At Iron & Grass, The Traditional Steakhouse Has Evolved, And The Result Is Near Perfect

Iron & Grass is a restaurant worth a drive. Whether you're coming from five minutes down Route 9 in Hudson, 30 from the Berkshires, or even farther afield, Columbia County's new steakhouse is can’t-miss destination dining this summer. Exceptional regionally sourced cuts treated with the utmost respect and skill are joined at the table by a menu that exudes both confidence and creativity.

Iron and Grass, as a name, honors chef and owner Mark Fredette’s two most important ingredients. Fredette hand selects and butchers sustainable, grass-fed beef and cooks it hot and fast in cast iron. Seasoned just with Maldon salt and served with pan jus, Fredette lets the meat speak for itself. A bite of the porterhouse ($MP) tastes like the grass at Gulden Farm in Germantown, and the tenderloin ($46) tells the story of Big Picture Beef in Hardwick, Massachusetts. The 20-ounce double-cut pork chop ($36) takes you to the East Chatham forests where the wild-foraging heritage hogs at Raven and Boar roam. If you have an appetite for a really big story, try the 24-ounce, certified organic, 21-day aged Tomahawk from Grimaldi Beef in Ghent ($110).

With his reverence for classic steakhouse tradition, and his dedication to highlighting whole animal butchery, Fredette takes a minimalist approach to preparing his cuts. But when it comes to the rest of the menu, the chef is producing maximal flavor using his significant kitchen experience, Culinary Institute of America training, and the full bounty of local agriculture. The bone marrow shrimp risotto ($26) for instance, melds a complex balance of light and heavy flavors that serves as a slightly cheeky but earnest homage on surf and turf.

Oxtail fritter, lemon grass-oxtail marmalade, broccoli relish (lacto-fermented)

While red meat is on the marquee here, Fredette’s touch with seafood, poultry and produce is what takes Iron and Grass to the next level. The menu currently boasts an ethereal scallop appetizer that dresses slices of the tender shellfish with porcini mushroom, a nest of kohlrabi, spring onions, and orange ($18).

I&G even shows love for the vegetarians who are often dragged along and relegated to eating just sides at steakhouses. While you could certainly make a full plant-based meal out of the sides and starters here, Fredette makes sure to always have a vegetarian entre on the menu. These are not afterthoughts. Currently he’s serving house-made parsnip gnocchi in a mushroom asparagus ragout ($26). I&G sources its produce from neighboring farms including modern inovators like Letterbox and Common Hands. 

Iron and Grass is out to show that there’s just as much terroir in meat and vegetables as there is in the restaurant’s well-curated wine list. In fact, the drink program here is pretty remarkable too and, of course, local. For example, The I&G gin and tonic ($15) is personalized with Core Gin from Kinderhook, St. Germaine elderflower liqueur, Fever Tree tonic, and Harney and Sons Earl Gray tea. (Author’s note: My wife said this was the best cocktail she’s ever had.)

As one should expect at a steakhouse of this caliber, I&G is not an inexpensive dining experience. While each dish here proves its value, there is an option to try Fredette’s creations for a less: lunch. On the weekends I&G serves up a killer steakhouse burger (also on the dinner menu) and other items like a beef tongue flat bread, shrimp and polenta; a roast beef sandwich; and whatever else Chef feel like making. All the menus at I&G flow with the season and can change dramatically from week to week.

While I&G is surprisingly good, there was an expectation walking through the doors that it was going to be special. Rural Intelligence reviewed Fredette’s first solo restaurant – The Clermont Café, attached to Tousey Winery — in 2020, and it was eye opening. Cooking up knockout dishes with little more than a portable induction oven, the café was a huge success, satisfying neighbors and tourists alike. Even though COVID-19 presented a hurricane of challenges to all restaurants, Fredette stayed busy enough during the takeout and outdoor dining-only days to plan and execute the expansion to his new, very large concept on this property just outside Hudson that’s technically both in Greenport and Livingston but has a Hudson address (it’s a Columbia County thing).

The location of Iron and Grass is kind of strange, but not in a negative way. Before Fredette built out the restaurant, the expansive modern lodge was a Montessori school. It was originally constructed as the main building for an ambitious baseball-themed retreat center that never came to be (it’s a Columbia County thing). The huge dining room, bar area, acres of outdoor space, large playground and The Conery ice cream stand next door might make one wonder what they are getting into on first glance. The uniquness, however, is part of the charm and makes it an enticing venue option for all sorts of events. Iron & Grass caters, too.

As if Fredette weren't doing enough, he recently announced he is planning to open a butcher shop on site as well. It'll be a showcase for the regional farmers he champions on his menu, and will provide a way for him to introduce customers to meat from grass-fed, family-run farms across the U.S. that meet his high standards.

The experience of sitting atop rolling fields, overlooking the distant Catskills and bathed in a dinnertime sunset, makes one feel as if Iron and Grass has reached a high point in the trajectory of farm-to-table dining. There are a lot of outstanding places to eat in Columbia County, many just around the bend in Hudson. But in the few short months since opening late last year, Iron & Grass has more than made the case for itself as one of the absolute best restaurants in the Hudson Valley. It’s well worth a pilgrimage.  

Iron and Grass         
3521 U.S. 9, Hudson, NY 
(518) 751-9908
Open Wednesday-Friday, 4-10 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday noon-10 p.m.