Top Chef and New Menu Items at Hudson House, Redondo Beach

Hudson House is an unassuming, cozy little gastropub on Pacific Coast Highway not far from the Redondo Beach harbor area. On any given night you can find regulars and newcomers sharing tables in the small dining room, ordering from a menu crafted by of a Top Chef.

The bright entrance to Hudson House, home of Redondo Beach’s own Top Chef, Brook Williamson.

The Hudson House Dining Room.

Bravo’s Top Chef Adds Chef Brooke to the Competition

The menu at Hudson House was developed by chef spouses and co-owners Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts. This Fall, Chef Brooke is representing the family and their restaurants as a contestant on the tenth season of Top Chef, the culinary reality-show hosted by the Bravo network. The couple also runs The Tripel, a gastropub and bar located in Playa Del Rey.

Chef Brooke Williamson on Bravo’s Website (Photo courtesy of Bravo Networks).

While it’s fun watching Chef Brooke exercise her culinary skills on TV, those of us living in the South Bay have the benefit of actually tasting some of her cooking.

Recently, I stopped by Hudson House to find out what was new on the menu. Spoiler alert: the drinks, appetizers, and dessert are highly recommended.

Beverages

• The Smokey Bourbon Cocktail ($10) – Twelve-year bourbon blended with house-made chipotle syrup, bitters, an orange twist, and a “coffee rock” which is essentially a big blog of ice made from coffee. Drinking this was like having a whisky infused cup of coffee followed by a puff on a fresh, sweet cigar.

Bourbon and coffee come together in this cocktail. The tobacco notes are fantastic.

• Xingu Black Beer ($6) – A Brazilian beer, this one is listed on the menun under “Brown, Strong, Dark”. Its faintly bitter with a smoothness that makes for very easy drinking. The flavor leans toward fruit with hints of apple and cherry.

Appetizers

• Arame Chicken Drumettes ($9) – Arame is a type of seaweed used in Japanese cooking and it works wonderfully in these tender drumettes. These “wings” take bar food to another level…and pair nicely with the Smokey Bourbon.

Arame Drumettes are so much more than bar-food chicken wings. Asian inspired seasonings highlight the tender texture.

• Shell On Black Vinegar Shrimp ($12) – Don’t be scared to eat these whole! The shell is on for a reason and adds a nice crunch…its completely edible and might range from “melts in your mouth” to “toothsome” in texture. Highly aromatic when served (I could smell them coming to the table), these shrimp are acoompanied by fresh coconut, plantains, mint, and lime juice.

Shell On Black Vinegar Shrimp. Even the Menu says “Don’t be afraid to eat the shell”!

Dessert

• Baked to Order Oatmeal-Cherry Cookie ($6) – Thank goodness there’s enough of this dessert to share. Salty, crushed pretzels and plenty of caramel ice cream are the prefect toppings for the sweet and nutty oatmeal cookie; its almost like having two desserts in one. Each cookie is baked to order and served in a warm, cast iron skillet. It takes about 20 minutes to make; plan your order accordingly!

Could it be two desserts in one?! Dessert at Husdon House consists of an oatmeal-cherry cookie topped with caramel ice cream and crushed pretzels.

Cheer For Our Home-Town Hero

It’s great to have a national spotlight on a South Bay Foodie like Chef Brooke. Follow this link to view Chef Brooke’s profile on Bravo’s website. You can see her on new episodes of Bravo’s Top Chef on Wednesdays at 10 PM.

• Hudson House
  http://www.hudsonhousebar.com

  514 North Pacific Coast Highway
  Redondo Beach, CA 90277
  (310) 798-9183

* Some items mentioned in this article were provided on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this review. Prices and menu items mentioned are subject to change without notice. This story was accurate when it was published and reflects the uninfluenced opinions of the reviewers.