Photos Wherefore Art Though?

Saturday we felt the need for a drive upstate to find some hints of autumn. We headed for our favorite rivertown, Cold Spring, and the Hudson House Inn.

[Insert pretty picture of long white building with rambling porches alongside the Hudson and then check back tomorrow to see if Typepad has stopped being wonky.  Continue to imagine images as you read on. If you read on without photos as you shake your head and say, geesh first no posts for 5 days and now no photos, get it together lady!]

We've been going to the Inn for 24 years, having celebrated our first anniversary there with my parents and sisters, long before any of the Pomettes were on the scene.In those days, there was a lovely weekend buffet brunch, which we worked off by climbing up the hill of Main Street and visiting all the antique stores.

The 160-year old inn is still there, but the buffet is not, which is probably good for our waistlines. We eagerly awaited the real reason we drive an hour, besides the beautifully appointed rooms, and the gorgeous view of the Hudson and of Storm King Mountain.

The popovers. With strawberry butter. Need I say more?

Unfortunately, although the inn still looks beautiful, perhaps better than ever, the food has suffered in quality. They have a smaller menu, heavily concentrated on American cuisine from the ubiquitous salmon to frilled sandwiches and more expensive entrees. The Young One and I were looking forward to the French Onion Soup, having had one last week locally that was like a slab of prefab cheese on a bowl of onions in saline stock. The inn's soup was more pleasantly salted, but in all lacked flavor and  I consoled myself with a peach Bellini and The Young One downed a few Shirley Temples.

Mr. Pom ordered a lobster salad roll - he is nothing is not consistent - but didn't care for the grilled meat and avocado combination. I thought it was great, what little bits of lobster I could glean off his plate while he was distracted by the large wasp hovering around his head. When it hovered near mine, he went back to eating. My salmon in Dijon crust was, eh, "eh" at best. I've had better salmon at the local diner. The portions size of rice and tiny slivers of carrots and zucchini were exactly the same size as a Lean Cuisine but cost 18.95.

So when the dessert menu was proffered, I said to the hell with the healthy eating today, and we got a Bananas Foster, flourless chocolate tart, and a "peanut s'mores". Is your mouth watering? Ours was! And then we tasted each. Mr. Pom's chocolate tart was good, but not gooey enough and they served it without whipped cream or any kind of sauce, like the traditional raspberry, to give the yin a  little yang. The Young One's S'more looked gorgeous, but she didn't care for the nut crust, saying it reminded her of a protein bar. Ugh. My Bananas Foster had lackluster vanilla ice cream, which I could have forgiven since it is really just a vehicle on which the bananas wave as they go down your throat, however, some nouvelle chef decided that traditional Bananas Foster was too sweet, so the sauce had a strange astringent taste that I think was pineapple and lacked the browned sugar punch of the original dish.

In all, we should have spent the money on hot dogs and Good Humor Bars that they were selling by the river.

However, all was not lost because we went to a Farmer's market and bought homemade ricotta that was like Velvet on our tongue, huge bunches of carrots with their feathery tops, ruby red clusters of radishes, sweet corn that they were practically giving away, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. The Young One wanted an apple pie, and after the earlier indulgences we gave it to her to bring to a friend's and she said it was delicious.

Today we are recuperating and too tired to make the corn and tomatoes for dinner, so I'll take a tomato sandwich with goat cheese for lunch.

So wha'da ya think - should I  become a food/restaurant reviewerer blogger?

Frank Bruni watch out!