My post from last year:

Baby lambs – in sweaters!

This year they were born in warmer weather, as is more often the case, so no sweaters this time.

If you have a car, you can drive to Hudson from Manhattan in about 2 hours (as much as 3 in rush hour).  For us, the way to get to Columbia County is by train. We keep our car at the Hudson Amtrak station and only have to drive less than ten minutes to our house. Trains to Hudson leave Penn Station almost every hour, and the trip takes roughly two hours. Fares can be as low as $31 and can vary both by the date and time you travel and whether you qualify for the different types of discounts offered. It is usually best to reserve well in advance if you are traveling on Friday and Sunday, but if you reserve at a higher price, it is a good idea to check back several times as it gets closer to your travel day to see if the fare has been reduced. This often happens, particularly for return trains on Sunday. If I need to leave Sunday morning, I often wait until Saturday to book, as the fare invariably goes down.  The venerable, but well-maintained, station in Hudson is the third busiest Amtrak stop in New York.

How do you get around once you arrive in Hudson? Depending on where you stay and what you are planning to do, you may not need to rent a car, and there are taxi services available that will pick you up at the station. Here are a few:

http://www.yellowpages.com/hudson-ny/mip/hudson-city-taxi-509459717?lid=509459717

http://www.yellowpages.com/nationwide/mip/riverview-taxi-16703568?lid=16703568

http://www.yellowpages.com/hudson-ny/mip/hudson-city-transport-505256923?lid=505256923

http://www.yellowpages.com/hudson-ny/mip/howards-taxi-467035212?lid=467035212

If you plan to explore the surrounding area and want to rent a car, Enterprise Rent-a-Car will pick you up at the station and take you to the local rental location.

https://www.enterprise.com/en/car-rental/locations/gpbr.us-ny-hudson.24hs.html

Some ideas for places to stay in Hudson:

Country Squire B & B, 251 Allen St.

http://www.countrysquireny.com/

Hudson B & B

http://hudsonbandb.com/about/index.html

Croff House

คาสิโนออนไลน์ พิชิตเกมค่ายดัง เว็บตรง เล่นง่ายได้เงินจริง โบนัสเพียบ

The Barlow

http://thebarlowhotel.com/

Rivertown Lodge

Home

These are but a few examples of the many places to stay. Here is a longer list:

http://ilovehudson.us/accommodation/#.VxqXYEf3iFo

Last weekend, having lunch in the garden at Ca Mea, one of our favorite places in Hudson,  we overheard a discussion some first time visitors to Hudson were having with people at the next table.  They had arrived by train on Friday night and walked up from the station to the new and trendy Rivertown Lodge on upper Warren Street.  They then went to dinner at a new restaurant down by the station, and were lunching on a gorgeous Spring Saturday across from us.  They were thrilled by what they had discovered in just their first day.

The next installment will focus on sightseeing and restaurants.

Considering the tremendous interest my travel posts have been getting, I thought it would be a good idea to write about Columbia County and surrounding areas, where we have a country house, for those who may be thinking about visiting this beautiful part of the world. This is the first of what will be a series of posts. The next installments will cover how to get there, where to stay, things to see and do, more of our favorite restaurants, etc.

Our 1832 eyebrow house in Claverack (field of clover in Dutch), which we named            “Clover Lodge”

We are usually here every other weekend, and I often have to cut it short to get back to the city for open houses or showings. This Sunday I had no appointments, so I was able to have a full, relaxing weekend in the country.

Arriving Friday afternoon, we set off to buy food for the dinner party we planned for Saturday. In the evening, we headed into Hudson for a simple dinner at Wunderbar, a casual restaurant serving American comfort food with some Austrian specialties, and a large selection of beers on tap. I had the Wiener schnitzel (made with pork), and Stanley had a steak special with a delicious sauce. I used a Groupon, so with 2 beers the total cost was only $40 including tax and tip.

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After dinner, I began preparing Saturday’s dinner (we would be having four friends over), making the marinade for the chicken. Here is a link to the recipe for Jerk chicken:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/jamaican-jerk-chicken

Note that Scotch Bonnet peppers are the same as Habanero peppers, readily available in supermarkets. I used this recipe for the marinade but instead of a fricassee, I used an easier method, roasting, and used thighs instead of a whole chicken. Also, I doubled the amount of marinade to accommodate 12 thighs. Make deep slits in the chicken before marinating, and when ready to cook, put the thighs in a pan, skin side up, with the marinade under and on top. Roast at 400F for about 45 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes to crisp the skin.

