Hudson House

Sunset Strip’s New Power Dining Spot Leans Heavy Into Ice-Cold Shellfish

On the border of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills is a newcomer called Hudson House, located on the Sunset Strip a block west of Doheny Drive, on the corner that shifts from high-rise office buildings and into the residential section of WeHo. The new hotspot is right next to SoHo House, Lavo, and Prince Street Pizza.

Hudson House comes from Vandelay Hospitality as the group’s first entry into the LA market. It’ll be interesting to see how it fares in LA, as a different restaurant with the same name already exists in the South Bay. The Dallas restaurant group owned by Hunter Pond is banking on a clubby East Coast-style menu with some local ingredients and flavor. Hudson House goes big on its open raw bar featuring oysters, seafood towers, sushi, and shrimp cocktails. Appetizers go heavy on big salads, cauliflower bites, and a Nantucket chowder using freshly shucked clams.

Overall it’s an unfussy and familiar menu serving traditional American fare. Of course, there’s a fish of the day along with crab cake and maple-plank salmon. Sandwiches include a lobster roll with fries, a Rutherford club sandwich, and a double-layer cheeseburger. Expect a substantial martini menu, along with frozen Bellinis, and some non-alcoholic options like the one made with yuzu, cucumber, basil, and honey.

When Hudson House opens next Monday, January 30, expect an interior that transports one to New York City or Boston with heavy dark wood accents, plaids, and leather booths. But outside, it’ll be hard to forget this is still West Hollywood, with plants placed strategically to help shield diners from the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard.

Starting January 30, Hudson House is open Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. for lunch, and dinner from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Weekend brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and reopens at 5 p.m. for dinner until 10 p.m.

Update: Jan 27, 2023: On July 23, 2021, Eater Dallas reported that an employee at Vandelay Hospitality’s Dallas steakhouse, Drake’s Hollywood, filed a lawsuit against the restaurant group. Glenn Govias, the steakhouse’s former general manager, alleged that Vandelay Hospitality’s top leadership engaged in racist activity directed at both its employees and customers by demanding the firing of employees based on race, gender, and physical attributes, while also rejecting potential diners based on their race.

Separately, an arrest warrant was issued this month in Colorado for Vandelay’s CEO, Hunter Pond, on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and harassment related to an October incident. When reached for comment, Eater LA received a statement from Jason H. Friedman, an attorney for Pond and Vandelay Hospitality Group, responding to the lawsuit and warrant.

The full statement is below:

“We, like all growing companies, face challenges along the way—and these are some of them. We intend to handle them properly, and legally. The incident in Telluride, Colorado is unfortunate, and has nothing to do with Vandelay. Mr. Pond and his family are the victims, not the perpetrators. But for the actions of a reckless driver nearly hitting Mr. Pond and his family, there would be no incident. The entrepreneur was in Telluride last October with his family for a wedding. When he and his family were walking back to their hotel, a woman driving in excess of the speed limit veered towards Mr. Pond, his wife, and their two small children—her car coming within two feet of them and frightening the family. The driver did not stop to see whether Mr. Pond and his family were injured, continuing to speed off. Subsequently, at their hotel, Mr. Pond saw the same woman stopping in front of his hotel and exiting her vehicle. He addressed the woman and voiced his displeasure with her actions, went to his room, went to sleep, and left Colorado the next day. At no point was Mr. Pond issued a ticket, nor was he interviewed or taken into custody regarding the incident. Mr. Pond was not aware that the reckless driver filed a misdemeanor complaint about his interaction with her, following her nearly hitting his children with her car. Unfortunately, the Colorado Sheriff’s office put out a nationwide wanted poster for a misdemeanor, creating the false impression that he was on the lamb. We intend to address this matter legally in the Colorado Court, and expect Mr. Pond to be fully vindicated.

The employee lawsuits have been pending for two years, they have not been newsworthy, and were brought after the employees had been terminated.

Vandelay and Mr. Pond do not condone or tolerate racism of any kind. Specifically, Vandelay and Pond vigorously deny each and every allegation in the lawsuits, as it relates to Mr. Pond, he has been dismissed personally from those lawsuits.”

Source: https://la.eater.com/2023/1/23/23567856/hudson-house-restaurant-opening-sunset-strip-latest-addition-seafood-martinis-los-angeles