A Return To Hudson's Restaurant ... Sort Of

The last time I ran into Chef Kevin Altomare was at the Hudson's Farmers Market back in late September. I was giving a demonstration on how to make panzanella salad and he happened to be sitting near the demonstration tent and we struck up a conversation. I didn't know at the beginning of the conversation that he was co-chef and co-owner of Hudson's Restaurant on the Green in Hudson, but after I identified who I was, I offered that I had reviewed his restaurant a number of months earlier. Unable to get a wi-fi signal on his computer, he was unable to check my review in real time, but remembering the patty melt and homemade potato chips that I had eaten, I assured him that our lunch had been not only tasty, but also a great value, too.

Towards the end of my stint as demonstration chef for the day, Kevin told me that he and his business partners were looking to open up another Hudson's location at some point in the near future, this time in the Montrose/Fairlawn area. Plans were still being worked out at the time and so I opted not to say anything publicly here on the blog in case those plans changed. As it turned out, everything came together nicely and Chef Kevin manned the helm of the second location starting around the beginning of November. While the concept of the second location was more or less a carbon copy of the first, I decided to give the restaurant a few weeks to settle in before doing a serious review.

The newest location of Hudson's was located at 3900 Medina Road, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-666-7777. The website has remained the same and information on both the original and the new locations can be found there. Parking for the restaurant was located in the shared lot with the other business in the strip mall. For those familiar with the Montrose area, the restaurant was located in the same space as the old Brown Derby Roadhouse restaurant, which has now moved to a new location on "Restaurant Hill" overlooking Rts. 21 & 77.

After finding a suitably close parking space, I managed to snap a photograph of the exterior of the new restaurant:


Once inside, I noticed a relatively empty bar area to my right and the dining room directly in front of me. I decided to sit at one of the high top tables in the bar area so that I would be unobtrusive. I was surprised that the bar area was so empty on a Wednesday night at 6:00 PM. However, by the time I had left an hour later, it was filled with hungry diners.

While I had presented you with the lunch menu in my earlier review from the other location, I decided to include Hudson's dinner menu during this write-up:



It was clear from studying the dinner menu that the lunch menu was simply a subset of items available during dinner service. I was in the mood for a nice multi-course meal and seeing as many of the entrees came with a side salad included in the price, my only decisions tonight were to choose which appetizer and which entree I wanted for dinner. When my bartender/server finally came over to take my order, I asked her for the daily specials.

She easily rattled off the list and upon hearing that one of the soup options tonight was a Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese Soup, I decided that a cup of that would make an excellent way to start my meal on such a cold day. Here was a shot of the soup:


After placing my order, my soup arrived fairly quickly and was accompanied by a small package of Westminster all-natural soup crackers ... a nice touch! I have had these crackers before at upscale eateries and I really thought they added a delicious flavor and contrasting crunch to the otherwise velvety soup. The cheese flavor of the soup was present, but not overpowering and I discovered as I dug my spoon into the depths of the cup that bacon had been added as well. This lent the soup a subtle smoky flavor that complimented the main cheese flavor quite well.

For my salad tonight, I decided on the basic "house" salad and when I heard that a Brandy Balsamic Vinaigrette was available, I asked for it to be placed on the side:


The house salad was your standard mix of greens and reds, but I was happy to see the addition of a bit of chopped egg. As expected, the salad came out unseasoned and after application of the tangy dressing and a bit of freshly ground black pepper, the flavors popped in my mouth. This was a decent enough salad and the only real complaint I had was the croutons did not feel homemade and had an oddly-garlic metallic taste to them. The vinaigrette was quite light on the palate, but I had a hard time discerning the brandy flavor. Then again, I'm not a huge brandy drinker to begin with, so it wouldn't surprise me not to be able to discern the flavor.

For my entree, even though I considered the entire menu, I seemed to gravitate toward the pastas tonight. When I saw that Pasta Bolognese was being offered, I knew that was what I would be having:


This generous bowl of fettuccine had been cooked to a perfect al dente and dressed (but not overdressed) in a creamy, tomato-less, pork and beef-based sauce. Adorned with a simple grating of Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, this was a satisfying and filling dish. While the seasoning was spot on, I felt that the flavor was just a tad flat and two dimensional. Like most long-cooking stews and sauces, often times the bright, acidic notes tend to dissipate when given a long cooking process. Perhaps I was missing the acidity that the tomatoes normally add to the classic Italian-American meat sauce. Don't get me wrong, this was still a good dish, but it just needed one extra component to really elevate it. All that said, the portion I didn't finish at the restaurant definitely made it home with me for consumption later in the evening.

