May 13, 2021
As business returns to normal in Hudson Square, our local retailers are excited to welcome you back to the neighborhood. Allow us to reintroduce Ned Baldwin and his restaurant, Houseman, which is located at 508 Greenwich Street.
What sets your restaurant apart from others?
The community. As much as restaurants are about food, they are also about the people. The Houseman community, both workers and customers, have stuck together and supported each other through this difficult time. Our relationships have deepened, and the restaurant has become more itself: a neighborhood restaurant for the people of Hudson Square.
What do patrons love most about your restaurant?
They used to want table 33, a roast chicken, and a glass of a particular California pinot noir. Now that we have outdoor seating, they want the couch at table 73, outside in our heated, covered parklet. They love Mac’s incredible and constantly changing wine list and his bespoke cocktails. Everyone knows about Houseman’s hanger steak that New York Magazine dubbed the best in NYC, but customers also come for smoked bluefish, our vegetables—and people know that whatever fish is on the menu will be local and delicious.
What’s your favorite dish/drink on the menu?
I have two favorites, and they’re both on our brand new brunch menu: The “Loaded Avocado” and “Antelmo’s Chilaquiles.” For details on what those are, drop in for brunch this weekend. My favorite cocktail is the casa kombucha, which is basically a gin and tonic but made with ginger/lemon kombucha, white tequila, and a teeny bit of Campari. As far as wines, we’re serving a slightly effervescent rose, a txakolina that is light, dry, and a perfect warm spring day quaff.
What makes Hudson Square a great place to do business?
New York is a city of micro-neighborhoods. We’re at the corner of Spring and Greenwich, just a short couple blocks from Hudson River Park. It’s sunny, you can smell the sea when the wind blows in the right direction, and the tourists have no idea our neighborhood exists. It’s local, it’s personal, and everybody knows everybody over here. Hudson Square is a special place for a restaurant.
What is your favorite thing to do in Hudson Square?
I live in Hudson Square, so my favorite thing to do is get up in the morning, make a coffee, and take my dog, Frank, over to the dog park at Leroy Street. In the afternoon/evening, if I’m not in the restaurant, I like to go up the street to Altro Paradiso for amazing pasta and a great glass of wine or stay closer to home and sit outside at the Ear with a beer.
