High Street on Hudson

My friend Laura and I went to this little gem the other night. I have heard some really good things about this place from some friends in the industry and wanted to check it out. Me being the punctual one arrived at 7:30PM for our 8:15PM reservation. There is NO bar area here at all. There is a tiny counter up against the window that literally can seat 4 people tightly. I grabbed a stool and ordered a glass of reisling.  Laura showed up around 7:50PM and I was still waiting for my reisling. They have only been opened for dinner for a month or so and I don't think were prepared for it. With no bartender, no bar to sit at, the host is expected to do a lot. I think that that it was this girl's first job and she doesn't know what she was doing. 

The manager brought Laura over a menu and realized I still didn't have my glass. She brought it over immediately and in her apology we started talking about the industry. (This is always a good way to let people know you are in the know...if you know what I mean!) Within a few minutes we were seated at a large table. I think a perk about being in the industry and letting people know who you are. We always try and hook up our own kind. Only we know the shit we deal with on a day in and day out basis. 

I actually knew the chef from The Standard days many moons ago. He was a sous chef there and worked with my previous executive chef at another restaurant. It is a very small world to say the least. 

Laura is a pescatarian and eats very little dairy. I hate dining with people that have dietary restrictions as it restricts what I order. Especially if I am sharing my food. Which, if you ever eat with me, it is all about trying a whole bunch of different things. I actually picked this place to dine with Laura because it has a ton of vegatarian options. 

High Street on Hudson is orignially from Philly and mainly does breakfast and lunch. Think egg dishes with fancy breads. However, we were doing dinner and excited about it. 

We took our cues from the waiter and ordered pretty much everything he suggested. As ready with everything is how it came out. 

ANADAMA· smoked eel, spicy radish, parsley 

CRISPY BROCCOLI· pickled wood ears, chow chow, scallion

GRILLED NEBRODINI MUSHROOMS· wild rice, chestnut & sunchoke, mustard apples

RAZOR CLAM STRIPS· habanero buttermilk

GRILLED ARCTIC CHAR·crispy potato, mustard greens, pickled egg gribiche, black olive

LAMB TARTARE· burnt celery root, sunflower, cultured cashew, malted rye (This was complimentary)

My favorite dishes were the razor clams and the crispy broccoli. I had looked at the menu prior and knew I wanted them.  I can't get enough of razor clams. They were lightly fried and perfectly crispy. They looked like chicken tenders if you didn't know any better. The habanero buttermilk was creamy with a great heat. The served them with 2 lemon wedges. Think fried calamari but not as heavy. 

The broccoli had been fried with a tempura batter. The chow chow with it was vinegary in a great way. It was not over down. Just little pieces of fried broccoli on top of a little salad. Simple yet special. For anyone who isn't a fan of broccoli, they would be after eating this dish. 

The Anadama (From the Hearth) was average. The only thing that I found really good was the spiced radish. The smoked eel was mediocre. 

The Artic Char was again average. I am not a super fan of artic char anyways. So if you want to wow me on it, you have to do something pretty outstanding. Laura seemed to really enjoy though. Different strokes for different folks. Same goes for the mushrooms. Not a super fan. 

Now for the lamb tartare. As soon as I saw it I thought, "FUCK! I am so full already and now I have to eat all of this by myself cause Laura wont eat it." Girl got her fork and dove right in. There was no way I was going to tell her that it was lamb. "OMG!!! This is sooo good!" Laura said like 9 times. I laughed inside and still have yet to tell her that it was lamb she was eating! I am a bad friend but I like when people eat stuff they normally don't and like it. See...MEAT is GOOD! As for me, I thought the dish was good. However, after recently eating at Low Life and loving theirs makes it hard for me to say that it was "soooo good." 

The food was great, the service was perfect and overall it was a wonderful evening. Nothing over the top or out of this world but it was good.