click to enlarge On a recent chilly evening, I headed to Feast & Floret in Hudson. Not only to try something new, but to understand how the restaurant is setting itself apart at the same location where until last March, Fish & Game and its award-winning chef Zak Pelaccio reigned over the region's dining scene. The trio of Jason Denton and husband-and-wife Patrick Milling-Smith and Lavinia Milling-Smith opened Feast & Floret in October, and the menu and overall dining experience is confident and assured—less a response to Fish & Game than a new direction entirely. Feast & Floret's Italian-inspired menu is fresh, savory, presented with warmth, yet still exciting and full of interesting touches that keep you engaged in each complex bite. You're well-taken care of when you're eating there, the experience comfortable and lovely, whether you're dining inside in the gorgeously reimagined space that long ago housed a blacksmith shop or outside on the open-air patio, even in 36-degree weather.