Hudson North

This place truly needs to stay.
I travel often to Atlantic Station for work, and was intrigued by this appearing on Unilocal next to my office, so I decided to drag a colleague here for lunch.
Michael welcomed us warmly to seats at his bar, and was happy to let me sample the oatmeal stout on draft. Perfect — done! Fried okra appetizers (you just don’t get this kind of food easily in NY!), followed by a fantastic braised short rib that was cooked so perfectly that a knife was not necessary. It took all of my willpower to not steal my colleague’s pulled pork, and to keep myself from ordering another round of sides or even another entrée. I just didn’t have it in me for dessert, though.
Michael happily explained the story behind the location, what they were aiming to do, and I’m very much sold. Had to come back for a farewell lunch before flying out, but will keep my eyes open for the next assembling of this exceptional team.

Today is December 10, 2012. Including today, you have only 22 days to try this restaurant.
Hudson North is a «pop-​up» restaurant. In other words, a temporary restaurant. The owners of Atlantic Station are using the old Grape space as a location for chefs and restaurateurs to experiment with different dining concepts, all in pop-​up fashion. Hudson North opened October 9, 2012 and will be closing after December 31, 2012. It’s a shame because this restaurant is a nice addition to Atlantic Station.
If you’re looking for Hudson North and don’t remember where the Grape used to be, it’s on the corner across from LA Fitness and Strip. Despite the temporary nature of this restaurant, the owners have done a fine job decorating the space and giving it a farm-​like, tavern atmosphere. There are two separate dining areas inside, one which has a a bar and feels more open, and another enclosed dining space that is more intimate and private. Candles inside mason jars are hung from above to account for some of the lighting. Outdoor seating is also available.
This is a farm-​to-​table establishment or, as Hudson North likes to describe itself, «farm-​to-​tavern.» The focus is on local and seasonal ingredients. The menu is small and simple with some Southern influence. Expect to spend anywhere from $ 5 – 13 for each appetizer and $ 9-​$ 17 for each entrée.
I visited for dinner over the weekend with a group of five and we didn’t have a reservation. While we were seated promptly, the restaurant did get very busy towards the end of our meal, so I recommend making a reservation if you do plan to come during the weekend.
Here’s a rundown of what I tried:
Figs with amber ale, bacon, almonds, chile, parsley
Braised Chicken Taco — ancho chile sauce, root vegetable slaw, pickled red onions
Pulled Pork — mustard sauce, collard greens, apple-​pear relish, radish, parsley
Fingerling Potatoes
Generally, everything was pretty good. The Figs were ripe and plump. They mixed well with the savory bits of bacon, almonds, chile, and chopped parsley. It was a delicious app.
The Braised Chicken Taco (2 per order) came piled high with shredded, ancho-​chile-​marinated chicken, veggie slaw, and pickled red onions atop a corn tortilla. I didn’t like the tortilla for this taco because it was too hard and brittle. It easily crumbled and fell apart once one started picking up and biting into the taco. Maybe we just received an old batch of tortillas that night.
The Pulled Pork entrée was tasty. The pork was juicy, tender, and seasoned well — maybe too well. I though the meat was a little salty, but not so much that I didn’t enjoy the food. What I wasn’t expecting from this dish was how spicy it was. The collards had good flavor.
The Fingerling Potatoes, served in a square bowl, were simple and filling. One order ($ 4) came with a generous portion of potato wedges, lightly salted.
Service was very good and the dishes came out in a reasonable amount of time.
If you’re visiting Atlantic Station between now and the end of the month and are trying to decide what to eat, definitely check out Hudson North — not just because it’s only going to be open until the end of the year, but because it actually has good, original food.

Mixed bag with what looks like a new menu at what is now Hudson East (Japanese influenced drinks and food). I was really looking forward to trying the items others had described, but looks like Hudson is dabbling with different flavors. Too bad, I was looking forward to the figs and drinks other people raved over.
Their chickpea appetizer is really salted garbanzo beans, and the chickpeas were tough to get out of their shells… edamame they are not.
I ordered the Sapelo clams, in my repeated and deluded attempts to get good cooked clams in Georgia. These arrived a little overcooked and were very salty, without any bread or anything to sop up the salty white wine garlic sauce. Meh.
Hopefully they change the menu again and I’ll get to try it again before they are gone at the end of December.
As evident in the previous pop-​up, the service is hit or miss… as a result of the pop-​up nature of the restaurant, I’m guessing… but everyone is very friendly and willing to share their thoughts and recommendations.

