Stop reading this. Get up first and find yourself a bib, a napkin, or your Sunday morning shirt and put it on. If you don’t, you can’t blame us if there’s drool all over your clothes by the time you’re finished this article.
There are meals out and then there are meals out. Sometimes it’s the company you’re keeping that makes them special, that makes the appetizers taste better than you know they really are, that makes you overlook the fact that your main was overcooked, and your cocktail was nearly devoid of alcohol. Well, after our experience at Hudson Kitchen (800 Dundas St. W) we pity those nights. As long as food is coming from their kitchen you could be sitting alone on a mountaintop in sub-zero temperatures and you’d still only be thinking about the orgasm your mouth was experiencing with every bite.
Luckily, they don’t make you do that. Instead, the restaurant is split into two separate dinning areas, each just as inviting as the next. Hudson Kitchen is the kind of place we’d feel equally as comfortable wearing a three-piece suit or jeans and our favourite designer T. A Heritage property, it provides a relaxing and warm environment that manages to include elements of industrial chic all while leaving any pretention at the door. In case we’re not being clear here, this is simply one of the best meals, in one of the best environments, you’re going to eat in this city.
Whether you’re on a date, heading out with friends, or looking to impress a client, Hudson Kitchen is simply an absolute must. We love a menu that you can’t go wrong on – in fact, the only bad choice we see you making is not going at all. Every appetizer offers a unique and mouth-watering taste of its own. From the spectacular Broccoli Salad featuring fresh Serrano Ham, Manchego Cheese, and Mustard, to the Albacore Tuna Crudo with Radish, Hazelnuts, and Bagna Fredda Aioli, these plates have the option to cause heated arguments amongst friends – which is why we wouldn’t recommend visiting Hudson Kitchen with anyone who isn’t into sharing. Hell, we’d risk a full-blown case of cooties for even one bite of their Late Summer Harvest Salad.
Of course, the happy onslaught on your taste buds doesn’t stop with the first course. Whether you’re dipping into their Veal Pot Au Feu, full of carrot, turnip, potato, and salsa verde, or you’re lifting some steaming Risotto with buffalo mozzarella and beef pepperoni to your mouth, we promise you’ll be needing that aforementioned bib for their mains as well. The seared pork loin and cider glazed belly with onions and parsnips is just as succulent as it sounds, and with a full wine and cocktail list at your service we’re sure you won’t have any trouble washing it all down.
There’s a reason Brad Pitt booked a private table here when he was in town for TIFF. And while we can’t all ball like Mr. Jolie, if you are looking to step up your game you could always rent out Hudson Kitchen’s private dinning room where you and whatever 11 souls you deem worthy of bringing will enjoy an intimate meal at a 15-foot Harvest table that rests beneath a costume light fixture every bit as unique and impressive as the restaurant itself.