Oak and Embers Tavern Hudson

Huge Portions, below average service, lay off the BBQ sauce. That's the quick summary.

We went for my Birthday this week on Monday night. We called ahead with reservations and showed up early and were seated quickly in a half filled restaurant. They sat us right behind the hostess stand and in front of the kitchen door. And then we waited for over 10 minutes for someone to help us only because I had to find someone first. Mind you that all the servers were going by us as well as the hostesses to seat people. I first went to the bar where it seemed no one was interested that I walked up to it. Then I went back to my table, and then returned to the bar and finally someone acknowledged me and I told him we hadn't been helped yet. Our waitress came over and immediately went to "What can I get you to drink?" No apology or anything for not being there sooner. No "Hi I'm so and so", just what can I get you to drink.

We ordered Cheese curds and burnt ends for apps. My kids love cheese curds and I love burnt ends. Cheese curds were great. Burnt ends - not so much. They provided a huge amount for us to munch on, but they were so slathered in BBQ sauce I couldn't take any of the smoke.

My sons order chicken & waffles and the brisket sandwich. What a mountain of food when it showed up. All the portions were enormous which is great if you're not on a diet. I usually don't order much if anything because my 4 kids usually leave enough for me to eat. But I wanted my own so i ordered the smoked wings without sauce. These were probably the best thing on the menu as my girls ordered pulled pork, the half smoked chicken and a half rack of ribs. It was only $2 more for the half rack so i had them add it on.

Everything came out quick, the boys loved their food, but only ate about half understandably. I chowed my wings that were really good. Good smoke meat doesn't need sauce. Feel free to add if you like but it should stand on its own. The rids, chicken, and pulled pork came covered in sauce. It masked the smoke smell and flavor way too much. I should have asked for it on the side, but adding sauce shouldn't be the normal approach to smoked meat. Leave it alone and let the customer add it as they want. The sides were great all the way around. My wife loved her salad and craft beer. Kudos there.

I guess at the end of the night three things really hurt the experience - waiting and then having to find someone to help us who never apologized. The manager never came by to apologize or even ask us how our experience was either. And adding sauce to smoked meat that should have been left alone. All in all, I'd like to give it another shot and order my smoked meat without sauce just make sure next time.