Fish & Game

We had heard nothing but good things about Fish & Game locally, so we didn’t bother to check it’s Unilocal reviews before we made reservations. We paid dearly (literally) for that mistake.
The location and atmosphere are top-​notch, very hip and homey. The service was friendly, but nothing special. Unfortunately, the food was uninspired and the portions were ridiculous for the price charged.
If you are going to charge $ 125 for a few slices of steak and a like number of potatoes, it better come with some wow. No such luck — we left underwhelmed and worse yet, still hungry.
This is not to say that the food was bad, it was fine. At half the price F&G charges, we might have been able to write off our dinner as an interesting experience. As it stands, we left feeling fleeced and underfed. Not what you’d expect for $ 100+ per person.
We’re not above paying for the exceptional. We’ve dropped serious coin many times at The Basement Bistro across the river (and it was worth every penny). There is great food to be found upstate — Fish & Game just isn’t it.
Hudson is a great town. Look elsewhere for dinner, you can easily find food as good or better at a fraction of the cost.

This restaurant is simply overhyped. While the interior is beautiful, the value you’re getting for the price is appalling. Service is completely uninspired. I think the best bet here is to enjoy a drink or two in the bar area and eat dinner some place else. Price of dinner for 6 with two bottles of lower priced wine? $ 900. We had heard wonderful things but sadly left disappointed.

Mistakes only count if you repeat them, or something like that. During a recent lunch visit to Fish and Game, my fiancée and I watched as our mothers’ food came out and then… ours didn’t.
After five minutes, our server seemed to notice something was amiss and strode over to the point of sale system, looked quizzically over it and the returned to us, explaining that they just switched to a new system the day before and somehow, our entrees didn’t get sent to the kitchen. They were being rushed, she assured us, and 14 minutes later, after one of our moms was done eating her meal (it was hot, she wasn’t being rude), our food came.
There was no earnest apology, nor a visit by the manager to address the issue or offer any sort of make-​good. As we belatedly dove into our average flatbreads, we noticed the table next to us experiencing the exact same issue.
So yes, the space is cool and quirks like the metal straws are fun, but that didn’t make up for the average food and subpar service. They’ve likely figured out that orders for the guanciale and kimchi flatbread were getting lost in the new system, and have resolved that issue by now, so you shouldn’t have the same problem as us.
But, if they do make a mistake, you’ll probably experience the same bumbling hospitality. To me, that’s enough to look elsewhere for your next Hudson meal.

Wait a minute… with reviews like these with but 1 or 2 stars and full of consistent and constructive negative remarks, how could Zak Pelaccio be a nominee for Best Chef: Northeast in the 2016 James Beard awards — fortunately someone’s lightbulb turned on as he was not in the all inclusive semifinalist list.

