Hey, did you miss us? Yes, it’s been a month since the last WTGW adventure. We’ve been busy, yo. And by busy, I really mean we’ve been on trips to Vegas, Chicago and a Jimmy Buffett concert … but whatevs. Don’t hate. Hello, summer!
Anyway.
So we’re back – and back in style, apparently, as this week’s adventure takes us to One Red Door in Hudson.
Honestly, full disclosure here, ORD was a second choice for us, after yet another failed attempt to visit it’s neighboring restaurant, FlipSide. Because Ted really, really wants to go there – you might remember we tried this before, a few months back, and ended up at the pizza place across the street – and is bound and determined that one of these days we will find the magical less-than-one-hour wait time at that establishment.
However, sadly this was not that day. Boooo.
So here we are.
One Red Door is a bit more upscale than we usually do for WTGW. And it’s definitely a far cry from our last adventure at Legends. I mean, not only were there no drink specials, but the place was suspiciously free of mullets and tie dyed clothing as well. What the hell happened in our month away? Ridiculous.
Also the prices were a bit more than we usually look for on a WTGW place – $17 or $19 for a burger? Granted it’s gourmet, but still. I mean, we couldn’t help but notice that they share part of the service area with the coveted FlipSide staff next door – and those burgers are considerably cheaper. Can’t they just pass some of the supplies over? I mean, really.
Speaking of prices, the beer list was a bit of a shocker as well. We’re talking Summer Shandy in a bottle for $5. What, are we back in Vegas? But of course you know we ordered it anyway. Because, well, we’re suckers I guess.
Shane got a hard cider that was served in a can, and was very dry. He only had one, but I think it was $8 so I guess that’s really a blessing in disguise. Ted had the Kentucky Bourbon Ale, which he tried to get all of us to taste and we promptly refused. I’m not sure how much that was, but with something as fancy as “Bourbon” in the title – plus the fact that they actually had to pour it and not just open the can/bottle – I’m going to to out on a limb and guess we’re talking double digits.
Probably because we messed up our usual 3:1 ratio with drinks, we (unintentionally, I swear) ended up keeping that tradition with our food orders instead. Ted had the salmon, while the rest of the table ordered the pizza. I decided to take the Wild Mushroom Pizza and add Italian Sausage to it – and the idea caught on like wildfire, as the rest of the table followed suit. And I have to admit it was pretty tasty. The waitress even complimented my idea to add the sausage – which I was kind of surprised she hadn’t had anyone do before – or maybe she had and was just trying to bump up her tip with the compliment – but whatever. I ate about half my pizza (3 slices), then donated the rest to Shane, who you know was not full after an entire 6-slice pie.
Ted devoured his salmon in half the time it took me to eat half my pizza, but that was probably partially because this was one of those places that cares more about arrangement of the food on the plate and less about actual quantity of said food. Ted’s comment on his meal was something to the effect of “there’s a lot of things together on this plate that I wouldn’t normally think would go together, but it seems to work.” So, score.
Overall, One Red Door has a nice atmosphere and our food was definitely tasty – although I think we all agreed it was a bit pricey and more for a nice evening out than a WTGW pick. The service was good, we didn’t feel like the loudest people in the place – which is good, considering the wide array of topics we tend to cover during our dinner discussions. We were seated on the restaurant side – back near the kitchen, so I guess we already had that look of “problem table” about us maybe? – so not sure if the atmosphere would’ve been a bit different on the bar side or not.
Being a “fancier” WTGW pick, we didn’t think we’d get anything to take our weekly funny picture of … until Ted noticed the frame o’ skeleton keys on the wall on the way out. Nice call. I’d have given him more props if he’d actually taken one of the keys with him after we took the picture – but I’m guessing he might actually want to return to that establishment again at some point, and the disapproving look the hostess gave us from across the way while we were taking the picture was probably warning enough that we were already taking things a step too far. Oh well.
So, since it was all of 8:15 when we left, we decided to head around the block for a repeat visit to Kepner’s Tavern for drinks. This is another place we last visited on the first failed FlipSide trip – and, as Ted joked on the drive over, it was difficult to find this time around without the caravan with the open side door parked out front like last time. Guess in the summer they button things back down a little. Anyway, our visit to Kepner’s was much better this time around than the last – maybe due to the younger crowd (probably attributed to summer vacation and kids being back in town from all the expensive colleges far away), and maybe due to the more pleasant bartender that actually spoke to us instead of watching TV the whole time. It’s the little things that impress us, apparently.
We each had a couple beers and the guys tried the wings (because, surprise, a few beers and a few hours later, they were hungry again). If we can take away one thing from the evening, it’s that the biggest difference between a regular Cajun seasoning and a Louisiana Cajun seasoning is … well … a whole hell of a lot of spice. I hope the bartender wrote down that note, because when the guys asked her she wasn’t sure. And I think they regretted ordering the “Louisiana” the moment the first wing touched their lips. I mean, Shane only had three out of the order of 12, if that tells you anything (I know, right?!?) Let that be our public service announcement. You’re welcome.
CAPSULE
Picked by: Ted. And he’s been told Flipside is officially off the list.
Drinks: Extensive wine list, decent beer list. Not impressed by the prices.
Food: The pizza was very tasty, and one of the most economical things on the menu at $12.50. I think we got both of our pizzas for the price of Ted’s salmon, but his meal was devoured in half the time.
Service: Good. Nothing special, but our drinks were kept full and the meals arrived promptly, so there’s that.
Overall: OK. Again, probably better for a special occasion or night out than a WTGW visit, but I would definitely go back if nothing else for the pizza.
Next Pick: Shane
Where To Go Wednesdays 