We all love a little mystery. It's why multiple volumes of Sherlock Holmes stories exist, people have been flocking to the shores of Loch Ness for decades, and Sarah McLachlan spent a good part of the 90s building one for broom skirt-wearing girls with choker necklaces and perfume oil from The Body Shop. However, the greatest mystery of the current New York restaurant scene might involve Hudson Clearwater - namely, where the balls is the door?
The restaurant's address is 447 Hudson Street, but this leads to an abandoned retail space with papered windows and notices from the NYC Building Department. So...not where we're dining? No. Instead, head around the corner to Morton Street, where there's still no indication you are anywhere near your ultimate destination. Do we just walk through this first door then? Of course not. You're going to want to try that next shady-looking one with all the graffiti; it's cut into the random wall seemingly beyond the building you originally intended to enter.
Everyone opens this door slowly, expecting to trespass into a sketchy back alley serving as home to Crackhead Larry, but once through, you'll find yourself in a quaint open courtyard occupied by no such fiend. Traversing this space leads to two outdoor staircases - one leading upwards to a second story and one leading downstairs to a basement level. It all feels very "Choose Your Own Adventure," but you'll want to head upstairs for the main restaurant. The second set of steps leads down to Hudson Clearwater's private dining room, which can accommodate up to twelve guests.
Once upstairs, you'll find yourself inside a dimly lit, wood-adorned room with a chef's counter and a sunken dining area. Girls in their twenties and couples on dates tend to fill the seats at the chef's counter. Much like at dell'anima, this is where all of the cooking action takes place, and if he's not insanely busy, you can chat up the very guy preparing your meal. Some tables are located in this entrance area, but the rest are down a few steps beyond the counter. The bar is situated in this second section too, and patrons may enjoy a full meal here in addition to cocktails.
Alright guys, we made it. We can put our compasses away and relax. It's 'bout time we get to eatin', and lucky for us, they're sending out an amuse bouche already (a breakfast radish and kale salad bite last time I was here, though I expect it changes often). Reading the menu shows the options are limited, but eating said options proves they. are. delicious. holla.
The essentially American selection includes the likes of butter clams with gnocchi, duck leg confit, black sea bass, and cured pork belly. Vegetarians may be satisfied with a hearty and flavorful root vegetable risotto, though salads and side dishes are not to be missed either [insert flirty wave at the potato-cauliflower gratin here]. You'll want to save room for dessert, as the likes of dark chocolate and cherry ganache as well as a bosc pear tarte tatin have been known to grace the menu.
Though the ambiance is refined casual, and the food is upscale, the prices are thankfully moderate. Appetizers can get into the teens, but every entree is under $20. At least that's how the restaurant has been operating thus far, and it would be a damn dirty shame if those responsible for pricing made a liar out of me.
So head to Hudson Clearwater with that friend who doesn't like to leave the West Village, for that blind date your co-worker has been pressuring you to go on, or for Aunt Nellie's birthday with eleven family members curious to check out that private room. Just draw everyone a map before you go and hope for the best.
Hudson Clearwater - 447 Hudson Street (though entrance is on Morton Street between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
The restaurant's address is 447 Hudson Street, but this leads to an abandoned retail space with papered windows and notices from the NYC Building Department. So...not where we're dining? No. Instead, head around the corner to Morton Street, where there's still no indication you are anywhere near your ultimate destination. Do we just walk through this first door then? Of course not. You're going to want to try that next shady-looking one with all the graffiti; it's cut into the random wall seemingly beyond the building you originally intended to enter.
Everyone opens this door slowly, expecting to trespass into a sketchy back alley serving as home to Crackhead Larry, but once through, you'll find yourself in a quaint open courtyard occupied by no such fiend. Traversing this space leads to two outdoor staircases - one leading upwards to a second story and one leading downstairs to a basement level. It all feels very "Choose Your Own Adventure," but you'll want to head upstairs for the main restaurant. The second set of steps leads down to Hudson Clearwater's private dining room, which can accommodate up to twelve guests.
Once upstairs, you'll find yourself inside a dimly lit, wood-adorned room with a chef's counter and a sunken dining area. Girls in their twenties and couples on dates tend to fill the seats at the chef's counter. Much like at dell'anima, this is where all of the cooking action takes place, and if he's not insanely busy, you can chat up the very guy preparing your meal. Some tables are located in this entrance area, but the rest are down a few steps beyond the counter. The bar is situated in this second section too, and patrons may enjoy a full meal here in addition to cocktails.
Alright guys, we made it. We can put our compasses away and relax. It's 'bout time we get to eatin', and lucky for us, they're sending out an amuse bouche already (a breakfast radish and kale salad bite last time I was here, though I expect it changes often). Reading the menu shows the options are limited, but eating said options proves they. are. delicious. holla.
The essentially American selection includes the likes of butter clams with gnocchi, duck leg confit, black sea bass, and cured pork belly. Vegetarians may be satisfied with a hearty and flavorful root vegetable risotto, though salads and side dishes are not to be missed either [insert flirty wave at the potato-cauliflower gratin here]. You'll want to save room for dessert, as the likes of dark chocolate and cherry ganache as well as a bosc pear tarte tatin have been known to grace the menu.
Though the ambiance is refined casual, and the food is upscale, the prices are thankfully moderate. Appetizers can get into the teens, but every entree is under $20. At least that's how the restaurant has been operating thus far, and it would be a damn dirty shame if those responsible for pricing made a liar out of me.
So head to Hudson Clearwater with that friend who doesn't like to leave the West Village, for that blind date your co-worker has been pressuring you to go on, or for Aunt Nellie's birthday with eleven family members curious to check out that private room. Just draw everyone a map before you go and hope for the best.
Hudson Clearwater - 447 Hudson Street (though entrance is on Morton Street between Hudson and Greenwich Streets)
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