bc they made JBF 2016 and it was an all around terrible experience (visit from June 2015)
I start with a negroni that tastes off. Considering it’s three equal parts and the only cocktail I regularly order, my fiancée convinces me to send it back. The waitress asks if the drink is too dry and I ask if they used dry vermouth. She informs me the bar likes to make their cocktails dry and if I’d like she can request to make me a sweeter negroni. I try to explain that sweet vermouth should be used in a negroni so she goes to check. The bartender comes over holding a bottle of Carpano Antica and tells me the reason I think the drink tastes off is because he is using a special bottle of vermouth that is probably of higher quality than I’m use to drinking and walks away before I can respond. Thanks for starting off my experience with an insult and yes I know Carpano Antica. The waitress comes back and asks me if everything is OK and I decided not to have the rude bartender attempt another drink and stick with my poorly made negroni.
We order 2 apps, 1 pasta and 2 entrees, explain we are sharing everything and the waitress said she would course it out so we get excited.
5 oysters on the half shell arrive (I’d expect a half dozen and the staff didn’t mention the odd number although we are sharing) on a bed of rock salt. The oysters are warm and slimy. Why didn’t they use ice?
Before we finish the oysters the second appetizer of grilled spring onion comes out. My fiancée takes a bite and has trouble holding down her food. I taste and the onions are covered in fish sauce with no mention of this is on the menu. That’s a pretty intense flavor to drench on what sounds like a simple light dish without a heads up. It’s overpowering and the dish is hard to swallow.
Oysters are cleared as we are still trying to figure out the green onion when the beef cheek and squash ravioli arrives. There are three average raviolis with small portions of thin sliced grey beef on each. One would expect the cheek to be tender and flavorful and it’s bland, dry, chewy and boring. The grey color represent the taste… tough and dull.
The onions are cleared as we are still finishing up the ravioli when the pork belly arrives. Four slices of pork belly that look like they would fit perfectly in a pork bun sit in the middle of the plate. Nothing else is accompanying the pork except the F&G house sauce. The pork is cooked well but again covered in pungent fish sauce… this must be the F&G sauce derived from Pelaccio’s roots in Malaysian cuisine. There is nothing else on the plate to balance out the dish, not a single veggie or starch, just pork belly with fish sauce and again we are left disappointed.
The waitress clears the plates and ask if we are interested in dessert. We reply with just the check, mention we never received the scallop and fish sausage, our second entrée, and assume it was forgotten. The waitress comes back trying to explain the kitchen has the order and they just like to course out the meal. Let’s be clear about something here. No one would course out pork belly before a fish dish and this was the first point in the meal they cleared any plates. My fiancée is excited to get a fish sauce free share plate for our final course!
Since we are going to be stuck at the restaurant longer I order a glass of white to go with the scallops. There are only two by the glass on the menu, my fiancée ordered one earlier and I order the other. The Somm comes and proclaims he heard someone was looking to get a white wine and asks me what I’m into. I tell him I requested the other white they had by the glass and let him know I’m looking for something on the dry side similar to a gruner, chabils or albarino. He tells me he is going to hook me up and runs into the back. I get excited because maybe it’s not all bad at this place. The Somm returns, pours me a taste, I give it the thumbs up, receive the full pour and he turns and starts walking away. I call him back and say that’s great, what wine is it and he shows me the bottle. It’s the same white wine by the glass I ordered. Thanks a lot guy, you really hooked me up by pouring the white wine I ordered and only one of two you offer by the glass. My fiancée and I have now moved from disappointed to a mix of shock and pure comedy.
The scallop and fish sausage lands on the table with new plates. It’s not drowning in fish sauce so that’s a plus. I cut open a link to reveal finely ground fish mix. There is no sign of scallop, you’d think there would be big chunks in the casings and instead all I can think about is middle school cafeteria style fish sticks missing the breading. They taste like they look and we are actually relieved the last dish was also terrible. I had been wanting check out F&G since it opened and now there is no chance I will ever feel the need to come back and give it a second shot. Our entire meal is over in under an hour. It was hands down the worst dining experience ever.

I want to keep you abreast of what is happening at Fish and Game. I got their latest newsletter, o8. Winter, on-​line. and here goes more of their egregious behavior…
«we are more than pleased to accommodate almost all dietary restrictions, preferences and religious hang ups»…and «we welcome with open arms if you come with open hearts. No mean people.»
«Religious hangups (one of their self-​righteous proclamations of standards), this is astoundingly politically incorrect and outrageously disgusting to use the word hangups;
also note that when they refer to mean people, they are surely referring to themselves, as experienced by multitudes of guests, not the unwitting victims who eat there.
Avoid this restaurant. Please see below for more reviews, I could not make this stuff up.

Very underwhelming experience. All of our friends hyped this place so much and in as much the ambiance and service were great, the food was very inconsistent. The cooking on the quail wasn’t great, the purée that came with it was very salty, the dessert was a mish-​mash of flavors that don’t go together. The pork belly was quite delicious but i wish there was more harmony and consistency between the plates. For the price point there are much better culinary adventures to enjoy.

Not worth it. Manhattan prices, but not the same quality. We bought a weekend house about a year ago and have been trying a lot of spots, this one was not in the regional top 10.

