Hudson's on the Bend Review

By the Discriminating Gourmand

For those who have never been, Hudson’s on the Bend is located on Hwy. 620 near Lake Travis about 20 miles outside downtown Austin and has a top notch reputation among both foodies and the romantically inclined. Executive Chef Jeff Blank is known as something of a culinary leader here in Austin and his food typically involves some sort of game – fortunately venison backstrap is often on his menu. Outdoorsy and artsy, he holds cooking school bi-monthly less than a mile from his restaurant at his unique house overlooking Lake Travis. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year, I jumped at the opportunity to try the restaurant week menu plus wine pairings for $50/person.

Out first was a tasty little pork chorizo topped pastry amuse bouche. Muy delicioso.

Then for an appetizer, I had the quail with the Riesling and tried the bacon wrapped duck diablos. Both were excellent. The quail was perfectly cooked, had a delicate flavor, and was perched atop a spinach salad tossed in a vinaigrette. The duck diablos were tangy, coupled with what tasted like a spicy dressed up BBQ sauce, and reminded me of something I might find at the world’s greatest tailgate (which is in Oxford, MS).

For an entree, I ordered the venison with the Malbec and tried the Shiner Bock marinated rib eye. The venison came out perfectly cooked – rare to medium rare – with a subtle sauce that let the venison flavor I was looking for shine on through. This dish was far superior to the rib eye which tasted nothing better than what I’ve grilled up in my own backyard. I realize Blank is trying to be creative and homespun, but the rib eye was neither flavorful nor cooked well and was so ordinary that if I had ordered it I would have been upset for the rest of the evening, but I didn’t so I wasn’t.

A perfectly portioned chocolate mousse and brownie sundae, both coupled with a Spanish wine I could neither pronounce the name of nor remember, ended the dinner on a high and satisfying note. Check out their menu here.

For those going to ACL, be sure to try the Hudson’s operated Cone stand in the food square this weekend. It’s easily one of the top three meals you can get there.