You all must try this place before it closes on New Year’s Eve. This place is awesome-​sauce.
I came here for an Elite event (Thanks Kathleen!) so I was able to taste several of their dishes. First of all, I can’t even tell this place is a pop-​up. All the other pop-​ups that have been there, while I love their dishes, didn’t do anything with the place. Hudson North, on the other hand, you can’t tell that this isn’t going to be a permanent place for them. The décor is warm and inviting. I noticed a wall of people’s names that have darkened the doors here. It kinda felt like going to your best friend’s house or something.
Anyhoo I got to try the Pork belly sliders, the veggie quesadillas, the steak (i can’t remember what kind… I think it was hanger steak?), chicken tacos and the tuna tartare. My drink of choice, besides the Sweetwater on hand, was a spiced pear margarita.
Pork Belly Sliders: Perfection. Just the right amount of moistness to the meat. Also the meat was very savory, like that type you get if you have any other kind of meat that just falls off a bone. It was like that.
Veggie Quesadillas: Since I’ve changed my diet a little bit I have been more open to trying vegetarian options for dining. How about I couldn’t even tell that was a veggie quesadilla. It had cheese, carmelized onions (and carmelized onions are about the only way I will eat an onion) eggplant and squash. It came with a tomato relish that was deeeevine. Ohhhh I want more!
The steak: I can tell it was good but I can’t eat meat that is medium rare. So I cut around the parts that were cooked to completion. Uggghhh rare meat yuck
Chicken Tacos: These were pretty good. The chicken is prepared in the same way as pulled pork. I feel like these could have used more flavor.
Tuna tartar: It was good. This was my first time ever having something like this. I don’t know if I can bring myself to eat this again though because it had an overly chewy texture and I don’t think I like that for any type of seafood. Like I told one of the other fellow Elites, I think I was tramautized as a little girl dealing with tuna so I just shy away from it altogether.
Spiced Pear Margarita-​Yummy liquor goodness. Tasted like Christmas on my palate. The spice flavor really sets it off.
Oh! I forgot that Diedre R. let me taste the fried okra she ordered. Amazeballs. Tastes just like my grandma’s and if you are from the south you know it is hard for anyplace or anyone to match grandma’s cooking.
Maybe I’ll sneak by here again next week. Thanks again Hudson North!

I love the concept. I hated the offerings when I went to visit today. I will make sure to review the current menu before I go back again.

Wish they were sticking around. We enjoyed the Izakaya special menu with Chef Eli. It was a pop-​up within a pop-​up night. Oysters, lamb skewers, bean salad, chicken wings, sake, shrimp, tuna, clams. Really all-​well prepared and tasty. Server very attentive, but the standouts were the warm welcome and table visits by Billy, the owner and Chef Eli’s partner (cannot recall name, sorry). Now that I know Billy owns Cypress Street, I’ll definitely support them as well.
The permanent restaurant better not be another chain. Atlantic Station can attract the niche foodies if someone would just give it a chance.

The burger is the reason I came here, and it lived up to the hype. It’s not a huge slab of meat that tries to get by on heft, but is sized for humans, just like I like it. The bun was a little toasty and compressed the right amount so you’re not left chewing through dough forever. The bacon and cheese were really well matched and made a good total package. The included greens salad with house dressing and tiny tomatoes was unexpectedly good.
I sat at the bar, and the bartenders and other staff were really nice and welcoming, I need to go back and see my name up on the wall before they close.

I must say, the ambiance is awesome — love the dozens of tealights that string the ceiling to light the entire restaurant. However, my entrée left me longing for better. I had the chicken tacos which were laden with entirely too much sodium! I’m talking so much salt that you couldn’t really even taste the chicken. And aside from that, the only topping was lettuce that was drowned in vinegar.
Having said this, I really hope that this was just a fluke. The service was outstanding! A true team approach… anytime my server was away another passing my table always asked if I needed anything.
I would give this place another try… the other reviews are pretty outstanding, and I did love the setting and the service.

This restaurant won’t be here for long, so go and try it before it closes in December. If you’re new to the concept of pop-​up restaurants, they open and close in the span of only a few months. This one happens to be located in Atlantic Station across from the movie theatre. (Shares a wall with California Pizza Kitchen, where the Grape used to be).
The food and the drinks were excellent. Between me and the rest of my party we tried almost half the menu. I recommend the scallops, they were seared perfectly. My only complaint was that the lime was a little overpowering. The pear margarita was pretty good, but for gin fans like us, the ginger collins was amazing.
I’m pretty sure they’re closing their doors in December and moving on to the next city soon after.

