In order to find out what we want, sometimes we need to discover what we don't want. Job searching can be interesting if we already know where we want to live but frustrating if we can't find "that" job anywhere nearby. Drinking a chai-infused hot cocktail from Local Sprouts while eating one of their peach scone usually helps though.
Yesterday I drove to the beautiful Hudson Valley for a job interview. I went in with mixed feelings but was completely open to all that lay ahead of me. Driving down after work on Saturday got me to Hudson, NY after dark. I stayed with a buddy from my NW corner of Connecticut days and was greeted with a vodka tonic with lime. I wanted to get a taste of the restaurant scene so we went to an 8pm reservation at Swoon Kitchen/Bar.
Walking in, the cozy but large room was full of light and open. The textured ceiling was painted silver and the bench I sat upon seemed like it was out of the Victorian age. The people around us were certianly Manhattan-ites, upstate for the weekend.
We ordered cocktails and were brought fresh bread and butter while we perused the menu. So many choices! Luckily, we side-stepped the giant and overwhelming wine menu by choosing previous stated cocktails. I went for a margarita with grapefruit juice in it, called the Health Margarita. Why, I'm not sure but it certainly didn't do any harm! Our appetizers were super fresh and very healthy: 1. a roasted parsnip dish with large chunks of parsnips, apricots, beautifully colored radishes, curry vinaigrette and black olive, 2. Salt baked celery root with local apples shaved thin, turnips, pistachios and pickled onions. I felt cleaner just by eating these crisp farm-to-table dishes.
Next came the main dish, one amazing and one lacking. The spice rubbed skirt steak was absolutely perfect and served medium rare over potato puree and a large chunk of grilled onion. The proportion was just right although it was so good I could have ordered three more plates. The saffron risotto however was ok but nothing to gush over. It was served very al dente (is this normal with risotto?) with Parmesan and fried herbs. Normally, I am head-over-heels over risotto but that may just be me holding on to the memory of one or two risotto experiences many years ago...
Finally, it was dessert time. It was a tough choice between an apple upside-down cake and the chestnut churros. The latter won out because it was served with chocolate sauce. I ended up licking the mini bowl out, non-lady-like style. Totally worth it.
The next morning, I woke up early to walk around Hudson and get a feel for the place. No dice. I didn't fall in love. However, I did take some great pictures in between thawing out my fingers and thinking about how flipping cold it was. Hudson is a small town, even though it's the largest place in Columbia County. It could certainly use some renovations here and there but the decrepit-ness just lent a glorious, abandoned look to some of the buildings. Also, interestingly enough, Hudson is one of the biggest Lyme disease hot spots in the entire country. Score...
After walking up and down Warren Street, down to the frozen Hudson river and back, I found some breakfast. This little spot called Bonfiglio & Bread was one of the places I stopped to check out on my way around town. My friend recommended a great breakfast of poached eggs, etc before my interview and damn was he right. Upon entering, the smell was like a carbohydrate and butter soaked hug. Their menu board held numerous perfect choices but the poached egg dish won out. I sat down to wait and read through some Hudson Valley magazines to get more of a feel for the place. Then my name was called and I ignored everything else as I picked up the most beautiful dish that was my breakfast. It consisted of two poached eggs atop yogurt (just go with it, so good), avocado, house-made croutons, bacon lardons (added excellent texture and taste!!), chili oil (best part, added a fantastic zing) and lime zest. The whole dish was something I can't wait to recreate. All I have to do is learn how to poach eggs...
P.S. I won't be moving to the Hudson Valley any time soon. Portland has my heart.
Yesterday I drove to the beautiful Hudson Valley for a job interview. I went in with mixed feelings but was completely open to all that lay ahead of me. Driving down after work on Saturday got me to Hudson, NY after dark. I stayed with a buddy from my NW corner of Connecticut days and was greeted with a vodka tonic with lime. I wanted to get a taste of the restaurant scene so we went to an 8pm reservation at Swoon Kitchen/Bar.
Walking in, the cozy but large room was full of light and open. The textured ceiling was painted silver and the bench I sat upon seemed like it was out of the Victorian age. The people around us were certianly Manhattan-ites, upstate for the weekend.
We ordered cocktails and were brought fresh bread and butter while we perused the menu. So many choices! Luckily, we side-stepped the giant and overwhelming wine menu by choosing previous stated cocktails. I went for a margarita with grapefruit juice in it, called the Health Margarita. Why, I'm not sure but it certainly didn't do any harm! Our appetizers were super fresh and very healthy: 1. a roasted parsnip dish with large chunks of parsnips, apricots, beautifully colored radishes, curry vinaigrette and black olive, 2. Salt baked celery root with local apples shaved thin, turnips, pistachios and pickled onions. I felt cleaner just by eating these crisp farm-to-table dishes.
Next came the main dish, one amazing and one lacking. The spice rubbed skirt steak was absolutely perfect and served medium rare over potato puree and a large chunk of grilled onion. The proportion was just right although it was so good I could have ordered three more plates. The saffron risotto however was ok but nothing to gush over. It was served very al dente (is this normal with risotto?) with Parmesan and fried herbs. Normally, I am head-over-heels over risotto but that may just be me holding on to the memory of one or two risotto experiences many years ago...
Finally, it was dessert time. It was a tough choice between an apple upside-down cake and the chestnut churros. The latter won out because it was served with chocolate sauce. I ended up licking the mini bowl out, non-lady-like style. Totally worth it.
The next morning, I woke up early to walk around Hudson and get a feel for the place. No dice. I didn't fall in love. However, I did take some great pictures in between thawing out my fingers and thinking about how flipping cold it was. Hudson is a small town, even though it's the largest place in Columbia County. It could certainly use some renovations here and there but the decrepit-ness just lent a glorious, abandoned look to some of the buildings. Also, interestingly enough, Hudson is one of the biggest Lyme disease hot spots in the entire country. Score...
After walking up and down Warren Street, down to the frozen Hudson river and back, I found some breakfast. This little spot called Bonfiglio & Bread was one of the places I stopped to check out on my way around town. My friend recommended a great breakfast of poached eggs, etc before my interview and damn was he right. Upon entering, the smell was like a carbohydrate and butter soaked hug. Their menu board held numerous perfect choices but the poached egg dish won out. I sat down to wait and read through some Hudson Valley magazines to get more of a feel for the place. Then my name was called and I ignored everything else as I picked up the most beautiful dish that was my breakfast. It consisted of two poached eggs atop yogurt (just go with it, so good), avocado, house-made croutons, bacon lardons (added excellent texture and taste!!), chili oil (best part, added a fantastic zing) and lime zest. The whole dish was something I can't wait to recreate. All I have to do is learn how to poach eggs...
P.S. I won't be moving to the Hudson Valley any time soon. Portland has my heart.