The best part of the meal tonight was getting the check ... just barely under $20 including tax. As with my meal at the original location in Hudson, for the quality of food being served, Hudson's offers a very good value to the customer. With dinner items ranging from only a couple of dollars up to twenty dollars for the petite filet mignon, you will definitely find something for everyone's taste and budget. If there were service issues tonight, I didn't spot any and the food coming out of the kitchen was hot, fresh (except for the croutons), and overall, very tasty. With two locations open to serve the greater Akron area, I recommend that you give Hudson's a try if you haven't already done so.

A Spectacular View At Piatto Novo

Based on my recent visit to the 2010 Taste of Akron event, I had already formally visited and reviewed Bistro on Main in Kent, Ohio. The second restaurant on my "to eat" list was unconventional because it was located inside the Cuyahoga Falls-based Sheraton Suites Akron perched atop a magnificent vista overlooking the meandering Cuyahoga River. I speak, of course, of Piatto Novo run by Chef Roger Thomas.

Having eaten here many years ago at their Sunday brunch, I knew that my visit wouldn't be inexpensive, but looking at their menu on-line before I went, I noticed that I could economize certain dishes, such as ordering one of their half-orders of pasta if I wished to try it out. Exactly one week after eating at Bistro on Main, I again decided to show up with no reservation at 5:45 PM on a normally slow night of the week.

The Sheraton Suits Akron was located at 1989 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 and can be reached at 330-929-3000. I'm assuming that the phone number was for the main desk, but I'm sure if you ask for the restaurant, they can forward your call. Parking was either in the lot directly outside the Sheraton or on the curb on Front Street.

As I walked into the main entrance, I was greeted with this glass panel at the top of the stairs:


The entrance to the restaurant was behind this plaque and down a flight of stairs. After requesting a table for one, my hostess sat me by the window overlooking the river. The gentle sound of water running downstream could still be heard in the dining room. If you can get a seat by the window, I highly recommend it.

She left me to look at the printed menu:





The only real complaint I had about the appetizer portion of the menu was that it seemed that all of the appetizers were around $10 and above. Only the Piatto Salad at $4 seemed to buck this trend. While I don't mind spending $10 for an appetizer, tonight I was also interested in trying a half-order of pasta and a full entrée, so a full appetizer would definitely have made it too much.

While I pondered my choices, my server brought me out a basket of bread:


And a dish of softened butter:


The bread was fresh, but a tad uninspired. There was three slices of focaccia and three slices of a seedless Italian loaf, both of which had a decent crust and crumb, but didn't offer very much in the flavor department. At least the butter was soft and easily spreadable.

Deciding to start with something simple to whet my appetite, I ordered the Piatto Salad with orange basil vinaigrette:


This was essentially a plate of greens that had been dressed with the vinaigrette. Nothing more, nothing less. The salad came dressed and while it was enough to coat the leaves, it didn't leave a puddle of dressing at the bottom of the plate. The citrusy bite from the orange was notable in the dressing, but I missed the herbaceousness that the basil should have brought. Perhaps this was because the vinaigrette had been made with dried basil instead of fresh. Either way it just wasn't there. If you are the type that likes light vinaigrettes, then this dressing would be up your alley, gentle reader. I realize that this particular salad is 1/2 to 1/3 the price of the other salads and appetizers, but it just felt like there should be something else on the plate to dress up the dish.

For my half-portion "appetizer," I decided to go with the homemade linguine alla bolognese:


Presented in this smallish bowl, the linguine had clearly been tossed in the condimento, the bolognese sauce. Comprised of beef, veal, and pork that had been slow simmered in a tomato sauce, the menu indicated that a "touch of cream" had been added. Based on what I saw and tasted, if there was cream in this sauce, it was definitely the minutest of amounts. The sauce didn't feel rich from the addition of cream, but I could definitely tell that the sauce had cooked for some time. It was quite tasty and as a traditional Italian-American meat sauce, it worked quite well. The pasta was cooked properly and had been seasoned by tossing in the sauce before plating.

Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of sauce left over after finishing my pasta:


My guess would be that the kitchen either added too much sauce or was trying to satisfy both traditional Italian and modern American saucing techniques. That being to toss the pasta in the condiment (the sauce) to finish cooking the pasta and have it be absorbed into the pasta as well as adding extra sauce onto the finished plate because Americans love their sauce.

My pasta course finished, I waited for the arrival of my entrée. Having looked over the menu several times, I finally decided on getting the Pork Tenderloin Pepato:


The pork loin was pepper crusted and seared to the correct temperature before being sliced and fanned out over a tomato agrodolce sauce and served with a polenta crespelle filled with spinach and onions. The first item I checked was the doneness of the pork. I had ordered it medium and sure enough,


it definitely came from the kitchen cooked to medium. The next step was to take a taste of the agrodolce sauce. Agrodolce is literally translated from Italian as "Sour-Sweet." It is supposed to hit both taste sensations on the tongue at the same time. While there were aspects of both qualities in the sauce, it seemed to lack much in terms of boldness. Figuring that the seasoning on the pork might tie the two flavors together, I paired a forkful of meat with some of the sauce. Again, the flavor was good and the pork was tender and juicy, but it didn't really grab hold of my taste buds and call out with the flavor explosion I was expecting. Lest you think the culprit was lack of salt, the seasoning was perfect on both the pork and the sauce.