Saturday morning I prepared the fish soup that would be the appetizer. Recipe follows:

Fish soup, for six

2 cups leek, chopped fine
1/4 cup onion, chopped fine
5 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder
1/4 cup flour
1 cup clam juice
3 cups milk
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 dashes hot pepper sauce or several sprinklings of cayenne, to taste
1 lb. cod or monkfish, diced
½ cup sour cream, plus more for garnish
½ cup chopped flat parsley

Melt butter and add leek and onion, cook for about 8-10 minutes over medium-high heat, until wilted and lightly browned. Add curry and cook briefly. Add flour and cook about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the liquids just to boiling. Remove leek mixture from heat and gradually stir in the hot liquid.

Add salt and pepper. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until thickened enough to coat a spoon. Add the pepper sauce or cayenne.

You may stop at this point and let the soup sit until close to serving. Refrigerate overnight if needed.

Return soup to a boil and reduce heat to low, add fish, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add sour cream and stir to blend.

Spoon into bowls, add a spoonful of sour cream to each, sprinkle with parsley and a bit of curry powder.

Meanwhile, Stanley prepared a gratin of potato and celery root, using this recipe:

http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/celery-root-gratin-with-saffron-and-gruyere-cheese/1696

Here is how it looks before baking. You can prepare it ahead, refrigerate, and return to room temperature when ready to bake.

Time for lunch, again in Hudson. Ca’ Mea is a lovely Italian restaurant. I had a panino with prosciutto, mozzarella and basil pesto (only $9, with a green salad). Stanley had calamari with tomato sauce and olives, an appetizer that is generous enough to be a fine lunch with a few slices of their excellent bread. They have a nice beer selection, so I had a Moretti La Rossa, Stanley a Dark Horse Boffo Brown Ale.

http://www.camearestaurant.com/

After lunch, we strolled up Warren Street, stopping at Olde Hudson to pick up creme fraiche.

Then we took a drive to Chatham, where the scenery is particularly beautiful, before heading home to continue dinner preparation.

Back at home,  I made a ginger cake, which is extremely easy and wonderful.

We served it topped with sweetened whipped cream and crystallized ginger.

This is the recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/fresh-ginger-cake-103238

Stanley made the other side dish, petits pois a la Francaise:

http://www.food.com/recipe/petits-pois-la-fran-aise-french-style-peas-297872

Jerk chicken thighs with gratin and petits pois

Next, guests arrived, cocktails by the fire…

and a candlelit dinner…

Good food, good wine, and good company. A most enjoyable evening.

Sunday began with reading the Times, then a light brunch of eggs and bacon. In the afternoon we took a ride to Great Barrington, where we picked up a butterflied leg of lamb for dinner at Guido’s, a wonderful gourmet food store that is worth the half-hour drive. We took a scenic route home, and began preparing dinner.

Here is a link to the recipe I used for the lamb:

http://onedadskitchen.com/tag/butterflied-leg-of-lamb-with-coriander-cumin-and-mustard-seeds/

I used ground coriander and mustard because that’s what I had on hand, and instead of 2 strips of lemon peel, I used the peel of a whole lemon. You can use any amount of meat without changing the rest of the recipe, in my case 3 pounds. It was enough to serve 2 and have leftovers for 2 more meals.

Update: Joy has CLOSED. The sign says it will reopen with a different concept. Unfortunate. Stay tuned for more info.

We’ve been searching for a really good burger joint in the Village since BLT Burger closed several years ago, a place where you can get a great burger with a choice of toppings for $10 or less, really good onion rings, and a nice selection of beers. Reviews of Joy have been somewhat mixed, so we were a bit wary, having been disappointed by a number of others, but we finally gave it a try and were delighted. The selection of toppings and sauces is mind-boggling. I kept it fairly simple to emphasize the flavor of the meat, choosing cheddar and garlic mayo and adding some ketchup at the table. The 8-ounce Maxi was perfectly medium-rare as ordered, and had the right texture and beefy flavor. The onion rings were superior to any we’ve had since BLT. This will definitely be a regular stop for us.

They have an East Harlem location as well.

http://joyburgerwestvillage.com/

We’ve been to Botequim twice now, prompted to try it by a Blackboards Eats offer. Situated in the basement of the Hyatt Union Square, it’s chef/owner Marco Moreira’s (Tocqueville, 15 East) foray into a modern interpretation of his native cuisine.

