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Hudson in the news

The New York Times has a lavish write-up this weekend of Café Le Perche in the 200 block of Warren Street. As it happened, I had a prior lunch meeting scheduled there for noon... Fortunately I arrived early and snagged a table, or there would have been no hope of getting a seat. By 1 pm, people were steadily streaming in and all seats were full, including the barstools.

This ought to provide a nice November boost for business in Hudson overall, as the Times’ reach remains enormous among those most likely to travel here—the 20 million or so people in the NYC metro area—especially for foot traffic below 3rd Street in general.

Comparative Burgerology

Does healthy, organic food cost more than “regular” food? And what’s a hamburger supposed to cost around here, anyway?

Ever since Grazin’ revitalized a formerly-empty restaurant space on Warren Street, one has heard more than a few hyperbolic discussions about prices, with little actual relationship to the reality of the 21st Century cost of delivering a decent meal.

The chart below collects some representative menu prices for burgers in the region. For the purposes of a fair comparison, the price of a side of fries was included if those don’t come automatically with the burger:

As the hard numbers above show, the price of a burger in these parts can range from a low of $5.50 to a high of $13. The average burger price of the 15 establishments list above is $9.98—precisely 3 cents higher than than that of the Grazin’ all-organic, Animal Welfare Certifed burger.

In short, getting a healthy, organic, responsibly-created, locally-sourced, farm-to-table burger is no more expensive than eating at most any other non-fastfood restaurant in the area... which just points up the irrationality of some of the anti-organic voices in our midst. Those who denounce $9-$10 for a burger as outrageous clearly haven’t been getting out much lately.

Now some Rush Limbaugh listeners may cry foul, noting that they could get a slider and fries at McDonald’s or Burger King for even less than any of the prices above. Yes, you could... except those aren’t hamburgers. Those are reprocessed sewage patties masquerading as food. If you eat them regularly, you will almost certainly die early. And the price of that to your family and society far exceeds anything that buying organic ever could.

Diner reopens, with a hyperlocal angle

Shuttered since 2009, a Hudson institution reopened tonight as Grazin’—featuring ingredients almost entirely sourced from the most forward-looking growers within shooting distance of their Park location. (For example: Hamburger buns and cheese from Hawthorne Valley in Harlemville; ice cream and yogurt from the Hesse’s Milk Thistle Farm in Ghent, beer from Crossroads Brewery in Athens, produce and nuts from The Berry Farm and Tiera in Chatham, and of course meat from their own Grazin' Angus Acres.)

With burger plates that provide a solid day’s worth of nutrition starting at $9.95, it appears that the new proprietors are on their way to achieving their vision of delivering hyperlocal, healthy, farm-to-table meals at a reasonable price.

ABOVE: Nicole Vidor, Rainer Judd & friend dig in; an already-full counter scene; and co-owner/farmer Dan Gibson with manager/firefighter “Chip” Chiappinelli.

Happy talk

Aiming to fill the void left behind by the closing of Angela Guzzi’s Happy Clown, Hudson Park has opened an ice cream shack on Route 9 (in what used to be the barbecue pavilion of Rural Gourmet)... Hudson Park also has a nice selection of vegetarian and non-veggie lunch options, including a falafel wrap.

Grazin’ Diner

Painting by James Gurney

After a frustrating wait, word is that the I.R.S. has finally cleared away the remaining liens left over from the former owner of Hudson’s Diamond Street Diner, which was seized by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finances in the Fall of 2009. This in turn clears a path for the diner to be revitalized by its new owners, the Gibsons of Grazin’ Angus Acres in Ghent.

Grazin’ is reknowned for grass-fed, biodynamic, animal welfare approved beef, raised with no hormones or antibiotics or GMOs (and said to have provided the only meat served at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding in Rhinebeck). Organic ice cream and eggs are also in the offing, presumably at a reasonable price point since the owners are also producers. The farm’s website is here, and the diner’s website will be here.

With a lot of hard work, they may be able to open in time to catch some of the Fall season; when the diner closed, the owners (or seizers) failed to turn off the water, causing all of the pipes to burst. Otherwise, an early 2012 launch may be more likely... at which time, the articles (and arguments) about who has the best hamburger in the Hudson Valley will start getting slung around like hash browns on a griddle.

In the meantime, their products can be found regionally at the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store, Honest Weight Food Co-op, or at the greenmarkets in NYC. For some rave reviews, check out the Yelp comments.

