FISH & GAME
Hudson, New York
Fish & Game was located in a beautifully historic blacksmith shop, in the heart of New York's Hudson Valley. The concept was a collaboration between chefs Zakary Pelaccio, Jori Jayne Emde and film and theatre producer Patrick Milling Smith. The restaurant celebrated the bounty of the Hudson Valley with a set menu that changed each week responding to the seasons and the availability of product from local farmers. The vast wine list had a unique and dedicated focus on natural wines from around the world and a cocktail menu that focused on great classics, as well as seasonally focused libations.
BACKBAR
347 Warren St., Hudson, New York
"BackBar’s webpage features a diapered baby on skis flying through the air, balancing a beer and a glass of wine on opposite hands. Once a gas station, the antique shop is set back a bit from the street; you have to walk among teetering lamps, Greek statues, and miscellaneous glassware and textiles to reach the indoor portion of the bar, a handsome swoosh of antique wood flanked by red-upholstered stools. Mismatched lamps, beautiful in their ugliness, hang from the ceiling. Big garage doors, which will have to be shut once October arrives, open onto a graveled and fenced side yard, where 10 or so picnic tables are set at refreshingly large distances apart.
The new menu, mainly the work of husband-and-wife- duo Zak Pelaccio and Jori Jayne Emde, and Fish & Game co-chef Kevin Pomplun, has been gradually developing, according to some regulars I talked to, but has only recently been offered in its perfected form. Like the banners hung at intervals around the outdoor space, the menu is Malaysian-inspired and in the small-dish format, though it ranges freely among other Asian cuisines. Prices fall between $7 and $17, with an extra $3 charged for the small bowl of rice necessary to enjoying many of the dishes."
(From Eater)
To learn more about Backbar, please visit the website here.
Consulting Projects and Other Restaurants:
Zak has had an extensive career, won multiple awards, received more press than his hard drive can handle and has spent most of his time building, running, cooking in, owning, consulting and developing concepts for numerous acclaimed restaurants. Listed below are a number of restaurants in which Zak has been involved in one way or another:
BackBar, Hudson, NY
The Kinsley Hotel and Restaurant, Kingston, NY
Chickenbone Cafe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
BarFry, New York, NY
Suka, The Sanderson Hotel, Soho, London, England
230 5th Rooftop Bar, NY, NY - New York’s largest indoor and outdoor bar
Tourists Hotel, North Adams, MA