In a celebration to mark the fifth anniversary of the current Seasons Tavern, it will be all about the music, but also about a whole lotta walleye and burgers with three kinds of cheese.
The music part of the show starts around 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28, and that should tell you something about Seasons, located in the heart of North Hudson.
While the show must go on, their attraction is more about the dining than its other attributes, and having the band begin at that time means people can enjoy their dinner and converse before they rock out along the main drag.
What on the menu keeps bringing people back? “Anything walleye,” two servers agreed, citing a variety of treatments given to their fish dinners. And The Slugger, a big trifecta burger topped with cheese curds, pepperjack cheese and jalopena-spiced cheese.
Many of the regulars say they like the consistency on the menu, knowing they can get a favorite dish time and again, but that’s not to say things aren’t occasionally changed up. There is a summer menu that leans more toward salads and pastas, and a chef’s special of the day that also often features pastas, as well as other items.
When my parents visit twice a year, Seasons has always been the place they want to take us for dinner, with the favorite entree and side dish choices evolving as the years went by.
Brad, the owner of Seasons, has also been the longtime drummer of the group Thirsty Camel, which has become the house band for occasions such as this at Seasons, performing four or five times a year. He keeps it low-key but still up-tempo. They feature light rock from a host of classic rock groups, and have been covering such songs almost since the time those bands got going in the ’70s and ’80s.
The trio sets up in the northeast corner of the lower level of the establishment, with several tables closeby that make for an intimate setting for listeners. It was at a spot just a few steps away that in the earlier part of the decade, karaoke and open mic sessions were held. They might at some point be brought back, but at this point Seasons strives to focus on being a restaurant, although there are other local music groups brought in on occasion.
The establishment is constructed out of plenty of thick wood hewn logs, bringing the lodge concept to town long before it was popularized by some other eating places. A relatively new touch is having the ceiling above the round downstairs bar opened up, except for some of the aforementioned beams, and a Christmas tree planted in the middle of the upper level.
The detail given to the ambiance is shown in the fact that many of the lighting fixtures are either new or have been moved around, so there is consistency in the decor.
Are there some regulars who come in like clockwork? “Oh yeah,” said a couple of the servers. These patrons often arrive at the same times on any given night, and regularly order the same drink or meal. The servers say they’ve grown accustomed to these preferences, and look forward to asking them about their families or how their day was.