitious upscale establishments.

B: Breakfast | L: Lunch | D: Dinner | BR: Brunch | T: Take-out

Head upstate to Hudson for understated hangouts, off-the-wall concepts, and ambitious upscale restaurants.

For breakfast on a budget, longtime Hudson restaurant The Cascades brings a no-frills menu to a quaint space smack in the middle of Warren Street. Grab a bacon-egg-and-cheese for $5.50 or a breakfast burrito for $6.
518.822.9146, B, L, T

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At Home/Made, a weekend brunch spot that relocated from the city, Saturdays and Sundays are busier than they were in Brooklyn. The brunch menu features a mix of baked goods like cardamom pecan honey butter on thick brioche toast as well as healthy, fresh starts to the day like a grain bowl or roasted tomatoes and fontina scramble served with grilled Sparrowbush walnut toast.
BR

Gourmands won’t want to miss Le Perche, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner offer un petit goût de la France. This is elevated food with a focus on details: We’re talking egg white frittata with local mushrooms and herbs and brown butter and bittersweet chocolate mousse with olive oil and sea salt. Should the mood strike (after 11 a.m.), try the Kinderhook Farm beef tartare — perhaps the purest way to taste the complex flavor of this nearby animal-welfare approved, grass-fed operation. Dinner at Le Perche is centered around rustic French food like frites maison and croque madame.
518.822.1850, B, L, D

Le Perche is the more recent project from the owners of Swoon Kitchenbar, the farm-to-table brasserie just up the street. Mediterranean influence means the menu incorporates vegetables, pasta, and meats, and flavors range from beet salad with arugula and pickled mustard seeds to swordfish with grilled summer squash. Burger Thursdays are a can’t-miss here, where you get a half-pound beef patty (also from Kinderhook Farm), house-made tater tots and spicy aioli, and as many add-ons as you’d like for $14.95. Nothin’ wrong with that.
518.822.8938, L, D

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Be prepared to pass tons of tempting shops and stores on Warren Street, from picking a pint and selecting a large selection of cheese at Spotty Dog Books & Ale to pastries, teapots, and chocolate at Verdigris Tea & Chocolate. One boutique not to skip is Talbott & Arding Cheese and Provisions, the bakery and cheese shop that might as well be straight out of San Fran. A carefully curated selection of cheeses from domestic and international purveyors tantalizes customers from behind glass, while homemade products like lemon curd call out from the fridge. Grab a cheesemonger’s focaccia with sea salt, and you’ll be singing down the street.
518.671.6006; 518.828.3139; 518.828.3558

Arguably the biggest name in town is Fish & Game, having made appearances on Wine Enthusiast’s America’s Best Wine restaurants as well as the James Beard awards, for which owner and chef Zak Pelaccio secured the 2016 award for Best Chef Northeast. Located in a renovated blacksmith’s shop, Fish & Game focuses on showcasing Hudson Valley ingredients with powerful flavor. The team here puts in the work on the back end, making fresh pastas, in-house vinegars and fermentations, even prosciutto cured off-site for 18 months. Menu offerings rotate, but include tonnarelli served with chives, lobster with seared scallops and black truffle, and a whole duck for two.
518.822.1500, L, D

Flavors of Southeast Asia abound in Hudson, with Hudson Food Studio turning out cuisine from Vietnam, Taiwan, Myanmar, and beyond. Chef David Chicane combines flavors from abroad with ingredients at home, as in the Berkshire pork babyback ribs. The grapefruit and pea shoot salad with peanuts, toasted coconut, red onion, and tangy vinaigrette makes a refreshing, tropical salad, while the pho packs a nutritious punch with bone broth made from Northwind Farms chicken.
518.828.3459, D, T 

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For a down-home meal, American Glory blends traditional preparation methods with contemporary cooking techniques for elevated barbecue. Get spicy with the Nashville-style hot chicken sandwich battered with cayenne panko breadcrumbs, or tour the South with choices of barbecue platters that range from North Carolina pulled pork to sliced Texas brisket to St. Louis-style ribs. Try the Bronx style macaroni and “Sunday gravy” served with cavatelli pasta, slow cooked Marzano tomatoes, beef pork, sausage, and grilled garlic toast.
518.822.1234, L, D, T

At Wm. Farmer & Sons, the dining room is a gorgeous space with exposed brick, copper flourishes, and dark wood. It’s a perfect setting to savor entrées like loup de mer, tavern steak, and Berkshire pork chop. However, the bar here steals the show: Try whiskey flights from the Hudson Valley and beyond, or one of the cocktails, many of which are culled from some of the most influential cocktail books of the last few years. Don’t worry about having a few too many: Wm. Farmer & Sons is also a hotel with beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites.
518.828.1635, D

Located behind an old antique store, BackBar pulls inspiration from Malaysian cuisine. A dark hallway leads to a dreamy lounge with glowing orb lanterns that seem to float above the bar. In warm weather, dine in the garden-lined courtyard, where picnic tables keep things casual. Enjoy the little gem salad with traditional Sichuan dressing and fried shallots. Chicken rendang comes with Malaysian curry, aromatic rice, and roti as a side, and if you’re in town on Saturday or Sunday, be sure to hit the dim sum brunch, available from 12 to 4 p.m.
518.828.0567, L, D, BR, T

And now for something completely different: Lil’ Deb’s Oasis. Serving “tropical comfort food,” the owners of this snug space developed their unusual menu by melding cuisines united by equatorial climate. Part restaurant, part art project, it serves up spicy chorizo larb, ceviche del dia, a whole fried fish with green herb salad and citrus ginger vinaigrette, and love advice from your server — which is a steal at “$1 or free.” Local beers and ciders are available in-house, and non-alcoholic beverages receive an unusual amount of attention. Down a shot of leche de tigre, an energizing liquid used to marinate ceviche (touted as a “hangover cure/aphrodisiac — EVERYBODY WINS!”); or try the bubbly and sweet floral hibiscus infusion.
518.828.4307, D, T

A Parisian-inspired eatery in town, Le Gamin Country specializes in sweet and savory crepes, although the house-made chocolate sauce with banana is a standout hit. Don’t pass up Le Gratin Dauphinois, a classy twist on comfort fare with layered potatoes and Swiss cheese sauce, or house-made French onion soup.
518.828.2885, B, L, D, Br, T

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