Food notes from all over

More culinary reports from around the region, following on the news of the Hudson diner's purchase:

• The Vanderbilt Inn in Philmont reopens tonight, Monday, with a serious chef and a farm-to-table ethos;

• Chopsticks in Catskill, located near the relatively new Beer World, offers Chinese, Japanese, and most of all Thai food — each of them simple but solid. (It remains a mystery why Columbia County has no Thai restaurant, while Greene has two...)

• Wunderbar in Hudson has changed hands, though Imre is still around for a few weeks for the transition;

• Also in Hudson, the former Hudson House gallery building (which briefly housed an outpost of Hammertown Barn) reportedly has been purchased by a Brooklyn bistro owner, but won't open for one or two years by various accounts;

• MOD's new Hudson digs got their beer and wine license.

• The Ramp Festival launches next weekend (April 30th) at the Basilica in Hudson on Saturday;

* Agriturismo in Pine Plains reopens on the 22nd.

Stinging in Perfect Harmony

This week’s Hudson Common Council meeting on the recent underage drinking sting stirred up even more discussion of how and why this came about. Here are some further thoughts on the topic:

1. Unless you’re Tom Cruise in Minority Report, there’s a big difference between preventing crimes and creating them. Everyone wants crime prevented, and even deterred. But when unusual scenarios are created which induce crimes, people perceive it as a set-up. And to responsible bar owners and their patrons, that’s how the Catholic Charities “program” looked... The simple fact is that underage drinkers hardly ever set foot in most of these establishments—at least, unless they’re hired to do so with grant money. That’s why many viewed these operations as an unnecessary and punitive sting more than any urgent or effective deterrent to underrage drinking.


2. Arguments that the undercover youth involved “didn’t look 30” tend to ignore the facts (a) that the legal drinking age is 9 years lower than 30, and (b) that context and attitude greatly influence the perception of age. Put an undercover agent alongside older drinkers in a high-priced establishment, and that 19-year-old will indeed seem a lot more mature. The situation also gives the server much less reason to suspect the customer. One might argue that just gives all the more justification to card aggressively. But realistically, that’s not how the world works, and the question remains why crimes were instigated in locations where, by officials’ own admission, few if any have been occurring? Where there’s no smoke, there’s no need to pull the fire alarm.


3. The Hudson police chief (a likable and honorable guy) was correct that using fake I.D.s and getting older friends to buy for teenagers are the main ways youths get their hands on alcohol. But to my knowledge, neither method was addressed by this sting. From what’s been reported, it neither tested bartenders’ ability to recognize fake I.D.s. nor was designed to catch adults buying alcohol for minors. Rather, agents lured bartenders into making a transaction that otherwise would not occur over their counters. Problems with fake I.D. and adult surrogate buying would pertain far more in our area to convenience store beer purchases, not Hudson bar/restaurants.


4. Statistics also have been brought forth about the very real problem of teenaged “binge” drinking. But again, since the sting didn’t address that problem, this barely seems relevant to the issue at hand. The undercover agents weren’t ordering six shots of Jager at a clip, and the targeted establishments hardly cater to binge drinkers of any age. After all, what teenaged binge drinker would blow $100-plus dollars on high-priced mixed drinks in a quiet place full of adults, when one could much more easily score a twelve pack at Stewarts or X-Tra Mart for 12-13 bucks? (Moreover, in a tight-knit community like Hudson, someone usually will walk an adult friend home if they’re overdoing it, well before they reach binge levels, or else the bartender will cut them off.)

As such, it remains understandable that many businesspeople and residents got the impression that the Catholic Charities sting was more about the availability of funding to spread around, or even an animus (conscious or unconscious) to certain “types” of places, than about curbing any growing problem. In the context of other hostile City actions, such as punitive tax assessments, such conclusions are all the more likely, and should be anticipated. It would be nice to think there was no animus involved, but the suspicion remains widespread that Hudson officialdom has it in for “those people” they didn’t know in high school.

In the future, sticking to alcohol education and training—rather than instigating crimes which don’t normally occur—would help ensure that everyone can raise a toast together. It’s a lot better than smashing more bottles over each others’ heads, and the Council could avoid that by explicitly specifying the purposes of any future funding of this type.

