Page 16 - The Valley Table - Summer 2021

Feast & Floret
13 S 3rd St, Hudson 518.822.1500; feastandfloret.com
In October, iconic Hudson restaurant Fish & Game announced that it would not reopen after shuttering at the beginning of the pandemic. In its place, owner Whalers & Merchants, LLC have debuted their latest endeavor: stylish Feast & Floret, an Italian-inspired eatery.
The space has been transformed. Gone are the brown leathers and taxidermy animals, replaced by an array of brightly colored blooms, potted shrubs, and sprays of dried flowers. The menu, too, has gone lighter and brighter.
Chef Amelia Telc heads an all-female kitchen, where the emphasis is on locally sourced ingredients, including produce from Blue Star Farm, proteins from Kinderhook Farm, DPNB extruded pastas, and Hudson Valley Fisheries’ impeccably farmed steelhead trout.
Signature dishes include two-bite arancini erupting with molten, cheesy cores; tangles of house-made tagliatelle with minimalist, surprisingly light Bolognese; thick slices of toast, cloaked in Fontina, topped with raw egg yolk and an indulgent quantity of shaved truffle; and squid-ink soprese, glossy with a porky ‘nduja sauce.
The restaurant also functions as a flower market, where customers can shop for seasonal blooms, many of which will ultimately come from partners Lavinia and Patrick Milling-Smith’s Hudson Valley farm. Florals also inspire the cocktail menu, curated by partner and NYC-restaurateur- turned-Hudson-transplant Jason Denton, with hibiscus, chamomile, and rose petal syrup finding their way into
Meso Mediterranean Cuisine
22 Elm Pl, Rye
914.305.6683; mesorestaurants.com
Even the sharpest-eyed foodies should forgive themselves if they missed the quiet opening of Meso Mediterranean Cuisine in December. Yet walk inside the restaurant’s bright interior, with blonde wood flooring, floor-to-ceiling windows, and tiled bar, and you’ll quickly perceive it already has the air of a neighborhood fixture.
A joint venture for Miguel Olmedo, Bobby Khorrami, and Dane Asermely, who’ve spearheaded various Manhattan eateries in the past, Meso brings big-city flash to a quiet street off Purchase Street, the main thoroughfare in Rye. Jewel-toned cocktails — such as the Royal-Tea (Caravedo pisco, raspberry, lavender syrup, lemon juice, and egg white) and the El Dorado (Bulleit Bourbon, apricot reduction, walnut bitters) — sail by on silver trays to wet your whistle as you crunch on tissue-paper-thin zucchini fritters dunked in tangy tzatziki. Burrata salad is elevated to intriguing heights, the rich cheese sidled up to by slices of prosciutto and succulent wedges of caramelized peaches.
Seafood is the A-lister entrée: Atlantic salmon is pan- seared with eggplant, spicy harissa, and bright tabbouleh; while seafood risotto has theatrical flair, topped with Scottish shrimp and lobster tail, and studded with bay scallops and garnet pomegranate seeds. Shellfish also appears in lobster spaghetti, adorned with warm cherry tomatoes. Meat-eaters have plenty to love as well, including honey-glazed duck breast and a tender, braised shank
of lamb. —Deborah Skolnik
his creations. —SG
14 the valley table june – aug 2021 photos by megan liu / @steakandmeggs (left); courtesy of meso mediterranean cuisine (right)