Every dish we tried was interesting and delicious. Starters included grilled shrimp with a tasty fennel salad, grilled sausage, coconut soup with curried squash and prawn, and pasteizinhos de carne (fried meat-filled dumplings).  Main courses were feijoada, moqueca of striped bass and prawn, suckling pig, and skirt steak. For dessert we had the coconut cake. We really appreciated that they have a selection of Brazilian craft beers. The Guanabara Imperial Stout was superb.

It’s hard to find good Brazilian food in Manhattan. Botequim fills the gap admirably.

http://botequimny.com/

Having greatly enjoyed the food at Gardenia, we decided to try one of its sister restaurants, Ofrenda, on Seventh Avenue just above Sheridan Square. The excellent food is not the usual assortment of enchiladas and Tex-Mex standards. This is more authentic Mexican with a modern touch.

We started with a shared appetizer of queso fundido with huitlacoche. This was a huge portion, served with fresh soft corn tortillas and a piquant salsa verde, and the flavor was intricate and delicious. For the main course, I had a whole trout with epazote, jalapeno, tomato and onion, served with sides of rice with tomato and an avocado salad. Stanley had a massive pork shank with black beans and potatoes. The portions are very large and could be shared. We were stuffed and couldn’t even consider dessert. We drank margaritas, prickly pear cactus for him and cucumber for me. I would highly recommend them.

The space is a bit cramped, and it can get very loud, but it has a warm feeling that is very pleasant. Service is efficient. Prices are on the high side of moderate, but the quality and quantity justify them.

http://ofrendanyc.com/

525 West 238th St. Apartment 3A, in Riverdale, is featured in this front page article in Sunday’s Real Estate section. Here is a link to the web version:

Here is a link to the listing:

http://www.wohlfarth.com/listing-details/coop-970060.html

Once again, Blackboard Eats alerted me to a winner. I hadn’t heard of this place, which is under the same management as Ofrenda and Black Ant (neither of which I’ve been to). A search of Chowhound turned up no information, so I had to resort to Yelp, where the reports were almost all positive.

The staff was very welcoming and service efficient. Portions are generous. We found that two appetizers and a main course were plenty of food for the two of us. We started with tuna tacos and grilled octopus. Both had wonderfully complex flavors, and the octopus was as tender as could be. The paella was perfectly cooked, nicely spiced, and had a good crust on the bottom. Mediterranean Sangria was a nice accompaniment. We couldn’t resist dessert, and the zucca violino (butternut squash) cake did not disappoint.  Not only was it delicious, it looked gorgeous on the plate. It  would not be out of place in a very high-end restaurant.

http://gardenianyc.com/

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Mexico City in 2013 for Thanksgiving, and decided to make another trip this year (refer to my post of 6/23/15). Once again, our friend Vy was planning a Thanksgiving dinner at her apartment, as she has for many years. The dinner, which was originally to take place on Thanksgiving, had to be changed to Saturday due to scheduling conflicts in her family. This was fine with us, and just required a few changes in our itinerary.

We were supposed to arrive on Wednesday, leaving from Newark early morning, but ran into a major snag. As we approached the airport on the train, I suddenly thought to check the date on my passport. With all I had on my mind I had forgotten to do this in advance. To my horror, I saw that it had expired two months ago. I wondered if there was any possibility of getting the passport renewed and changing to a flight on Thursday. Stanley was sure this would be impossible on the day before Thanksgiving, but thankfully I persevered and we were able to do exactly that. Unfortunately it cost me a fortune to change the flight, but at least we were able to get there and spend four lovely days.

How did I get the passport? First I searched the web and found a company called Emergency Expedited Passports & Visas, which I called and spoke with Jason, who at first was doubtful I could get it that day, but called me back a few minutes later to tell me that it was possible and that I did not even need him to do it. I can’t thank him enough for his honesty and kindness, patiently explaining what I needed to do. If you ever have a passport problem I highly recommend giving them a call. Website:  http://www.emergencypassportsvisas.com/

The process is really rather simple. I had to reschedule the flight first, then go to the U. S. Department of State Passport Office, at 376 Hudson St. in Manhattan, which would accept applications until 2:00, with the printout of the flight information, my expired passport and a photo which I got at a store at 350 Hudson St. Arriving at 11:00, I only had to tell them I would be traveling the next day to be given an application and sent to the 10th floor, where it would be processed. My number was called quickly, I paid the fee of $170 and was given a receipt and told to return at 3:00 to pick up the new passport. Disaster averted!