Gut check

Our region is fast becoming both a high-end breadbasket for gourmet New York City restaurants featuring top-quality ingredients, and also a culinary destination in itself. And for the most part, this is a great thing—as much for our economy as for our landscapes and our stomachs.

But as that status rises, so does the risk that excess and affectation will overrun the honest enjoyment of good, heathy food made well.

To that end, this controversial new article in The Atlantic Monthly is must-reading for Hudson Valley foodies, even though most will howl at it like an animal being led to slaughter.

In Fed Up: The Moral Crusade Against Foodies, critic B. R. Myers argues convincingly and searingly—pun intended—that “gluttony dressed up as foodie-ism is still gluttony.” Tweaking author Francine Prose (and the foodie movement’s habit of reporting non-critically on itself), Myers writes:

Not surprisingly, [Prose] regards gluttony primarily as a problem of overeating ... In fact the Catholic Church’s criticism has always been directed against an inordinate preoccupation with food—against foodie-ism, in other words ... A disinterested writer would likely have done the subject more justice. 

The author reviews a host of recent books by chefs, foodies, and other authors like Prose, and with genuine flair pronounces them not merely lacking literary worth, but also any awareness of their own vanities and hypocrisies. From the elevation of gluttony into a quasi-religion, to the pretentions of ostentatious connoisseurship, to the false invocation of “tradition” to justify self-indulgence, Myers racks up telling point after point:

The Roman historian Livy famously regarded the glorification of chefs as the sign of a culture in decline. I wonder what he would have thought of The New York Times’ efforts to admit ‘young idols with cleavers’ into America’s pantheon of food-service heroes.

But Myers’ most biting critiques are saved for the foodie movement’s smug and self-affirming embrace of cruelty:

Restaurant reviews are notorious for touting $100 lunches as great value for money. The doublespeak now comes in more pious tones, especially when foodies feign concern for animals. Crowding around to watch the slaughter of a pig—even getting in its face just before the shot—is described by Bethany Jean Clement (in an article in Best Food Writing 2009) as “solemn” and “respectful” behavior. Pollan writes about going with a friend to watch a goat get killed. “Mike says the experience made him want to honor our goat by wasting as little of it as possible.” It’s teachable fun for the whole foodie family. The full strangeness of this culture sinks in when one reads affectionate accounts [of] children clamoring to kill their own cow—or wanting to see a pig shot, then ripped open with a chain saw: “YEEEEAAAAH!”  

Again, many of us who support local, sustainable agriculture or just nutritious food—including the restaurants, growers, and distributors in our region who make it possible—may find this stiff rinse of mouthwash has a bit too much sting. No sacred cow is spared here, not Michael Pollan, nor even Alice Waters... But Myers’ polemic is an essential read for anyone who wants to get it right, cutting out the excesses and vanities of the foodie movement while keeping the more rigorous, useful core intact.

(That link to The Atlantic again: click here.)

Dining notes from all over

• Wunderbar in the 700 block of Warren Street is in the process of being sold to new owners, who are said to have a cattle farm in Amsterdam (NY). A well-placed source says that they will likely maintain the existing atmosphere while beefing up the bar business, and maybe adding a pool table to the back room. Longtime Columbia County resident and business owner Imre Vilaghy (who previously ran the Oasis café in Hudson's 500 block) intends to sail the world with his beloved dog Nikki starting in May.

• Blue Stores on Route 9 in Livingston has reopened, under the auspices of Darren and Tara Buffa, who ran the Lime Rind (at the former Morrison's location in Hudson, now the falafel place). A recent visit was somewhat marred by an intensely-scented candle, which one hopes was just a temporary bit of Valentine’s Day overzealousness.

• Swoon in Hudson continues its Meatless Mondays, a great bargain at $25 for four inventive courses.

• After an iffy start, Coyote Flaco on Route 9H/23 in Claverack (at the former Moosehead site) has become a local standby, with fresh, authentic, reliable Mexican dishes at the right price—with excellent service, and no extra charge for salsa and chips... A smart move for any place which makes most of its profit on tequila.

• If you’re looking for Turkish Moroccan food, reports are that Fez in Saugerties is terrific—but Yours Truly hasn't tried it yet.

Blue Storage

After barely a year of operation under new ownership, and less than six months after being nominated for a Chamber “Crystal Apple” award, Blue Stores is closed again. Realty signs sprout from uncut grass on the Route 9 and Route 31 sides of the building, though the outdoor furniture is still in place, and flags still flutter as the traffic whips by at well over the 40 mph speed limit.

