Ca' Mea: Fine Italian Food In Hudson, NY

I hope that everyone had a lovely Labor Day Weekend! Sorry this post is so late. The past week was quite busy and I have only just found time to sit down and write this post.

I spent Labor Day weekend with my parents at our cabin in upstate New York. I took Amtrak from Manhattan on Thursday and met my parents in the nearby city of Hudson, since they were already up at the cabin. Rather than cook dinner at our cabin, which is what we normally do, we indulged and enjoyed a lovely dinner in Hudson.

The number of restaurants in Hudson has increased substantially over the years. Some are Manhattan quality, others are quirky, and some have a truly local flare. On the evening of my arrival, my parents and I dined at an Italian restaurant called “Ca’Mea.” 

333 Warren St (Hudson, NY)

Ca’Mea blends local produce with beautiful Italian flavors. I love Italian food, so I was excited. One thing I love about having a house in the Hudson River Valley is all of the top notch quality meat and produce. Moreover, I love it when restaurants take advantage of those locally produced goodies.

For appetizers, my parents and I ordered an array of dishes. I enjoyed the house made spinach and ricotta ravioli. The ravioli was flavorful, the sauce was fresh and tangy, and the pasta was perfectly cooked! Very yummy dish.  My parents both ordered specials. Dad ordered the special salad with arugula, fennel, grated parmesan, chopped pears, and figs – all coated in a light olive oil vinaigrette. A very refreshing salad. My mother ordered the grilled shrimp served with sautéed olives, tomatoes, and beans. The charred taste of the shrimp worked nicely with the lightness of the sautéed veggie.

For dinner, again, my parents opted for the evening specials, whereas I ordered from the a la carte menu. My father ordered the duck breast, since he is a duck fiend! It was beautifully prepared and cooked. Very tender and not too gamey or stringy. When I cook duck breast, I tend to prefer a crispy skin, which Ca Mea’s duck did not have, but it was still tasty. The duck breast was served with an amazing peach compote. I never though of pairing duck with peaches, but clearly, this is a combination I have overlooked. I intend to recreate this dish on my own at some point! 

My mother a panko crusted salmon fillet topped with fennel flowers. That was a truly delicious dish! The crispiness of the panko really complemented the fatty taste of the salmon, and the fennel added a nice kick of flavor.

I ordered the panko crusted pork rump, mainly because I had never seen a pork rump before. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. My dinner was essentially a very thick weiner schnitzel and it was GORGEOUS. Probably one of the best weiner schnitzels I’ve ever eaten! The chef did a wonderful job ensuring that the panko was super crispy, but moreover, the meat was not only beautifully seasoned, but also perfectly cooked! Well done! I will definitely order this dish again.

Of course, no meal would be complete without dessert…and I have a major sweet tooth! I have made ricotta cheesecake in the past, but it never turned out well. I’ve never been sure if my failure is due to my lack of skill or me just not liking the flavor of ricotta cheesecake. To help me settle this dilemma, I ordered the ricotta cheesecake.

Well, I have since learned that I lack the skill to make a delicious ricotta cheesecake. The one I had at Ca’Mea was excellent! The sweetness was perfect, the consistency of the cake was delightful, and the graham cracker crust was delicious! I practically inhaled the cheesecake. My parents shared a dessert that resembled a berry trifle. The trifle was quite tasty, but I think the cheesecake was infinitely better.

Ricotta cheesecake

Trifle

My parents and I enjoyed our meal at Ca’Mea so much, we returned this past weekend with friends.

For starters, it was all about the house-made pastas. I wanted something with a bit of a kick, so I went with the fettuccini arrabiatta, which was served with bell peppers and sausage meat. I enjoyed my fettuccini, however, it was not nearly as spicy as I had hoped!

The two other popular pasta dishes ordered at our table that evening was the pappardelle with mushrooms and the special red pepper gnocchi served with shrimp. I really don’t care for mushrooms, but I was blown away by the pappardelle. Also, there was a lot of garlic used, which is always a win, in my opinion. I will definitely order that as a starter next time! The gnocchi was also very tasty, Generally, I don’t tend to order gnocchi because I find it very heavy, but Ca’Mea’s gnocchi was surprisingly light. Also, the flavor combination of the shrimp and red pepper was stelar.

For the main courses there was a fair amount of variety. I ordered the evening special, which was Korean cut beef ribs (Kalbi), which were served in a cilantro-based marinade. I was very fortunate in that I was able to reserve the last order of this dish! The meat was a little tough, but that is the nature of this cut. Texture aside, the flavor of the beef was amazing! The cilantro was subtle, yet still managed to pack a punch! I can see why this dish sold out.

One of our friends ordered the lamb, which was served with a mint-goat cheese-pesto sauce. A modern take on the classic lamb and mint jelly combination. This lamb was perfectly cooked, seasoned, and very very tender. The accompanying mint sauce was very interesting. It was quite thick, almost tahini-like, and the flavor of mint was somewhat subdued. I quite enjoyed my little sample of his lamb and mint sauce.

My mother and our other friend both ordered the pan-fried veal cutlet. The veal resembled veal Milanese, but was served with an alfredo-like sauce. I was skeptical at first, since I’m not a fan of creamy alfredo, but I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the dish was! Although my mother only gave me a piece to try, I secretly wanted to reach over and eat the rest of her veal! 

My father order the seafood special, which was a whole rainbow trout. I didn’t get to taste it, but it looked very nice. At home, we normally eat fish with chopsticks, so I jokingly asked how he would cope with a knife and fork. He took his fish apart perfectly and began meowing at the end. (I'm convinced that my dad can eat fish better than a cat!) 

For dessert, again the choices ranged substantially. I ordered the very yummy and nutty tartufo, whilst our friends ordered a tiramisu and affogato. My father ordered the standard lemon sorbet that comes served in a hollowed out lemon, whilst my mother was finally able to try the “torta della nonna”! She’s been wanting to try this for some time, but the restaurant was always sold out. It was not too lemony, the filling was quite custard-like, and the pastry was beautifully baked. Not too dry and not too flaky --- perfectly golden brown.

Tartufo

Torta della Nonna

Affogato

Ca’Mea has quickly become my favorite restaurant in Hudson. The food has consistently been delicious and so has the wine! Additionally, the staff is attentive, knowledgeable, and personable. I can’t wait to go back to Ca’Mea and try their other dishes!