November 26:

We arrived at the Residencia Polanco in plenty of time to get settled and head to lunch at Villa Maria. This time, we didn’t get the deluxe suite we had two years ago, but the one we got was perfectly adequate and very large. Breakfast was included, though it is very basic. At $100 a night it is a very good deal in an excellent location, although it would be nice if they polished the brass in the elevator.

http://residenciapolanco.com.mx/

Lower rates can usually be found using Tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g150800-d248801-Reviews-Residencia_Polanco-Mexico_City_Central_Mexico_and_Gulf_Coast.html

Villa Maria:

Lunch here seems to draw a more local clientele than dinner. We were hungry after getting up at the crack of dawn and only having a miniature pumpkin cheesecake on the flight. To start we had a duo of queso fundido, one with green peppers and the other with chorizo, and red snapper tacos. Both were delicious. Then we had turkey (after all, it was Thanksgiving) in mole sauce, and chicken stuffed with huitlacoche and cheese in zucchini sauce. Very delicious. The margaritas, one with ginger and one with tamarind, were enormous and tasty but with no detectable alcohol.  Overall a great meal and the bill was about $75 including tip.

http://villamaria.com.mx/

After lunch, we went back to the hotel for a nap, and then dinner at Pujol at 10:00. This is considered perhaps the top restaurant in Mexico, and was only a short stroll from our hotel.

The room is dark and somber, with black walls and subdued lighting. The dishes are innovative versions of Mexican ingredients and recipes. Some dishes do not work perfectly but the overall experience is not to be missed. If you go to Mexico City, you must try it. I had seen some comments on the web that the portions are small, but we felt very well fed. Guided by a very attentive sommelier, we found an excellent bottle of Mexican wine from Baja California. The total with tip was $260. Not bad for such fine dining with perfect service.

http://www.pujol.com.mx/

November 27:

This was our day to tour the Centro, the old city. We decided to brave the subway, to the amazement of everyone we talked to at Saturday’s Thanksgiving dinner. We found it to be perfectly pleasant, very fast, and safe and very much like what we experienced in Madrid. I would advise avoiding rush hours and summer, when it must be unbearably hot (no air conditioning).

The first stop was the Cathedral, which was fairly typical of ancient cathedrals, at least those of the sadly Baroque style.

Next we checked out the Diego Rivera murals in the Palacio Nacional. Very impressive.

After this, we headed to the nearby Museo de Templo Mayor and excavations, which were fascinating, except for the special exhibition on Iroquois artifacts from Quebec.  Ho hum.  Everything is well-described with signs in English.

http://www.templomayor.inah.gob.mx/english

The Gran Hotel Mexico City, formerly a department store, is indeed grand, with an enormous lobby topped with a stained glass skylight.  So many people ask to see it that the doorman has to vet people and attend them as they go in to see it.

Strolling along Francisco Madero Street and through the Alameda Gardens, we arrived at the Museo Franz Mayer, a museum of Mexican furniture and decorative arts from  the 16th to the 19th century, all housed in what was formerly a monastery and hospital.

http://ingles.franzmayer.org.mx/

For lunch, we found El Cardenal, which Vy’s daughter Laurie recommended, a few blocks away next to the Museo Nacional de Arte, which we would visit after lunch. The restaurant is housed in a grand old building with a modern interior. This is not to be confused with El Cardenal on Palma, though they have the same menu. Oddly, I can’t even find mention of this location on El Cardenal’s website. Go figure.

We had a wonderful meal, starting with tongue tacos (4) which we shared. Main courses were stewed octopus with epazote and arbol chiles, properly spicy, and pork in mole sauce. With a beer each, it came to just over $40 with tip.

The museum had a special exhibit on Modernism, which was very good, giving a good perspective on the evolution of Diego Rivera’s career, among many others. The building itself is worth seeing for its architecture.

http://www.munal.com.mx/

After the museum, we got on the subway and headed over to Vy’s for a quick visit with her, her son Danny and his wife Patricia. Then back to the hotel for a nap and later meeting Danny for dinner at Astrid y Gaston, a Peruvian restaurant in Polanco.