I discounted negative reviews of Fish & Game. Do not make this mistake. Do not go to Fish $ Game. This negative review is based on the tasting menu served in the main dining room.
Set in an indisputably beautiful setting, Fish and Game is one of the worst restaurants I’ve experienced in a long time. Low points of the meal include being served pure pork fat as a dish (the diner that prefers to avoid pork meal naturally was served burnt pork fat), one-​note and seemingly microwaved cheese with onions, and licorice-​flavored-​effervescent-​red wine. The sole highlight was a dish of raw oysters. To add insult to injury, the waitress and sommelier seemingly care less if you’re disappointed by the $ 700+ meal (meal for 4 including substitutions, 1 bottle of wine, tax and tip).
There are too many good restaurants to go here. For the same price we could have had a great meal at one of our favorite restaurants in Manhattan (2 top of mind restaurants I wish I chose instead are Morimoto and Gabriel Kreuther).

Yup. I get it now.
Sifted through a lot of these reviews. Didn’t know what to expect. Everything makes sense.
When the $ 14 bread basket is the most memorable part of your meal, there’s an issue.
We did the set menu with a $ 25 truffle supplement. But before that, we had to wait 20 minutes for our table to be ready. After such an extensive reservationist experience (Per Se is easier), one would expect our table would be ready. Nope.
We were brought to an empty bar for a pre dinner cocktail. And waited for about 10 min before a bartender showed up.
Service was meh. Nothing overly attentive or felt like you were being taken care of. Waited about 6 minutes for someone to even acknowledge that we were sitting there. Oh and don’t bother telling them still or sparkling. They’ll just keep switching it up throughout the meal.
Let’s begin with the most pretentious, silliest wine list I’ve ever seen anywhere in the world. One bottle at $ 54 to make you feel like an cheap asshole. And then everything else (mind you not that many choices) are from $ 100 to $ 700. Come on. If you offer only about 40 or so wines… have some in the 70 or 80 range.
Or offer more wines by the glass that aren’t $ 21 to $ 50. A glass.
Food was ok. For a $ 450 bill for 2 though, I expect all around perfection. A couple courses were throw always, nothing unique or memorable. Honestly and seriously, the melted cheese course and the bread were the best.
A course that was just a scoop of chocolate ice cream and nothing else wasn’t a course. It was Breyers. At least tell us that the chocolate was made by Himalayan virgins during a full moon.
Honestly, the place isn’t worth this much typing. Pretty restaurant. Meh service. Food that should’ve been cocky for this level of douchbaggery but just fell flat and the most ridiculous wine list anywhere in the world.
If you want fine dining in Hudson, go to Crimson Sparrow or have an amazing meal at Wm. Farmer and Sons.
No wonder even the locals tell you not to go to Fish and Game.
Waste.

Horrible, pretentious place! We stopped for a drink only and they only had a handful of wines by the glass starting at $ 30. No liqueurs. Snooty bar tender. We left and went down the block to OR Gallery and Tavern.

Went for thanksgiving. Amazing meal, excellent service. Thought the restaurant was very well designed and the staff trained and knowledgable.
Food was 5 stars. Each course had excellent appeal and we left very satisfied.
Service was 5 stars. Entire service was relaxed, not rushed and very attentive.
Price was too high but we knew what to expect going in so was no surprise.
We followed the meal with a few drinks at backbar, owned by the same people, and would also highly recommend. Went to backbar again for snacks and drinks yesterday.

