A couple of weeks ago, Jess invited me to a food tasting at High Street on Hudson with Tasting Collective. She had me at “food,” of course, and I immediately said yes!

Tasting Collective is a community of foodies who dine at various restaurants around the city. For most of the events, there’s communal seating and the meal includes several courses of family-style dishes. Usually the restaurant’s executive chef creates the menu, which is a mix of his or her favorites, as well as new dishes they’re seeking “expert” feedback on. It’s a test-kitchen of sorts, and the chefs ordinarily pop out of the kitchen throughout the meal to share the stories behind the dishes and answer any questions diners may have.

We began with Labne and Dukkah, flavored with mint and served with warm housemate flatbread.

Followed by Black Bass Crudo with ponzu, avocado, radish and shiso.

Then we were served my favorite dish of the evening, the King Crab Toast with shiso, radish, and brown butter.

Next up was Seared Rainbow Trout.

Then Skillet Chicken with crispy drippings bread, fennel, and rosemary.

For sides, we dined on a bacon and beans dish.

And risotto covered in a runny egg that I also adored.

Then for dessert, most of the diners had Chocolate Budino with a miso caramel sauce.

But, because of an allergy, I was served a tart covered in strawberries and accompanied by ice cream.

The food may have been pretty, but besides the two dishes I complimented, nothing was all that remarkable. And my dessert was so terrible that I took one bite of the tart and decided to only eat the strawberries after that. Even the ice cream tasted weird.

So as far as High Street on Hudson goes, I’d give that restaurant a pass. New York City has a multitude of amazing restaurants, so why dine at a mediocre one?

Jess said that it was the worst dining experience she’s had with Tasting Collective, and at their past events she’s been able to sample some really incredible dishes. So the jury’s still out on Tasting Collective.

I supposed I’ll just have to take one for the team and try another event… the things I do for this blog, ha!

~A