To be honest, something felt “off” about the new Blue Stores from the get-go.

The previous management kept things simple and no-nonsense. Probably a minor makeover was overdue. But the new owners clearly overspent on renovating the once down-home but perfectly functional interior. The glossily-painted main dining room seemed like something out of an overpriced Chinatown tourist trap, and contrasted sharply with the Ye Olde Taverne atmosphere of the bar area. Looking around, one tended to wonder if someone had a bunch of cash they needed to park somewhere in a hurry.

Still, the place was often packed on weeknights (a rarity around here), rollicking with live acts and karaoke singers. It seemed to be a new favorite venue for various civic organizations to host their banquets and meetings, and also a handy place for people in the south-central part of the county to catch a playoff game on TV, or just catch up with neighbors at the bar.

Unfortunately, the new Blue Stores was plagued by generic food, straight off some bland food service menu, made even less appealing by frequently amateur service.

It was clear to anyone who has ever bussed a table, scoured out a soup pot, or taken an order (this writer included) that most of the staff had little if any restaurant or bar experience—and the management was failing to train or supervise them. A lot of socializing was going on instead of attending to customers with their hands in the air, trying to order another round. Plus when a bartender doesn’t know what goes into a bourbon and soda or a waitress seems so high that she has to come back three times to clarify what you ordered, that’s eventually going to drive your bottom line into the red.

Ultimately that’s not the fault of some 17-year-old who’s landed his or her first real job; it’s the fault of management. In so many service businesses today, ownership forgets to invest in their staff, teaching them the ropes of the business so that they can excel and move up. (Bar/restaurant work is all about tips, so without that leg up few newbies will make a decent living.) Despite the strong support of the community, from the looks of things this venture was never likely to serve enough drinks or chicken parms fast enough to make back all the dough its backers poured into it.

Let’s hope this historic site gets snapped up by someone with a little more restaurant background, and maybe some hotel experience as well—something like a more affordable version of the Madalin Hotel in Tivoli. Given the history and the prime location, it ought to be a goldmine for the right person.

The ‘Hole’ Story

According to a Register-Star account of last week’s meeting of the Hudson Common Council Police Committee, members of the audience lodged the following allegations, among others:

Some in attendance at the meeting said they have heard [American Glory owner Joseph] Fierro say he has city officials “in his pocket,” that he “owns the city” and that the police do whatever he wants because he’s “the new sheriff in town.”

The identities of those making the statements were not specified, and the story has set off another long flame war at the Reg-Star site (which regularly allows anonymous, inflammatory and even borderline slanderous comments, even though the paper doesn’t accept unsigned letters in its print edition).

Similar rumors about American Glory were already rampant locally in the weeks leading up to the meeting, circulating almost from the moment the eatery opened. Even in Hudson, it’s rare for a new business to spark so much controversy so quickly. For the most part, local merchants and restaurateurs understand that the more activity, the merrier for everyone, so subsequent countercharges of jealousy or excessive competitiveness seem misplaced.

That said, this site has no direct knowledge of the validity of the rumors, and common sense suggests that it’s highly unlikely that Mr. Fierro actually has anyone in his pocket.

More within the realm of possibility is that one or more persons involved with the restaurant might imagine the establishment has more power than it does. For example, the otherwise innocuous annual event depicted in this Facebook photoset (found by a regular reader) might have been misconstrued as earning American Glory more than the ordinary goodwill.

It’s in the interest of every Hudson establishment to have good relations with its neighbors. The City’s main street businesses depend heavily on positive word of mouth and referrals. Sure, for a few months most any new business in a small town can be popular, since everyone wants to check out the new kid on the block. During that honeymoon period, it may be possible to shrug off the neighbors. But it’s when that novelty wears off—and the slower months of January through March roll around—that quality services and community relations start to really count.

Best in New York, here in Columbia County

New York Magazine food critic Adam Platt has selected the organic yogurt from Milk Thistle Farm in Ghent as the best in the State. Platt also named their organic whole milk as the best available at NYC greenmarkets, calling it “cereal milk for the gods.”

Dante Hesse’s yogurt and milks (and creams) can be purchased locally at Hawthorne Valley Farm Store. The farm is looking for new investors, as Dante noted in this video interview by ccScoop some time ago here.