Hudson's on the Bend

Reserve

Hudson's on the Bend Review

About 20 mi outside downtown in a beautifully restored and landscaped stone ranch house overlooking a bend in the road near Lake Travis, Hudson's has been the place to dine on wild game in Austin since 1984. Owner/chef Jeff Blank and executive chef Robert Rhoades are kings of imaginative, gutsy cuisine, serving serve up exotic, unique, seasonal dishes such as pistachio-crusted diamondback rattlesnake cakes with chipotle cream sauce, venison prosciutto-wrapped seared sea scallops topped with sturgeon caviar, wild boar three ways—scaloppini, sausage, and taquito (a thin, rolled and fried enchilada)—and espresso-, chocolate-, and chili-rubbed smoked elk backstrap (loin cut) topped with crab. Despite the hefty price tag, Hudson's is a fun, unpretentious place. There's an extensive wine list, including half bottles. Six-course tasting menus are available ($140, or $200 with wine).