I love the look of this restaurant: a fine example of an exquisitely restored Hudson building with a beautiful palette of brass and grey. I’ve loved having cocktails and oysters at the bar, and dinner in the two level restaurant with its variety of tables, big beautiful windows and the open fireplace, though I find the central metal table to be quite cold to sit at. The service is good but cold at times, especially at the bar where a sort of high pretension seems to reign. Today we came for brunch and the first word that comes to mind with regards to the experience is desultory. First of all, the ambiance was ruined by a giant screen tv with a football game playing on it. Really? The restaurant was FULL and NOT ONE PERSON was looking at the screen. In fact, everyone in the restaurant seemed to be studiously trying to avoid it as they were all fully engaged with each other. I can’t imagine anyone in Hudson, either visiting, or a local like me, coming to this restaurant to watch a sports game or any other thing on TV. Get rid of it! It’s vulgar. The wait staff was sweet but clumsy. A cup of coffee was brought out in a charming cup and saucer and set on the table even though the coffee had sloshed into the saucer leaving about a quarter inch of it underneath the cup. I’m sorry but that is just plain old inattentive and bad service. Who wants to drip coffee on themselves every time you take a sip of it. Our meal was brought out and the plates crammed onto the tiny table without appropriately clearing space for them. That is the job of a bus person or waiter to prepare the table before bringing out the dish. I ordered the blue plate special of the day, the eggs Benedict. I have to admit that I have an obnoxious requirement for eggs that are not runny. When I asked for well done eggs, the waiter told me that they are fairly well cooked and that it shouldn’t be a problem, that they are not typical poached eggs. Having been a chef for years, I understand the obnoxiousness of people who cant tolerate runny eggs, but I also understand that there is an art to cooking eggs, so I decided to take it anyway. It is true that the eggs were quite firm around the outside- a little too firm and rubbery! And yet the top of the egg had a pool of gelatinous runny whites. It’s not the yolk that bothered me, it’s the uncooked whites. I didn’t send it back, but tried to hide it by mixing it into the hollandaise, which was decent but not abundant enough to pull the dish together. The special ham is beautiful and fragrant but more salty than flavorful. The biscuit was too doughy, and since the dish was not warm enough, the ham was cold and there wasn’t enough hollandaise, desultory is the word that came to mind. I believe an excellent dish with the history and possibilities of Eggs Benedict, if one chooses to serve it, must be exceptional. Otherwise it’s just a common plate that one finds in nine out of 10 brunch restaurants that leaves you wondering why you bother ordering it any longer, as it’s taken on a ghostly form which no longer resembles the masterpiece that gave it its well deserved fame. The dressing for the greens is exceptional and so are the quality of the greens, which were crisp and fresh and in perfect condition. My friend ordered the fried chicken sandwich. I won’t review that, since I only tried a bite of the chicken, but he found the whole combo just ok. I’m not a fan of fried chicken sandwiches, but I am a fanatic for fried chicken, and it did give me the desire to come back to try their fried chicken basket. But...it was served with pickles in a plastic to go container. Once again...REALLY? It’s a restaurant with lovely dishes, cups and plates and you’re going to serve the pickles in a container make of cheap plastic that has to be thrown away? I seriously cannot comprehend who would make that choice, along with the big screen tv football game; but those two bad choices do seem to be related. And both should be banished from the establishment. As well as the earpiece on the host... Update: The restaurant has greatly improved!