What's Happening at 3FortySeven

Michael Davis's plan for an outdoor food court at 347 Warren Street--with an ensemble of food trucks and an outdoor beer and wine garden --got site plan approval from the Planning Commission back in April 2012, and in the fifteen months that have passed since then, the eagerly anticipated mecca for gathering and grazing doesn't seem to have moved much closer to what was envisioned in this rendering.

Spring saw the re-opening of the acclaimed Taste of India, at the back of the lot, where the site plan indicated it would go, along with Truck Pizza. Then around the time the ever popular Tortillaville returned for the season, Truck Pizza closed down, and the word was its owner was heading back to California. In recent weeks, something new and unheralded was added: Hudson Gelato, sited right up at the front where a series of vendor stalls had been planned.

Recently, Gossips got the whole story of what's happening at 3FortySeven. First, about Hudson Gelato: the owners are Miles Vidor and William Smith, and the gelato is natural, kosher, and locally sourced. The news about Truck Pizza is that Sam Starr has sold the business to Alvaro Medina. Earlier this week, Starr was at the truck training his successor to make the inimitable pizza, and there was free pizza for anyone lucky enough to be around when that was happening. Truck Pizza is expected to be reopening sometime in the next few weeks. And there's a new truck expected to join the lineup very soon: Stephen Bluestone's Tin Can Kitchen. Tin Can Kitchen will be offering "slow, sustainable deli food," including organic hot dogs and sausages and condiments made from local ingredients.

The beer and wine garden, with both indoor and outdoor seating, now has a name: BackBar. Described by its creator as "a healthy bar alternative offering food and drinks throughout the day, from breakfast into late night," BackBar is expected to open in the fall and stay open throughout the year, six days a week. The food on offer will be provided by Hudson Grains and Greens, managed by Miles Vidor. In the morning, the drinks will be gourmet coffees to accompany such breakfast fare as local yogurt with granola and berries, quinoa egg burritos, steel-cut oatmeal with cinnamon, vanilla, crushed nuts, and local maple syrup. Later in the day, for lunch and dinner, there will be wine, locally brewed beer and cider, and small production liquors, to complement such menu offerings as vegetarian farm-to-table salads and hearty grains, with some fish and poultry and veggie burgers. The casual dining scene in Hudson is about to become even more diverse and intriguing than it already is.