When a pop up restaurant gives you a free bottle of wine of your choice, how can you not give it 5 stars?
My boyfriend and I were celebrating our ninth month together (yes, I know it’s sickening to some of you, but I think it’s awesome that he remembers that date as well as me), so we wanted to do something a little more special than usual. When I checked the restaurants around Atlantic Station for dinner and a movie and Hudson North popped up, I was intrigued.
As soon as we stepped into the old Grape restaurant space, I was impressed that this was just a temporary restaurant — why the heck is it not permanent?! It oozes cool! The space is dark, yet inviting with a giant well stocked bar, tables of different sizes and heights, and lots of natural touches emphasizing the farm-​to-​tavern concept driving the whole thing. Plus, after our hostess, the first person to greet us was a man (the manager I’m assuming) in suspenders. How awesome is that? Pretty darn awesome I’d say.
We waited for a table for maybe 10 minutes before we were offered the chance to sit at this one little slightly off beat, outdoor style table in the back which had some sort of a spot light on it. It looked fine to me, so we said sure with no hesitation and the manager said since we’d been bold enough to sit there (apparently not many had opted for it when given the choice), he’d give us a bottle of wine on the house. Sweet!!!
Our server for the evening was a great guy named Chris who explained the whole farm-​to-​tavern idea behind the restaurant as well as its short life span. He then set about taking our orders for the night: a nice bottle of comped Malbec wine, fresh figs sauteed with bacon, hangar steak with crispy potatoes and short rib with vinegar coleslaw and potatoes. Mmm… sounds good just writing about it, huh?
The wine was excellent with everything and the food was superb. I’ve never had figs as fresh and juicy as the ones served with the bacon, but I wish I had that recipe to make them at home! The hangar steak was cooked a perfect medium pink and the fingerling potatoes served alongside were crispy and tender at the same time. Likewise, the short rib was so tender and the tartness of the coleslaw contrasted nicely.
We ended up finishing up dinner with the banana pudding at Chris’ request when it came down to a decision between that and carrot cake. Good choice. There were chunks of banana mixed into the smooth pudding and topping a base of banana-​y cake. Perfection and the right size to share for a touch of sweetness.
Hudson North is an excellent addition to Atlantic Station’s offerings and I’m only sad it isn’t going to be a permanent fixture. It’s truly fantastic without being at all pretentious like Strip or Café Nineteen. Try it before its time is up!

Love me some Pop Up restaurant. What a great location too. (The old Grape in Atlantic Station.) I did some promoting for Cirque Du Soleil’s new show Totem and it landed me two free tickets to the show. I remembered seeing this pop up while at a meeting in the area and thought it would be a great night to go. Lately I have been a crudo fan and the scallop here is paired with a peppery arugula with a bright citrus flavor. It went well with the glass of sauvignon blanc. I went for the the scallops for dinner as well. They were cooked perfectly and served on a delicious corn done with just the right amount of spice. I timed the visit perfectly with the show and it was a great night overall! Get to this one sooner than later as they are only open 45 more days.

I am so sad that this tasty joint is pop up only. I really enjoyed my experience prior to Cirque. I started with the Fritters and Figs. Oh my word– those figs were delicious! The way the figs and bacon and almonds combined to produce a sweet and savory flavor is beyond words.
I chose the scallops for my entrée. This is a farm to table establisment. The scallops were fresh and smooth in taste and the corn succotash alive with lime, cilantro, and wake your tongue up flavor. I really hope ths owners find a way to make this place permanent.

A cool culinary trend in major cities has been the advent of Pop-​Up Restaurants. One of the latest in ATL is Hudson North, a gastropub in Atlantic Station in the space where The Grape used to be.
From the team behind the permanent and awesome Cypress Street, Hudson North offers a small menu of light bar bites, salads, sandwiches and entrees and are open for both lunch and dinner. We had a group eat there this week and I really like the low-​key ambiance of the restaurant, lots of rustic touches like a roll of butcher paper on the wall that showcases beer/​wine options, candles in mason jars hanging from the ceiling and on tables and some branded compass stencils on tabletops and large light fixtures.
Ask your server and your name could join others burned into wood panels on the wall. I enjoyed the fritters, burger and dessert in a jar, because doesn’t most anything taste better when served in a mason jar? Stop by sooner than later, the pop-​up shutters on 12÷31÷12.

One word describes the food at Hudson North: Amazing! This farm to table pop-​up restaurant is a must try for anyone looking for a bite to eat while at Atlantic Station (located across from LA Fitness). The staff was super friendly and attentive. But the food was the real star! I had the Braised Pork Sliders with chile-​lime aioli, pickled carrots, and cilantro. This dish was mouth wateringly delicious. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for great fresh food at an affordable price. Don’t wait too long to try this place, it’s a pop-​up restaurant and will only be at Atlantic Station for a short period of time!

