San Pedro – Hudson, Wisconsin

A spring evening in Hudson Wisconsin, the light breeze skipping over the nearby river and filling the air with brief moments of icy air.

My friend Bao and I walked Main street stopping at each restaurant looking for something interesting on the menu. The German sausage place almost got our business if it were not for a stranger who suggested the San Petro.. a Jamaican restaurant in the heart of a sleepy hick town, in the cheese capital of USA.

The place had a casual ‘sit yourself wherever’ attitude, and so we did at the bar of the kitchen where we could talk to the chef. The chef was pleasant, Canadian ‘doohnt you knooowww’ and had a certain passion for the plethora of jerk enriched products he could muster. Our waitress was some tanned girl with bleached white hair that jutted out at an unnatural angle to her head.
I can still hear the smug chuckle the waitress made as I asked for a diet coke… how was I to know I was in Pepsi town.

Appetizer; Nachos with duck and a Jamaican salsa, topped with grilled cheese

The stack of nachos, almost half a foot high came quickly. The plate I was warned was hot, but still I touched it.. yes.. it was hot. The nachos stacked like a game of Jenga, one wrong pull and you’ll lose your mango. The flavor was intense, warm, sweet, the duck - fantastic and successful app that was pleasing to eat, and boy did I eat a lot.

Entrée; A duck and mango salsa pizza with habanera aioli on the side.

The pizza was deceiving, the aioli more so. Each bite packed with flavor, with texture and after you swallow the habanera in the aioli was like being kicked in the face by a pack mule. When I ate as much as I could, I forced down two more slices for good measure.

Final Thoughts;

The chef was so much fun to talk to. He let me sample the mashed potatoes with banana, gave me the recipe for the aioli and gave me a respect for Jamaican cuisine. The service was great, prices ridiculously reasonable and the atmosphere welcoming. If ever I am in Hudson again, I would be sure to stop by this place.