A Weekend in Hudson

With Meals at Stissing House, Café Mutton, and Lil Deb's Oasis.

Hey everyone,

We just got back from an amazing weekend in Hudson!

Before we get to that, though, I want to tell you about my friend Jenny’s new cookbook The Weekday Vegetarians: Get Simple.

Like most of us, Jenny’s the kind of person who loves a good burger, but wants to eat less meat during the week. Enter this book. It’s a genius guidebook for how to turn vegetables and beans and other life-enhancing ingredients into main event meals.

I always struggle with how to turn a vegetable into an entree and this book offers so many suggestions. Craig is going to love Abby’s Brilliant Beans n’ Cheese (picture mac and cheese combined with a bowl of beans) and tonight I might make the smoky black bean bowls with herby eggs and avocado. Or the tamarind-glazed cauliflower tacos? Or maybe a roasted vegetable Reuben? There are so many choices!

It’s such a terrific book, I’ve corralled Jenny into doing a live Q&A with me this Thursday on Instagram at 2 PM EST. Follow us there (me, Jenny) and come join the fun.

Congrats Jenny on the awesome book!

Okay, now let’s talk about our road trip to Hudson.

On Thursday, our pal Ryan, who’s celebrating his *redacted* birthday, joined us at our apartment where a Kyte surfer showed up with a Hyundai SUV. I’ve used Kyte a few times now (in Seattle, now here) and it’s great: they deliver your car to you and then pick it up when you come back.

We hit the road for Hudson and listened to Ryan’s shoegaze music along the way. When we arrived we were all hangry and found solace at Mel the Bakery.

(Winston came on the trip too.)

Craig and I shared an Italian sandwich, which was so good Craig didn’t want to share it (but they ran out!), and then a rye chocolate chip cookie which Ryan declared “the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had in my life.”

We went back to Mel a few more times and not only were the sandwiches and pastries amazing, but they have a great little store in front and I bought some enamel measuring cups which I’m very excited about.

We stayed at an AirBnb just off the main drag that was cozy and nicely sized. Our first night we made the journey to Stissing House, which I was extremely excited to try, since it’s the flagship of Clare De Boer, whose newsletter I adore.

Stissing House is a dream restaurant. It’s got the sort of quiet elegance that you may not notice at first, but that seeps into every moment of your meal: from the butter they keep under a glass dome, scraping just enough out for every table’s bread basket, to the bouquet of flowers next to a painting of flowers in the entryway.

The food at Stissing is straightforward but not at all boring. Like who needs another tomato stone fruit salad, at this point? But then you encounter this one.

There’s just something so artful about the presentation here. Same with the scallops.

Though there were many enticing entrees on the menu, all three of us went for the chicken, which was perfectly crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. Not to mention the potatoes, which clearly were cooked along with the chicken, soaking up all their juices. Again, a dream restaurant.

For dessert, we had their famous coconut cake. Ryan, a coconut cake connoisseur, swooned over it.

If you go to Hudson, Stissing House is not to be missed.

Another not-to-be-missed spot? Café Mutton, which Bon Appetit named one of America’s best new restaurants.

The vibe at Café Mutton is the opposite of stuffy. There’s a looseness and a playfulness to things. When I knocked over a glass of water, I went to the bartender who handed me a rag to clean it up myself. I got a kick out of that.

My omelette with roasted tomatoes and pecorino wasn’t just sublime, it was highly unusual. I have no idea how they shellacked the surface like that. (My guess? They rubbed it with more butter.)

Craig had a salad that he raved about.

The only downside was that the place had no air-conditioning, and it was pretty sticky in there. But with cool weather coming on, I doubt that’ll remain a problem.

Finally, we spent our last night in Hudson at Lil Deb’s Oasis, a quirky, kooky spot right near Café Mutton.

These pictures won’t do it justice. Let’s put it this way: if someone put a magic spell on Chappell Roan and turned her into a restaurant, it would be this place. Picture fake jellyfish bopping around a tank, disco balls, porn on the TV, neon signs, and eclectic ingredients, and you’ll get the idea.

I’m running out of space but the food was super punchy and fun. And you have to watch this video of them singing happy birthday to Ryan:

A dreamy ending to our dreamy weekend in Hudson!

Okay, let’s look at some links:

• This is a dangerous idea for me… buy yourself one fancy little plate (with dangerous links to beautiful plates) (Eater);

• All the Questions You Were Afraid to Ask at the Wine Bar, Answered (Punch);

• How to Eat for a Long and Healthy Life (NYT).

That’s all for today, folks!

See you back here on Thursday….

Your pal,

Adam