Having worked in a plethora of restaurants stretching from New York City to the Hudson Valley for 10-plus years, I can say I’m no master chef nor am I a critic, but I do have knowledge of the craft. I worked at the notorious Village Tea Room in New Paltz, Westwind Orchard in Accord, Ha's Đặc Biệt in Brooklyn and various New York City pop-ups.

That said, the food industry has reached inconceivable heights — and prices, especially after the pandemic. Food used to be a necessity. Now it’s a commodity facing ever-changing fads and appealing to social media influencers. Going out to eat, enjoying your glass of wine or a fancy cocktail and saying “F—k it, I'll get the $60 steak” because there aren’t many other options available has become so commonplace these days.

This issue of inflation was found in many trendsetting restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn. We can’t call it “fine dining” anymore. This is because most places, where gentrification is like mycelium festering in the roots of trees simply can charge these prices, so they do. The Hudson Valley is now facing the same cavalry, charging at us ravenously with phones for swords and tiny shoulder bags for shields. Brooklyn has pushed them out and the Hudson Valley, having had a taste of the skyrocketing inflation after COVID, has its arms wide open.

Kingston, being a hotspot of gentrification, has had restaurants coming and going at staggering rates. Many of the new restaurants appearing in Kingston follow the prescribed notions of consumerist behavior, contributing to the gentrification process. They fall under the category of modern and aesthetically pleasing, with overpriced dishes.

Eliza is one of them. It’s a new restaurant on Broadway that’s sister to Ollie's Pizza (High Falls), Ollie's Slice Shop (Kingston), Fletcher & Lu (Kingston) and Kingston Wine Co. The atmosphere and ambience was meticulously orchestrated. The dark lighting, the retro-tiles lining the floor, the cute compilation of smaller mirrors to make a large mirror underneath the beautiful skylight in the dining room. Yes, a skylight! That, including the soft pastel palette and perfect lighting, make you feel immediately cozy. So cozy, you might be distracted from the $95 seafood tower and not-so-spectacular menu.

Places that charge for bread and butter, especially $9, are big red flags when discussing gentrification hotspots. We all know that’s more than the price of a loaf, so they aren’t fooling anyone. Yes, I will add that almost everything is made in-house. Even their burger buns, which was the best part of my experience eating there recently. Fresh, soft, yet still compact enough to not fall apart after a bite.

On the other end of this spectrum, the smoky eggplant appetizer was under-seasoned and felt like a mediocre baba ganoush; I had almost forgotten that anchovies were in the dish because I finally tasted one in my last bite. The seeded cracker that came with it, however, had a well-balanced roast with a soft crunch. The “smoked” trout appetizer was clearly grilled trout. It lacked smokiness in flavor, and the curing part that is usually associated with smoked fish. Although it was cooked well and still tasty, the menu creators were pushing it with the description.

Eliza is not a place for vegetarians. They were out of their ricotta ravioli entree on their first night open (gasp)! My friend and I went a couple of hours after they opened, but I’m sure nobody there had tried the ravioli, so I am skeptical that they were even prepared to serve this dish. Thankfully, the person I was with is a pescatarian. But she would have had to settle for side dishes and the $9 bread otherwise.

The drinks were a standout part of the meal. The Green Eye cocktail was spectacular. It evoked notes of a chartreuse sour with a frothy finish, and the flavor was enough to make anyone weak in the knees. The tartness was smoothed out by its other bouncy attributes. I have a soft spot for gin, but after years of bartending experience I can detect a well-rounded cocktail. They had a large drink menu, with a wide selection of wines and international beers. Unfortunately, not many beers that are local to the Hudson Valley area were featured in their drink menu.

Overall, the service was good. The servers were attentive, but not so overwhelmingly attentive that they disrupted the flow of dinner and conversation. I appreciated the welcoming and wholesome ambiance that resonated in Eliza, and the overall experience was pleasant.

If you are in search of a soothing ambiance and tasty cocktails, then Eliza may be the place for you. However, when the food isn’t the memorable aspect of my dining experience, it doesn’t become a place I would frequent. Even for a tasty cocktail and a surprisingly satiating burger bun.