This is a beautiful restaurant with excellent food, and unfortunately very slow service. They are obviously understaffed. However, we were in no hurry and did not really mind the delay. We had a bunch of appetizers to share, including a mixed seafood ceviche, marinated hamachi, fried calamari, and causa with shrimp. For the main course, we had suckling lamb with three kinds of potatoes.  A very enjoyable meal.

http://www.astridygaston.com.mx/

November 28:

We started with a visit to the Museo de Arte Moderno, in Chapultepec Park, situated along the Mahatma Gandhi Highway.  They had a very interesting exhibit of surrealist photography by Lee Miller, a young lady from Poughkeepsie who made good as a fashion model and then as a fashion photographer for Vogue, who went on to bed Man Ray and a host of other willing admirers, until settling down in East Sussex.   Her son has curated her collection, which is superb.  There was also an exhibit of pottery by Francisco Toledo, generally not suitable for home use.

http://www.museoartemoderno.com/museo/

In the afternoon, we went to Vy’s Thanksgiving dinner, which started at 2:00 and ran to 7 or so. This time there were about 65 guests, down from 110 two years  ago, when people came from far and wide for Vy’s 90th birthday. It was still a lively and interesting group.  An English Midland’s accent was successfully detected amongst one of the Spanish speakers, and much discussion about Mayor DeBlasio colored the conversation, moderated by the observation that most people fault him for not being Michael Bloomberg, which is obviously the case, since he his far too tall.

One guest had a drone and took a video from the terrace. Here is a link:

Video

November 29:

Sunday was the day for our long-anticipated trip to Teotihuacan, the site of the famous pyramids. Laurie treated us to this, sending her car with a driver to take us there and back. We had hoped to find an English-speaking guide there, but none was available, so we bought a guidebook with map and proceeded on our own. At each point of interest, there is a sign with a description in English, so it worked out just fine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan

We spent about three hours at Teotihuacan, and then headed back to the city to meet Vy, Laurie, Laurie’s daughter Mariana and Mariana’s daughters, for lunch at a wonderful restaurant, Zapote,  that happens to be on the ground floor of the building where Mariana lives in Roma Norte. Roma is a rapidly gentrifying and thriving area very popular with young people.

Chef Axel Vazquez with Mariana and Vy

Zapote is Mediterranean, using flavors from those countries, primarily Italy but really more international in scope. I started with mussels with foie gras, potatoes and parmesan, which was fabulous, and then had shrimp with peppers and Asian spices. For dessert we shared a cheesecake filled with chopped pistachios and a carrot cake. I also got to taste the grouper and a salmon risotto. The food is superb, service excellent and prices are incredibly low.

http://www.zapote138.com/

Back to the hotel for a few hours, then we were off to dinner at El Bajio. This was something I had been waiting for since our unsuccessful attempt two years ago. They are famous for carnitas, the Mexican pulled pork dish that I love and make myself at home (refer to my post of 3/20/15 for the recipe). Unfortunately the food was not as good as we had expected, tasty enough but not comparable to the other restaurants we tried. The carnitas were somewhat bland, lacking the intense flavors of garlic, onions, lime and hot pepper that I put into it.

http://www.restauranteelbajio.com.mx/

November 30:

Off to the airport, a quick lunch and an uneventful flight home. It was a great trip, we were able to do everything we had planned, and look forward to seeing Mexico City again.

UPDATE: Wine Disciples has CLOSED.  I’m not so surprised. It’s tough to fill such a big space, in an out-of-the-way location.

I hadn’t heard of Wine Disciples until I received a Blackboard Eats deal for 30% off on dinner. The menu looked interesting, and reports on Yelp and Opentable were mostly very positive. Someone had inquired about it on Chowhound a few months back and received no response, so it seems to be under the radar so far. We tried it last week and were very pleased with the food and service. The space is large and decor is simple. Its appearance suggests nothing particularly Italian, and it would be nice if something were done to give it some warmth and charm. Nonetheless we will definitely return as the food is really good.

Though the emphasis is on wine, and the list has enough reasonably priced bottles, in addition to a large selection of 3 and 6 ounce pours, there is also a fine selection of beers.

I started with mackerel with lemon puree. I loved how the strong lemon flavor stood up to the mackerel. Stanley had a salad of chicory, croutons, anchovies and duck egg, an interesting variation on a Caesar salad.  For the main course, I had radiatori with a tripe and trotter ragu that was rich and delicious. He had wild boar shank with polenta, also a great dish. Desserts are creative. We loved the pumpkin cake.

http://www.winedisciplesenoteca.com/