The Other Critics

Bauer Likes the Pizza, But Not Much Else at Hudson

You’ll recall that restaurateur John Hurley took his dual Garibaldi’s/Marzano spot on College Avenue in Oakland and re-engineered again recently into an “American brasserie” called Hudson. Now Michael Bauer heads in for his review, and he’s not especially pleased. (We’re thinking he may have been reviewing this place that week recently when he blogged that “Several places I went [this week] aren’t worth the effort to even type their names.”) He tries to frame things as a “comeback” for Hurley, but the only good thing he has to say about the “predictable” food is that the pizza is still decent, “a leftover from Marzano.” He says the roast chicken “was so large it resembled a small turkey, plated with a sloppy mix of toasted farro and greens,” and the stuffed pork chop, crowned by at least ten onion rings, “could win the prize as the tallest entree in the Bay Area.” Oh, but the burger was decent, if a little under-seasoned, and the “desserts need to be rethought.” The verdict: two stars, with one and a half for food. [Chron]

Bauer Likes the Pizza, But Not Much Else at Hudson