It’s no secret that the town of Hudson is having a moment. Stroll down Main Street to find live music, local beer, craft cocktails and homemade ice cream at your fingertips. If it’s dinner you’re after, begin your evening at The Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
The cozy rapture of a wood fired oven greets customers the moment they walk through the door. Rail Trail’s locally sourced menu and extraordinary draught list guarantee that you will find the perfect pairing, all the while, feeling as if you’ve wandered into a snug New England farmhouse.
Dialing in on a flavor profile is only the beginning when it comes to pairing; one must also stay in tune with his or her atmosphere. There’s a reason we crave Cabernets or stouts in the frigid throws of winter and Rieslings or Goses come springtime. Our surroundings dictate our tastes in the same manner that our palates do.
Rail Trail is one of the few restaurants in central Massachusetts with access to brews from Kent Falls, a relatively new farmhouse brewery located in Kent, CT. Kent Falls is not yet open to the public, but I was lucky enough participate in a rustic dinner party this winter under the guidance of brewer, Barry Labendz.
Sitting down to dinner at Rail Trail, I was pleased to find Kent Falls’ Bewilderment on tap. Bewilderment is an Imperial Brett IPA that pours the color of daffodils and finishes with pungent bursts of overripe fruit and funk sure to entice adventurous drinkers.
One would be remiss to visit Rail Trail without ordering a flatbread pizza. Given my recent experience at Kent Falls, I felt compelled to order a pie that featured chicken. The Chicken Parm flatbread is made with a sweet crushed tomato base that stands up to the bitterness of an Imperial IPA. It’s topped with ditalini pasta, breaded chicken, basil and a garlic-Parmesan blend lovingly referred to as the house “funk.” Nothing measures up to the barnyard blast of Brettanomyces yeast like a pungent Parmesan and no one knows that better than Rail Trail.