As fashion folks are readying for the relocation of Fashion Week to Lincoln Center, so too are restaurateurs and venue operators in the surrounding area. In preparation for the influx of shows, after-parties, and other events, the 10-year-old Hudson Hotel is repositioning itself and the various drinking, dining, and entertainment spaces it offers, including the recently opened Hudson Hall. The revamped restaurant and bar comes on the heels of the debut of Good Units, the property's former gymnasium turned event venue that hosted a series of runway presentations and receptions during February's Fashion Week.
In the area previously occupied by Hudson Cafeteria, the 3,000-square-foot Hudson Hall was recast by European architectural firm SAQ as a modern interpretation of a collegiate dining hall. The update to the interior includes a new color palette, the addition of a 30-foot-long wood and marble bar, and the installation of a video projection screen wrapping the perimeter, which complement the wooden communal tables, brick walls, and central kitchen that remain from the previous incarnation. The built-in video displays academic imagery when the restaurant is open to the public but can be used with the sound system for private events of as many as 300 people.
The scholastic motif extends to the food, too, although the selection is more upscale than what you might find at a normal cafeteria. Featuring produce and ingredients indigenous to the Hudson Valley, chef Brian Young's menu includes dishes like dry-aged beef sliders with Cabot clothbound white cheddar, Nueske bacon, and remoulade, peekytoe crab rolls with romesco sauce, petite celery, and dijonaise, and compressed watermelon salads accompanied by Lively Run Farm feta, kalamata olives, mint, and violet mustard vinaigrette. Beverages include wine, cans of beer, and cocktails such as kamikazes, lemon drops, and woo woos.
