First Impression

John: First things first. It took 12 minutes for our server to greet us. Being the creative one at the table, I made the most of this time by doing two things: watching Copsey’s hair grow and memorizing the menu. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Our friend Melissa, who was dining with us, was celebrating her birthday. For some reason, Melissa felt compelled to tell us how she spent her previous 26 birthdays. Her stories ended up being somewhat entertaining and the ones that weren’t entertaining at least filled some time. So by the time Karen, our server, got to the table, the 12 minutes really only felt like five. Karen apologized about 11 times for making us wait. Then I apologized to Karen for any future birthday stories that Melissa might subject her too. As for the rest of the restaurant, it’s definitely a sports enthusiast’s dream. As a matter of fact, I think there was a banner hung up for every college football team that has ever existed. College sports aside, Melissa and Copsey ordered a couple drinks for themselves and they both seem to be impressed with the nightly specials. The night we were there, the special was four dollar martini’s (Did you hear that men? Four dollar martini’s. Grab your wife, take her to Hudson Grille and by the time she’s done with her second martini, she won’t care that she’s at a Sports Bar).

Copsey: We really lucked out on the day we chose to eat there. Not only was it Ladies Night (so Melissa was taken care of) but it was “pitcher and wing” night, with a deal offered on a pitcher of Yuengling and six wings (so I was taken care of). John was happy just because we were in a sports bar. The server mixup was apparently caused by a shuffling of wait-staff and the fact we were sat right in the back in a dark corner and not waving our arms. 

John: B
Copsey: B

Appetizers

John: The Hudson Grille appetizer menu somehow reminded me of season two of The Golden Girls. You know, everyone likes all of the Golden Girls, but you can only have one favorite (I had a crush on Blanche). The appetizer menu has a lot of good things and there will surely be something you really like. They had everything from Chicken Fingers to Baby Back Ribs to Calamari. However, we ordered none of those. We went with some old fashioned Buffalo wings and the Spinach Artichoke dip. HG has an interesting array of sauces to choose from for the wings. We wanted to be a little daring, so we tried the raspberry sauce and the Samurai sauce. The raspberry sauce had the consistency of something you might find in a Smucker’s jar. So the obvious question here is, “Does Jelly taste good on Buffalo wings?” Shockingly, I give the raspberry sauce two thumbs up. I thought I was going to hate it. Raspberry sauce sounds like something on my peanut butter sandwich, not my Buffalo wings. But after one bite, I was sold. The Samurai sauce was a bit salty, it tasted like it’s made of 60 percent soy sauce and 40 percent something else. Copsey, you like spinach and you like artichokes, so how did you like the dip?

Copsey: Actually I hate both of those. With a passion. But I liked the dip, oddly enough. It was creamy and piping hot when it was served to us. Almost like eating a bowl full of melted cheese. It stuck to the chips it came with with admirable tenacity. I think that’s a good thing.

John B+
Copsey: A-

Entrées

John: Hudson Grille offers burgers, wraps, salads, steaks, sea food and sandwiches. I really wanted a burger and HG had about 10 to choose from, so that worked out perfectly. I ordered the Border burger. Whenever I see the word border, I think of a seedy Mexican hotel room, however, let me tell you that unlike a seedy Mexican hotel room, this burger was a great value. It was cooked perfectly and topped with some very fresh salsa and guacamole. The juiciness of this burger cannot be over stated, it was very tasty.  On the wrap side of the menu, we went with the Asian Chicken Wrap. It consists of julienned peppers, mixed greens and peanut sauce to go along with the chicken. However, it was the splash of sesame-soy sauce that stole the show. The sauce was very flavorful. It had a sweet flavor that was lightly balanced out by a semi-salty after taste. It was a weird taste experience, but I loved every second of it. Copsey ordered the Crab Cake Sandwich, so I’ll let him talk about that. He should talk about the lemon chicken also, I wasn’t a big fan of this dish, however Melissa loved it (it was too lemony for me and yes, lemony is a word).

Copsey: That is only really a word if you’re a fan of “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” The crab cake sandwich is an idea that sounds great, but in practice is a mixed bag. It really tasted just like a crab cake with lettuce, tomato and bun. I didn’t taste any sauce, although the crab cakes themselves were tasty. But I truly enjoyed the lemon chicken. We ordered it with garlic mashed potatoes, which I think added a lot to the taste. The chicken itself was grilled and served with a sauce made of artichoke hearts, capers and tomatoes, which made this a slightly tart dish with plenty of fresh flavor, with a lemon taste that wasn’t too overpowering. Very nice.

John: B+
Copsey: B

Desserts

John: Hudson Grille offers a dessert that every restaurant in North Fulton needs to get on their menu in the next 48 hours: cupcakes. Cupcakes are like kittens, everyone loves them because they’re so cute. Cupcakes are small, tasty, they don’t fill you up and they can be sold for a decent price ($1.95 at HG). HG had vanilla, chocolate and carrot cupcakes. Ours were spectacular, I could stop here and give them an A+ for dessert, but I want to harp on this dessert thing for another minute. They also had a White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie that we sampled. It too was brilliant. As a matter of fact, the only way it could have been better is if it was served in cupcake form.

Copsey: This was hands down the best pie I have ever had. The banana crème was delicious, with a shaving of white chocolate literally the icing on the top. I love this pie.

John: A+
Copsey: A+

Final Impression

John: Minus the mysterious 12 minutes that started our dinner, I thought Hudson Grille was a great place. I probably wouldn’t bring a first date here, but it’s definitely a great place to watch the game. August is a big month for fantasy football drafts and Hudson Grille would be choice 1A for me if I was holding a live draft with my friends. Sports aside, I also liked that HG offers a menu that everyone in the family can enjoy. More importantly, as long as there are cupcakes on the menu, I’ll keep coming back.

Copsey: Typically, there’s very little to say about a sports bar. They just have a similar feeling to one another. Hudson Grille takes that feeling and mixes it up a little. There’s a patio that would be nice if the temperature was agreeable (on our way out we even noticed a cozy little seat on the patio where two people could sit outside and still be seated at the bar – a nice touch). The food is a good mix of traditional bar food and upscale restaurant dishes. Come for the desserts and stay for the games.

John: B+
Copsey: B+