Fish & Game, Zak Pelaccio's Upstate Restaurant, Now Open

Fish & Game
13 South 3rd Street, Hudson, NY
518-822-1500
fishandgamehudson.com/
Status: Open

Last week Zak Pelaccio's newest venture, Fish & Game, opened up the river in Hudson, NY. The restaurant is housed in a 19th century blacksmith shop in the old rural town. The interior keeps the rustic look of the blacksmith shop, with plenty of stone walls and bare wood. Particularly of note are two open hearths in the dining room, where the kitchen roasts meat on a spit. Besides the dining room, there is also a lounge outfitted with wingback chair and leather couches, and a private upstairs dining room.

The focus here is on locally-grown and -foraged ingredients, more vegetables and "less fatty, less heavy" dishes. Among other things, that means they offer a vegetarian tasting menu alongside their regular tasting menu every night, both of which range from six to seven courses for $65 (which Pelaccio says is about half of what a comparable restaurant in the city would charge). There are also some a la carte items at the bar, and all of the menus change regularly to feature whatever ingredients are of the moment. A recent vegetarian menu included dishes like ramp ragout, carrots in a maple sap glaze, and chocolate cremeaux with black walnuts.

There's also a focus on various house-fermented condiments and sauces, from vinegars and fish sauce to kimchi. These have even made their way into the bar program, which includes a variation on the pickleback that chases a shot of bourbon with a shot of house-made Worcestershire sauce. As of now the restaurant is only open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Previous Coverage: Meanwhile, Upstate, 9/12; EaterWire, 6/12;
Expansions, 4/12.

Further Reading: New York Observer, Zagat, NY Times and more recently, Village Voice.
[Photo: Instagram]