Going Italian in Hudson
by Mary Leonard

On a cold night in January, my husband and I drove to Ca' Mea Ristorante in Hudson, hoping to find an authentic Italian restaurant. We were greeted by Max, one of the co-owners and the chef, who ran his own trattoria in Cortona before meeting his American wife and moving to Hudson. His family still owns Toscana Trattoria outside of Siena, and Max visits often to gather new family recipes and/or just to meet and greet old friends. Max and I spoke about cinghiale, the wild boar products popular in Tuscany, and vino santo, a Tuscan dessert wine. Talk was good, but dinner planned to be better—and cheaper than a trip to Italy. Most of the appetizers were priced under ten dollars and the pastas and entrées under $20.

The two storefronts at 333 Warren St. have been renovated with warm wood and sophisticated artworks done by Joan Vitale, the co-owner's sister. After I tasted the minestrone, light, fresh and vegan, and the orecchiette with broccoli rabe, sun dried tomatoes, and sausage special, I was back in Siena, basking in the sun at the Piazza del Campo. Our waitress told us that the minestrone was her favorite, and as she poured me the special wine for the evening, a Shooting Star cabernet from Lake County California, I was anxious to hear more of her favorites. Although Ca' Mea is authentically Italian, it is not so precious that it excludes American products and recipes. The pastas are all homemade, but the produce, fish and meat are from local suppliers. The emphasis is on fresh and light. Nothing I tasted fell to the bottom of my stomach like dead birds—my mother's negative judgment when her own cooking was too heavy. However we were tempted, after finishing both the cabernet and the vino santo, to check into a room at Ca' Mea's new inn, a separate building behind the two-tiered garden that can accommodate 135 guests. The rooms have the modern American touch of flat-screened TVs, but also come with an authentically Tuscan breakfast cart. Whether or not I ever spend the night, I am returning to try the homemade spinach fettuccine with a porcini and shitake sauce and calamari in casseruola. As Ca' Mea's website says, "Come for the food, stay for the weekend, it's the Italian way."

On a warmer day in January, I visited Vico on Warren Street for lunch and enjoyed a panini with grilled vegetables and talleggio cheese. All of the paninis sound good and only cost eight dollars. Vico opened in 2006 but is already a popular bar and Italian restaurant. Adam Klersfeld and Mark Ganem, two friends from Harvard, came to the restaurant business via journalism and business, but both always had a passion for cooking and for developing community. Vico means village in the Tuscan dialect and whether it's the friendly atmosphere, their community involvement, or the local affiliations, including with the farmer-restaurateur group Columbia County Bounty and Slow Food, they are offering a new twist on the traditional restaurant. I want to return to hear live Jazz on Thursdays with Joe Finn and I wish I lived closer so I could experience half-price Tini time (Happy Hour from 5–7 at the bar). If you really want to be part of the Vico community, join the V List, earning points for free dinners. Since I want to indulge my own passion for cinghiale, I will soon return to try lasagne al cinghiale—layers of fresh pasta sheets enveloped in a rich wild boar ragù and béchamel sauce. If that is not your thing, Vico serves a variety of pastas, meat and fish entrees ranging in price from $13 to around $30 for exotic dishes like pheasant. Or maybe you might want to indulge in a dessert I have not seen often on Italian menus: millefoglie, a napoleon featuring the freshest fruit of the season.

Ca' Mea Ristorante and Inn, 333 Warren St. Hudson (518) 822-0005, camearestaurant.com.

Vico, 136 Warren Street, (518) 828-6529, vico-restaurant.com.