Hudson’s on the Bend closed.

Hudson’s on the Bend, one of Austin’s higher-end restaurants, shut down abruptly yesterday afternoon, according to a report in the Statesman.

This is kind of a shame. We had several excellent and memorable meals at the old Hudson’s. But last year, Jeff Blank (who founded the restaurant) sold it to a new ownership group. (My recollection is that he had some health issues.) It seemed to me that the restaurant was “closed for remodeling” a lot longer than the new owners had originally expected. They eventually did re-open, but had only been open for three months before yesterday’s closure. I was kind of looking forward to trying it again at some point when everyone was flush, but they hadn’t been open long enough, the next special occasion is in April, and…well…

The new owners apparently aren’t saying a lot about what prompted the shutdown, but my guess is simply money. I think the remodeling took longer and cost more than they expected, and they probably just ran out of funds.

It will be interesting to see what goes into that space. Their next-door neighbor, The Hill Country Pasta House, was sold and re-opened as 827 Ray’s last year after what was also a long remodeling. We haven’t tried it.