Fish and Game

This past week, my parents and I were up at our cabin in upstate New York. Rather than cook dinner, we ventured into Hudson, to dine at a new restaurant called "Fish & Game". I don't know much about this place, but what I do know is that it was in the New York Times fairly recently and it received a glowing review. With this in mind, my family and I were eager to try this restaurant.

The sign

The restaurant

The interior of the restaurant was interesting. It was like, "British hunting lodge meets Tim Burton." There was a lot of wood and stone, which gave you a hunting lodge feel, but then were were rich textures of red velvet, interesting chandeliers, and strange Burton-esque artwork. Also, lots of dead animals.

The bar area

Fireplace by the bar

The foyer leading into the dining room

Interesting engraving of a dead rooster...

The GORGEOUS kitchen

My parents and I started our meals with cocktails. My father ordered a rye based cocktail, whilst my mother and I enjoyed a pear-based cocktail. Both were quite delicious. The pear cocktail was very citrus-y and refreshing, but it had a splash of shiso, which I love.

My cocktail is the yellow, whilst my father's drink is in the back

So the menu at Fish and Game is not a la carte, but rather, it is designed as a chef's tasting menu. Whereas the front side denotes each course, the backs of the menu list the different distributors and vendors cooperating with the restaurant. I love how the restaurants in our area work so closely with the local farmers.

Interesting note: we were pleasantly surprised to see "Turkana" listed as one of the vendors, since that farm is run by some friends of ours!

So, normally, I wouldn't write anything about the bread, but this bread was really delicious! We were served a multigrain bread and cornbread, both made in house. They were so flavorful and addictive...we couldn't stop noshing! The bread was also served with a really interesting and delicious yogurt-butter. Yum!!!

The first course was a pork dish with distinct Vietnamese flavors (in my opinion). The pork was sautéed and dressed with cucumbers, shredded egg, chillies, and scallions. It was then finished in an amazing fish sauce. So so so delicious.

The second dish was a potato gnocchi served with a corn chowder. I don't usually like gnocchi because I find it heavy and paste-y, but this was really good. They were chewy, but not the bad kind a chewy, and so flavorful. Also, sweetness of the the corn chowder complimented the gnocchi perfectly. I almost wanted to lick my plate!

The third course was a slow roasted duck leg, served with a tomatillo sauce and savory pancakes. The pancakes weren't very good, but the duck was superb! It was so bold and flavorful. It was smoky, and the smoky taste of the duck was amplified by the kick of the tomatillo sauce.

The fourth course was lightly smoked salmon with a basil sauce, served with white wine braised onions. Not my favorite. To me, the dish didn't really mesh well. It also made me want a bagel VERY BADLY.

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the fifth course. It was a dish of heirloom tomatoes, grilled okra, and whole grain bread that had been soaked in mushroom soup. I HATE raw tomatoes, I mean, I WILL NOT EAT THEM, but I found myself eating these tomatoes and enjoying every bite. The grilled okra was also amazing. I love okra, but I've never eaten it grilled. Must try this on my own. The bread was also quite good, but a bit heavy.

The sixth course was probably my favorite: seared duck breast with Italian plums and a cooked Japanese turnip. These breasts were so tender and the demi-glace was out of this world. This was another dish that I wouldn't licked clean, if I wasn't in public. 

The seventh course was dessert. Now, this was probably the most unique dessert I have ever seen! First off, I have never had porridge for dessert, so that was interesting. This porridge was served with a small fruit salad and some meringue on the side of the bowl. The main even though was the egg yolk placed on top of the porridge, which was preserved with maple syrup. So cool! In Japan, egg yolks are usually preserved with miso, so this was new to me.

The final course was the cheese course. We were served a slice of camembert, dressed grapes, and two sugar cookie with a dash of salt. The grapes and cookies were great, however, the cheese was a bit too strong for my taste. 

Overall, I'd say that I enjoyed my dining experience. The food was delicious, the staff was courteous, and the restaurant ambience was pleasant. Sure, there was a bit of a hiccup during service,  but that's life. I'm looking forward to my next visit.