This is a pop-​up restaurant focusing on the farm-​to-​tavern concept with a chef-​driven menu. A great place for either lunch or dinner, or even cocktails and snacks before a movie, this is a great little hot-​spot where you need to make the time to check out before the time runs out at the end of 2012.
On my first visit, I opted for the killer Chicken Salad Sandwich — this is served with a tikka-​mayo, grapes and arugula all on a sourdough bread that is to die for. This was beautifully accompanied by a mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes and a light vinaigrette. My cousin (who was with me as we had a pre-​wedding gabfest lunch for her) chose the braised chicken tacos with an ancho chile sauce. These came with a delightful root veggie slaw and pickled red onions. Also, satisfying, but not quite filling enough for lunch — oh darn, I guess we’ll get dessert!
The 3 current dessert options are served in delightful mini Mason Jars (in keeping with the decorative theme of the restaurant space). While the brownie option does come with bacon (A+), it also comes with pecans — so that choice was out for me. No worries, Apple Pie is always a plus in my book. This was a scrumptious layers of a couple of kinds of apples which had been caramelized with brown sugar an cinnamon (without being mushy and overcooked) and layered with a crumble topping and topped off with a decadent vanilla ice cream. Well worth skipping area side dish, I would say.
Also, hidden around the restaurant is CASH. I kid you not — we tried searching but were not successful. We are excited to get our names inscribed upon the wall — a treat for all those who dine at Hudson North during their 100+ days in operation. So I highly recommend you make the trip while you can.
Overall a wonderful and fun dining experience.

Hudson North is just the kind of place that Atlantic Station needs. A unique, one-​off restaurant that is in itself a reason to visit the idea of LiveWorkPlay.
When you first walk over you’ll notice all the writing on the outside of the old Grape location talking about how this location is a pop-​up restaurant and everything served is farm-​to-​tavern (which is much better than farm-​to-​table which is insanely overused). Inside, you can easily tell this is a sister to Cypress Street as it has a dark modern woodsy tavern feel. Though it is only around til early 2013 you can’t tell based on the design or furnishings.
Our waiter, who was very well versed on the food and beer offerings did a great job with recommendations. I wish they would have draft beers at a better price point, but I understand the keg difficulty with a short term place. All the beers I ended up with were $ 8+ bottles, though they were quite tasty.
The bacon and fig appetizer we started with was great with crispy bacon and a bit of underlying heat. I would certainly get them again, and is enough for a table of 4 to start.
The menu itself is small and focused, but has enough for most people unless you’re a vegetarian looking for a big meal.
I had the burger which came with a mixed green salad as well as a fried okra side. I found the burger to be a little plain for me, though I liked the ciabatta bread it came on. The cheese and ham combination didn’t have too much flavor as compared to the sublime burger over at Cypress Street which is a flavor explosion. The okra were excellent with their lemony dressing and great fry.
Both my companions got the steak and really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to coming back and trying some other items on their menu. It’ll definitely be my go-​to restaurant whenever I’m at Atlantic Station.

It’s a pop up restaurant.
Only in existence for 100ish days.
So you better hurry.
Being Cypress Street’s #1 fan, it’s no surprise that I love what Billy and Jenn have come up with at Hudson North. But don’t expect Cypress: this is a higher brow affair, yet still completely casual and welcoming. They did an incredible job transforming the old Grape space, covering all of that purple with warm woods, mason jar lighting, and a wall filled with the names of the folks who have darkened the doors over the days they’ve been open.
They’ve brought in Chef B who used to be up at one of my all time favorites: Matchbox in DC. The menu is simple and small, but they have a little something for everyone (except for vegetarians– it’s slim pickin’s for y’all). Lots of small plates to share like scallop crudo, tuna tartare, and ricotta fritters. The zucchini salad turned this zucchini hater in to a believer. The braised pork sliders are like little bites of banh mi goodness. The burger… well… it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. And yes, I’m sick of burgers. But trust me when I say this one is worth trying. Prices are in the $ 9-​$ 12 range for small plates and sandwiches, $ 13-​$ 16 for bigger entrees.
All the beer is bottled, but as you’d expect from the Cypress crowd, the list is well curated. The cocktails don’t hurt either. I was introduced to St. George Botanivore gin and I’m not going back. You can get a 420 for $ 3 or a signature cocktail for $ 11: choose your own adventure.
We don’t have too many days left in 2012, but you better believe I’ll be spending as many of them as I can at Hudson North.