The Spotty Dog Books and Ale: A perfect combination

Following a beautiful Labor Day weekend in upstate NY (and then waiting a week to settle in to teaching again) I am devoting the next two posts to a spotlight on Hudson series. The first locale to be reviewed is the Spotty Dog. The Spotty Dog is both an independent book store as well as a local bar and lounge. Since this is a culinary blog, I won’t linger on the literary aspect of this establishment but it is worth noting that the combination creates an intellectual bar crowd (something missing in many of the drinking venues of NYC).

Once you move past the entrance and become comfortable viewing shelves of books to your right and a bar lining the left you may focus on the beers on tap. Should you be like me and a fan of microbreweries, you will be pleasantly surprised by the local and relatively unknown (but very delicious) beer selection.

Like many bars, most of the food items are not prepared on site but as we discovered with their cheese plate, they are prepared by other unique establishments in the area.

In short a combination of books and beer provides an intellectual backdrop enabling literary curiosity while deepening your brewery knowledge.

The Ranking (for an explanation, see “Ranking Key”):

Drinks: 3 Straws (with good prices and a unique selection were I a resident of Hudson this would be my local bar).

Price: $$traw: Moderate (I’ll be honest I don’t remember the specific costs but the final check was far for what we ordered).

Atmosphere: With the growing emphasis on family items the atmosphere can seem somewhat contradictory. I can’t say its not a little weird to be sipping a beer with a baby crawling on the floor behind you ready for a change.

Overall: 3 Straws. A great Hudson establishment and an icon of the goodness that comes from the locally owned.

The Details:

Website: http://www.thespottydog.com/blog/

Location: 440 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534

Phone: (518) 671-6006

Reservation: No need.

Dress: Casual.

Hours:

Monday- Thursday: 10:00am- 6:00pm

Friday-Saturday: 10:00am- 9:00pm

Sunday: 12:00pm- 6:00pm