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Hudson Restaurant week started on Monday, and we were
already behind.
Clinton Social was our first stop this time. Clinton Social is
right around the corner and I had never been until Tuesday night. The front
room has the bar and some tables and there is seating area in the back, so the
place is bigger than you would think. The hostess sat us where we asked to be
seated which was nice, but it was also empty and early. She told us about
Restaurant Week and the happy hour specials.
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The
$35 prix fixe menu was short and sweet— three or four
options for each course. First course choices consisted of appetizers like a
fresh salad, pierogies, macaroni and cheese, and mussels, while mains included
a pork chop, a veal, a fish, and a chicken dish. However, dessert was far less
imaginative and involved, including the usual suspects like gelato, sorbet, and
an almost obvious chocolate cake.
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The artichoke and cheese pierogies were good. They were
pretty to look at; glistening with oil, topped with honey colored caramelized onions,
punctuated with dark green chives, and separated by pale artichoke hearts. They
were not very flavorful, but they were rich and heavy. The tangy cheese was not quite enough to
bring out much life because of the heavy dough. Care was put into the shape and
presentation of the dumplings, but they were missing that crunch.
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But the mac and cheese kind of looked like childhood, with a
little fancy cheese to try to elevate the dish. It tasted like childhood too,
too cheesy, too smooth, almost artificial.
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The Chilean sea bass dish was attractive. The fish was sitting
on a bed beginning with a creamy light layer of mojo, followed by deep purple
black beans, and white basmati rice. A flourish of color from the fruity and
light mango salsa topped the fish. The flavors converged nicely, a mix of tart,
sweet, fruity, and meaty, though with a hefty dash of salt. The sea bass had an
almost crisp crunch, but it was a shell of salt, which ended up plaguing every
bite.
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But the salt did not stop there. The roasted chicken dish
also had the same malady. Everything was laden with salt; the chicken skin, the
spicy sautéed corn, the leek au gratin, even the pool of juice that accumulated on
the bottom of the plate. The only thing that was not salty, surprisingly, was
the purple and yellow candied potatoes. The salt made everything taste almost the same, and the only
differences were texture and the intense spike of heat in the corn.
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Dessert was not too exciting, though the typical flourless
chocolate cake came with some popcorn crumbles, which added a little crunch and
a little salt to the deep cake. If the popcorn played a larger role the
predictable chocolate cake would have been more innovative and playful.
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It was nice to try out Clinton Social, so I think Hudson
Restaurant Week did its job: opening local restaurants to their community in
effort to increase patronage and exposure. It was the exciting deal and event
of the restaurant week that brought me in, but I think happy hour drink
specials and appetizers might be the only things to bring me back.
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Only
44 restaurants to go and 10 days to do it (I totally
wish this was realistic, because I really would love to try them all). Stay
tuned and see where I head to next. Or for those a little less patient, follow
me on
twitter or
instagram to keep up.
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