A Good Value At Hudson's Restaurant on the Green

I recently found myself in Hudson, Ohio in order to help out friend, teacher, and business owner Catherine St. John of the Western Reserve School of Cooking with some of her questions and concerns about Facebook and Twitter. Like many modern business owners, she realized the value of social networking, but wasn't sure how best to utilize it to the school's advantage. We chatted about strategies for promoting the business, offering discounts to upcoming classes that still had seats available, and logged into the newly created Twitter account for the school. After answering all of her questions, we agreed that it was time for lunch.

Our initial destination was Aladdin's on the First and Main section of downtown Hudson, but the minute we opened the door, we knew we were in trouble; there was an enormous queue of people waiting for tables. We quickly regrouped and walked back up to Route 91 / North Main Street to Hudson's Restaurant on the Green. Located at 80 North Main Street, they can also be reached at 330-650-1955. Parking was either streetside in front of the restaurant or in the large parking area to the rear of the complex.

Here was a shot of the front entrance of the restaurant:


Where Aladdin's had been brimming with waiting customers, Hudson's was busy, but not full. We were quickly escorted to a table and left with menus to peruse. Here was a front and back shot of the lunch menu:



While there were many items on the menu that looked good, Catherine recommended the burgers and the homemade potato chips. Looking over the list of burgers I spotted an old favorite, the Patty Melt. For a half-pound burger with a side for only $6.99, this seemed like an excellent value, too.

Catherine and I placed our orders with our server and continued gabbing away about various school and food-related topics until our lunches arrived. Here was a shot of my Patty Melt and homemade potato chips:


I had ordered my burger to be cooked medium and based on the side shot of the pre-cut burger,


I received exactly what I ordered. In fact, when I initially ordered my burger to be cooked medium, my server stated to me what "medium" meant at Hudson's, pink in the middle with a warm center. This was a nice touch as it set the expectation of the customer as to what he/she would be getting from the kitchen. The burger itself was warm and juicy and in what would became an embarrassment for the remainder of the day, I ended up having a grease-related injury when several drops of the juice accidentally fell right onto the middle of my shirt. Ah well, those who saw me afterwards chuckled when I explained why I had teardrop shaped smears on the middle of my chest. The fried onions were cooked through and soft and the rye bread was nicely toasted. The only minor complaint that I had was that I didn't think the burger was seasoned enough. There was salt from the cheese and the bread, to be sure, but the burger itself seemed to be missing just a little bit.

Of course, that could be because the homemade chips,


were quite highly seasoned. I don't think the potato chips were too salty, but in comparison to the burger, that may be why I perceived the burger to need additional salt. The chips were well executed: thin, crispy, and not in the least bit greasy. They had been dressed with a salt and spice blend after being fried and had a flavor that seemed to be a cross between "barbecue" and "seasoning salt" although it lacked the nasty metallic flavor I associate with most seasoning salts. I received a lot of chips with my lunch and was only able to finish about half of them before realizing that my appetite had been sated.

I was pleasantly surprised by my meal today. I had walked by Hudson's hundreds of times and had never bothered to check them out. I can't speak to their dinner menu, but their lunch menu offers some decent values and some well executed and tasty food. I recommend that you stop in and grab a bite to eat and see for yourself. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and should be able to satisfy whatever craving you currently possess.