Just had a lovely time there with the husband for Thanksgiving.
Mostly attentive and very friendly wait staff. Really nice environment– beautiful fireplace, tasteful décor.
The bread bowl was fantastic– warm, delicious and turkey cooked to perfection. the rest of the food was good– not great. The soup was a bit bland and the sweet potatoes overly sweetened.
Both red wine choices were thin and lacked flavor… and at $ 15 – 19 a glass the price was steep for the quality. Should have stuck with the Rum Old Fashioned…
I let them know I had a shellfish allergy and asked if a substitution was available for the oyster appetizer. Waiter said he’d check — and the meal proceeded without an appetizer replacement and with no apology or explanation.
Overall had a really nice time– maybe more about the fireplace and company– but was disappointed with the value. We bought a price fixe beforehand for what was supposed to be $ 125 a piece. They charged my card $ 699 dollars– I called to question the charge and they said they had accidentally charged us the New Year’s Eve rate. They corrected it– but instead of $ 250, the card was charged an automatic and generous added gratuity and tax bringing it to $ 320 (would have tipped big anyway for the good service but still…) After a cocktail, a glass of wine (small pour) and two ginger teas/​the bill was bumped up to $ 380…we’ve eaten at Michelin rated restaurants for less. (Yes, that was pretentious)
PLUS– with embarrassing overcharge mishap I half expected them to comp us a bottle of wine or at least a round of drinks.
Love this town– first timers!- but won’t be back to this place unless they pull it together.

Terrible service, and the food was ok but not nearly good enough to merit the trip or price. (Both meat dishes were overly salted; fish dishes were tasty but nothing inspiring; cocktails were underwhelming) Our main bone of contention though was with the downright awful service. Our waiter was annoyingly both coy and snarky, then inattentive. Seriously, don’t go here. I’m not saying it’s impossible to have a good meal, but this restaurant simply does not deserve your patronage.

Glad I came here, probably wouldn’t come back. Décor and ambiance are really nice. Food was good, but not amazing. It took a long time for our server take our order, and we did not receive our cocktails until we were on our second course. I really did not like the cultured butter, it tasted like blue cheese to me. The whole restaurant smelled a little like blue cheese. I admit I am sensitive to that because while I like strong, flavourful cheese, blue cheese is not my favourite.
I found the portions to be pretty good for a $ 55 three course prix fixe. My vegetarian boyfriend found his pasta dish to be a little small, but we did appreciate that they were able to accommodate vegetarians. The couple beside us had the tasting menu and the portions actually seemed large — that might be the way to go if you’re hungry and don’t mind spending $ 30 more.

Extremely expensive for fancy-​looking but mostly flavorless food. Many items needed salt or some heat. The only exception to this was the cheese course was three blobs of the smelliest gorgonzola I have ever experienced. It a bold choice to serve on a tasting menu, and it completely overpowered the dining room. Every time it came out of the kitchen, the diners around us were looking over their shoulders for the source of the terrible smell.
I will say, the actual restaurant is beautiful and very cozy.

HORRIBLE!!! This is seriously one of the worst meals I have ever had. Everything was over salty and the entires staff was uninformed and unaware of gods service. At $ 175.00 per person with horrible wine that was off that the management insisted that was great cause they chose it. This was terrible on every level and would recommend every single dinner to go elsewhere.

Off the bat, it’s probably apparent to most that this is a polarizing restaurant… many love or hate it and not a lot in between. Having eaten here twice, I can say that one time was phenomenal, a truly transcendent meal, and the other was very good, but skewed towards average, and at the price point, that’s disappointing. Nonetheless, I have seen what is possible when they hit their marks entirely, and it’s superb.
Service is friendly but there is a lot of it (your silverware is changed for each dish) so it definitely leans towards fine dining and slightly overbearing style since there’s so many dishes and interactions. You won’t see the menu before eating, which some hate but I am fine with for the surprise of the experience. Be prepared for no affordable wine selections– most are in the $ 80 range. I would recommend for special occasions where you have a lot of time to just let the meal flow at its pace, take the time to savor it, and not think about much else except what’s in front of you and who you’re with.

