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).
Reviewed by Elaine41 from Pennsylvania on 4/23/09
Considering all the places we dined in Austin last week, this one tops the list!! We loved everything about it! The food was sensational and served with such elegance. We all loved the idea that they served wild game, and it was done to perfection. Very professional serve staff and great chefs!!!! Don't miss going there if you are ever in Austin.
Reviewed by janiejaneo from Austin on 6/10/08
Another Austin restaurant that I think rests on its past. Hudson's was once one of the best restaurants in or around Austin. We went there all the time in early 2000s, but haven't been recently. The last time I was there the raspberries on my duck were moldy. And the wait staff didn't seem to care much.
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