:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58412361/IMG_5242.0.jpg)
What is dead may never die: looks like longtime Hill Country restaurant Hudson’s on the Bend is being given a third life after closing suddenly last February. This is all thanks to thanks to new owners Dilum Chandrasoma, Kris Kimura, and Eric Leonard.
To reflect the rebirth, the restaurant will have a slightly different name: Hudson’s Hill Country. It will maintain its classic vibes and menu, but with an updated modern approach.
“We’re looking to really bring back the old Hudson’s pizzazz,” Chandrasoma said. “It’s a passion for us: Let’s re-revive this and bring it back and add a little modern flair to it as well.”
The core of the old Hudson’s menu will remain — the kitchen is currently working on rattlesnake items. John Sturdivant, who used to work at Z’Tejas, will become the new Hudson’s executive chef. Chandrasoma also envisions chefs from all over the world coming into Hudson’s kitchen to cook signature dishes for events and dinners.
Chandrasoma and his wife had been frequent patrons of the restaurant and bought it from Prime Thyme Restaurant Group with chef Billy Caruso and advanced sommelier Chris McFall. “We didn’t want it to go away,” he said. The deal closed in mid-December, and he’s looking to reopen the restaurant in mid-March.
There will be no further changes to the restaurant space. Chandrasoma added that the renovations were “perfect.”
Caruso and McFall took over Hudson’s from founder/owner/chef Jeff Blank in March 2016. The duo reopened the restaurant after renovations quickly that November. The restaurant then shuttered on Valentine’s Day in 2017 because of “challenges that could not be overcome,” according to a statement. Statesman critic Matthew Odam gushed about the restaurant in his review, which was published after the shutter.
Blank opened Hudson’s in 1984. Blank also opened essential food truck Mighty Cone, which he also sold off to Prime Thyme. Now the food truck’s new owner is Stephen Tarleton.
