Around a 20-minute drive from Westborough is the downtown area of Hudson. This quaint area holds the town’s public library, town hall, and multiple food spots to try out. The three of us took a trip up to Hudson to try out two popular places, Rail Trail Flatbread Co. and New City Microcreamery.
Rail Trail in Hudson was opened in 2012 with the hopes of creating a welcoming family restaurant for everyone. Although known for its flatbread, the restaurant serves up many other items like burgers, salads, and tacos. 11 years after the first store opened, their second location opened in Milford, MA. Both of these locations have grown significantly in popularity, but have also stayed true to creating a restaurant for anybody.
Just across the road is New City Microcreamery which opened in 2015 and offers a unique way to make ice cream. Instead of the traditional method, the company uses liquid nitrogen to make their treats. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, they are offering Thanksgiving Ice Cream Pies to celebrate with family. They also have two other stores in Sudbury and Cambridge. Alongside the ice cream stores, you can also find pints of this ice cream in select grocery stores to try at home.
Let’s take a look at these two places.
Grace:
The feta bake pizza features a crunchy thin flatbread crust topped with whipped feta, tomatoes, roasted banana peppers, and garlic parmesan. The best part of the pizza by far was the crust, it was perfectly crispy outside with a nice fluffy inside, it was the perfect oven-baked crust. The toppings were ok, the feta wasn’t anything special, and there was a good layer of tomato. The banana peppers were okay; it was a little strange being thrown into the mix, just a little not-so-pleasant surprise biting into it. There were parts of the pizza that were unevenly seasoned, parts were unseasoned while others seemed to be way over-seasoned, to the point it was spicy. Overall the pizza was okay, nothing crazy, I think it’s a pretty acquired taste. The Shirley Temple was very good, but they aren’t very hard to make. The combined pizza and drink was $22.25.
New City Microcreamery was also a bit of a letdown as well. I got cannoli ice cream, which tasted just like cannoli. The only bad part of the ice cream was a large chunk of chocolate, cannoli, and ice. It was just a hunk of rock-hard cannoli mystery, about the size of a ping pong ball, which I almost cracked my tooth on. For being $7.22 for a kiddie ice cream I don’t think that it is worth it.
Hannah:
It’s safe to say that I really enjoyed both Rail Trail and New City Microcreamery. Although I have been to New City Microcreamery multiple times, I have only been to Rail Trail once a while back, so I was excited to try some of their newer menu items! I ordered the vodka pesto sandwich with a substitute for fried chicken. The sandwich consisted of a fried chicken cutlet with provolone cheese, vodka sauce, and basil pesto, all on cheesy baked pita bread. The meal came with a side of greens, however I paid an extra two dollars for a side of Caesar salad instead. The sandwich and side Caesar salad cost $19.50. It was definitely a bit pricey. The crispiness of the chicken, along with the creaminess of the vodka sauce was a perfect combo. I was concerned that the pesto and the vodka sauce would not go well together, but they ended up complimenting each other perfectly. Not to mention, the Caesar salad was one of the best that I have had in a long time. In addition to romaine lettuce, the salad also consisted of spinach, shaved broccoli, and brussels sprouts, all of which added a refreshing crunch to the dish.
As for the New City Microcreamery, I really enjoyed the ice cream that I got. I went with my usual kiddie chocolate chip cookie dough with hot fudge. Although it was tasty, it cost $7.22. For the amount I was given, which was only 3 oz. scoop, this price seemed a bit excessive. However, for those who have not been to New City Microcreamery before, it is an adorable ice cream shop. With both indoor and outdoor seating, it is a great place to go with a group of friends or family. Overall, I would highly recommend both Rail Trail and New City Microcreamery to anyone living in, or near the Hudson area.
Sahana:
I have never been to Rail Trail before, however I have heard great things about the restaurant from friends. With that being said, I would go back only if I got a different entree. I ordered the fig and walnut flatbread. It was a white pizza with a roasted garlic base, caramelized onion, cheese blend, fig balsamic glaze, arugula, and walnut. Although the item sounded appetizing on the menu, it ended up tasting very bland. The crust itself was yummy and I can definitely understand why this restaurant is known for its flatbread, however, the cheese and the rest of the toppings left the pizza tasting extremely dry. Just the pizza cost $17.50. If I was to go back, I would love to try the Mexican Street Corn flatbread which is another one of the unique options they offer. On the other hand, the Caesar salad was delicious. I had a few bites of Hannah’s salad and was very pleased with the combination of greens. The broccoli and brussel sprouts added a good crunch, and the garlic croutons were super tasty. I would go back just for the salad. The Shirley Temple was also the perfect combination of sweet and fizzy without one juice overpowering the other.
At New City Microcreamery, I got the Matrix Brownie ice cream in the smallest size, kiddie, which came out to $6.15. The ice cream itself was delicious with the brownie being the star of the show. The pieces mixed throughout were not so large that they overtook the ice cream, but were perfectly sized so each bite had a bit of both. While I really enjoyed the many chocolate flavors in the ice cream, I did feel that this was expensive for a small cup of ice cream. While I have been to New City Microcreamery once before, I really enjoyed trying out a new flavor that did not disappoint.
Overall, the three of us had a fantastic time checking out downtown Hudson. We highly recommend you check out both of these stores as well as the other shops in and around the area. To learn more about Rail Trail Flatbread Co. and New City Microcreamery, check out the websites linked below.