This was my first time in Hudson and I was told that the culinary scene here was on point. Farm to table was a standard here and I saw that Fish and Game had a great menu that changed up based on what was in season. my gf and I couldn’t wait to try it.
First off, the space was beautiful. The level of detail to the dining area was impeccable. Everything from the furniture pieces to the brass dove tail joints in the wood tables were stellar. we also had a great table with a great view of the whole dining area.
but on to the food! we were a little hesitant because the past reviews were half for it and half against the menu. We had our fingers crossed that we landed on a good night.
We started off with the bread basket and the wood oven roasted oysters with kimchi hollandaise. The bread was warm and toasty and the ricotta for it was great as well. The hollandaise oysters were a little out of the box but creamy and delicious non the less. So far so good. For the entrees. we ordered the braised lamb ravioli and the seafood sausage.(strange, yes I’m aware but we wanted to be adventurous) When the food came out, all the negative reviews suddenly made sense. In the plate of ravioli, there were literally only 5 little medallions sitting in a little drizzle of sauce. And for the sausage, only 2 links! In my head, this had to be the most heavenly bites of food to be this expensive. Sadly, I was wrong. The ravioli itself was wicked tough and nearly inedible. The filling was nice but I just could not get over how undercooked it was! The seafood sausage was the same. I was floored by the ridiculously small portions. It looked like someone ate most of it and left us with only two pieces. The flavor was average at best and the fish sauce almost too overwhelming.
Good thing we filled up on bread! (which was ~$ 14 too!) I really wanted to love this place but for such tiny portions at such a high cost, we couldn’t justify it. I get enough of this nonsense back in Manhattan already. I can’t see how a restaurant can serve these portions with a straight face. Thanks for the beautiful space but we won’t be rushing back here anytime soon.
2.5 stars if I could

I was on my way back from a solo journey downstate and made a reservation to sit at the bar when they opened at 5 pm on a Saturday. I was able to get the tasting menu which I understand is not standard policy, but I’d push for it because you can survey the scene, chat with the remarkable barkeep Kat (creator of many of the amazing cocktails) and peek in on Zak in the kitchen fiddling with the food.
First things first, you need to start with the tequila cocktail called «Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire.» This is the best cocktail ever and it also goes great with food so you might want to have another after you meal comes. In addition to the expected funk from the tequila and acid from the lime, it has smoke and heat from a chili infusion and a bitter kick from sumac (which also gives it an orange/​pink glow). Everything perfectly balanced. Just try it.
I had the 7 course tasting menu which is a good value at $ 75. (Those who complain about the price or small portions have not been to comparable restaurants in NYC or SF.) Funny policy: they won’t give you the menu until it’s time to leave, and that menu may or may not describe what you actually ate. What follows is my best recollection; I usually take pictures to refresh my memory but it was too dark at the bar to do this.
A poached egg with salted chilis and some kind of complex vegetal gravy. This was perfectly cooked and light and refreshing, just the right thing to draw me into the meal. I mopped up every scrap with the provided pretzel bread. (I also got a slice of a Danish korn rye and some slightly underbaked levain, and a tasty aged butter/​yogurt spread which I avoided because I wanted to preserve my appetite.)
Shiitakes with oyster, tomatillo (?) and pork jus and I think a shred of tofu skin. A symphony of flavors, so many things going on but every one in sync with the others.
Cod with butternut squash. A perfect square of melt in your mouth skin on black cod, on a creamy rich bed of pureed squash.
Pasta. Like spaghetti but fatter, with rich salty guanciali, preserved tomatoes and a good hearty sauce. Fabulous, generous portion that really packed some chili heat.
Lamb sausage and lamb shoulder with turmeric seasoned potato and a stem of preserved green garlic. This was the only not-​perfect dish; the secondary ingredients didn’t hold up to the meat so it just tasted «lamb-​y».
Crème brulee with the cream infused with rye berries. A crème brulee that reminds you of rye bread? Have to taste it to believe it.
Chocolate ganache with preserved rhubarb on rye and spelt tart. The «tart» was really a small cookie but the ganache was the richest most decadent clump of chocolate I’ve ever enjoyed and the bitter preserved rhubarb on top was an amazing counterpoint.
Fish & Game fearlessly cooks with local, seasonal ingredients which is why things like preserved rhubarb and preserved tomatoes took on a starring role in the dead of winter. I predict great things this coming summer which will be their first full season in the north country.