Next, I turned my attention to the polenta crespelle:


Essentially polenta that had been spread into a very thin layer in a heavily buttered pan, it had been allowed to "crisp up" on the bottom side before being filling with sautéed spinach and onions, folded over like an omelet, and the slid onto the plate for service. Interestingly, even with such a thin layer of polenta, the corn flavor really came through on my palate. The spinach and onions were a nice addition, but almost secondary to the primary flavor of the corn.

The only real criticism I have here was the amount of extra melted butter than ended up on my plate. I'm not naive enough to think that moderate to fine dining doesn't involve an inordinate amount of butter to finish off sauces and sear proteins, but the pool of butter that the crespelle rested seemed a little too gratuitous and only served to make the crespelle a bit greasy.

Finally, wanting to try one of the sides as well, I ordered the Brussels sprouts with crispy pancetta:


These were actually quite delicious. The crispy pancetta lardons added capricious bits of saltiness and fat to the Brussels sprouts, which had been deeply caramelized in a pan. While I was never a fan of this cruciferous vegetable growing up, had my mother cooked them this way, I would've been an avid fan long before now.

When asked about dessert, I quickly turned down my server's offer; I was literally stuffed. When the check came, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my feast had only come to $45 with tax included. While this was just slightly less expensive than my meal at Bistro on Main, I felt that the dishes I had tonight at Piatto Novo, while good, just weren't quite as good as what I had eaten the week prior at Bistro on Main. While I will still certainly recommend Piatto Novo for both the food and view, I was a little surprised that I wasn't more taken by my dining experience. I may have to go back again and check them out for a second time, just to rule out any inconsistencies by the kitchen.

Identity Crisis

I was decidedly in an ethnic cuisine sort of mood today for lunch. As odd as it seems, right in the middle of downtown Massillon, OH is a restaurant that serves both Japanese food and Korean food. Having gone there on and off for lunch over the last year, I'm always surprised that they are still in business as I am often the only one eating there during lunch.

Apparently about 3 1/2 weeks ago, the space being occupied by Lee's Korean BBQ is now being shared with Colucci's Ristorante. Lee's is now open only for dinner, while Colucci's is open for lunch and dinner. They share the space in the evening. So now you can get Japanese, Korean, and Italian all at the same location.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, my first clue that something was up was this sign leaning against the building on the ground:


My server explained how the new arrangement will work. She didn't really go into any reasons why Colucci's agreed to this arrangement, but I have to assume it is beneficial to both businesses.

The lunch menu was pretty straightforward: pastas, salads, sandwiches, and soups. They also have a daily special, today's was Swiss Steak. I asked my server if the restaurant has any specialties. She pointed out that the chef makes his own meat sauce. Lucky for me there just happened to be a spaghetti with meat sauce for $4.99. I also ordered the optional side house salad.

The house salad came with home made Italian dressing on the side:


The salad itself was nothing really special, it's Italian heritage denoted by two slices of pepperoni on top. The dressing was, sadly, too oily and seasoned quite blandly. I will give a slight pass to this though because vinaigrettes are notoriously hard to keep emulsified and as such, the taste I got with my fork before dispensing on my salad may have been tainted by the (small) layer of oil floating on top.

The server also brought out a bread basket:


Italian style bread which was a bit dried out. Fortunately the accompanying pats of butter were softened enough to be easily spreadable.

Finally, the main event:


Now, I have to say that just looking at the plate there are already two strikes against it. Problem one, and this is all too common, is that the pasta is WAY oversauced. Problem two, which isn't so immediately obvious from the photo is the puddle of water underneath the pasta. I know Americans want the sauce on top, but honestly, if done the correct way, the whole oversaucing and additional water drainage issue would just go away.

To its credit, the pasta wasn't mushy and better yet, the sauce was quite good. It actually took the concept of a meat sauce and elevated it by incorporating shredded pork as well. It's probably closer to an Americanized meat sauce with shredded pork than a true Ragu alla Bolognese (too much tomato product), but it was decidedly good nonetheless. The pork gave it an extra layer of texture and flavor and the sauce wasn't overly sweet.

And to be honest, I didn't mind the extra sauce this time around as it gave me a chance to keep tasting the sauce by itself. The meat sauce was definitely the star of the show.

It would be awesome if the chef offered a truer Italian style version of the dish where the pasta was tossed in the condiment before plating, but I guess we can't get everything we want in life.

The server also mentioned they have a garlic and oil sauce that is very good as well. Guess that means I'll have to go back and give it another go.