Evening Kayaking on the Hudson Earns a Great Meal at Co. (Company) in Chelsea

Now here is something fun to do, evening kayaking on the Hudson River with Manhattan Kayaking Company. It is an exhilarating experience that works up a good appetite which we amply sated with amazing salads, several pizzas and great beer and wine at Jim Lahey’s perfect Co. (Company) restaurant in Chelsea.

The idea of going on the Hudson River in a tiny boat may sound daunting but believe me it is safe and fabulous fun.

This was my second outing with Manhattan Kayaking Company, the first back in June with my son Pierce. We had an amazing time, in Pierce’s words “when I first thought of going out on a dirty river in a little kayak, surrounded by lots of big ships, I was worried, but after we went, I could not imagine missing such a great experience.”

That adventure inspired my friend Will Eddy to round up a group with his wife Anne, my wife Diana and 3 other friends. We had an amazing evening which everyone enjoyed.

After 90 minutes of paddling, floating and gazing at the beauty of the river, it is surprisingly clean, and the sparkling city skyline, we dried off and headed out for dinner at nearby Co.

Our meal started with this beautiful Lambrusco that our waiter warned was not as fizzy or sweet as many Lambruscos. We found it to be just perfect. Real Lambrusco made for Italians.

Co. also has very small but very well selected list of draft beers and wines by the glass as well as bottle. We had two very nice salads and then ordered several pizzas, being a group of seven we were able to taste almost the entire menu.

Jim Lahey opened the doors to Co., in Chelsea in 2009. He puts “his own spin on pizza while celebrating artisanal food culture and communal dining. The name is short for Company, a word whose Latin roots refer to the phrase ‘with bread.’” Co.

The pizzas in order of our favorites included the “Flambé” with béchamel, parmesan, mozzarella, caramelized onions and lardons.

Lahey’s crust is amazing, perfect thickness and density with lots of flavor. He certainly knows bread, you know he is the founder of the great Sullivan Street Bakery.

The next is called “Popeye” a white pie with a delightful blend of cheese, pecorino, gruyère, mozzarella, spinach, black pepper, and garlic.

The “Stracciatella” (a type of soft mozzarella cheese) is covered with fresh crushed tomato, stracciatella, arugula, and black pepper.

We loved the “Meatball” with tomato, mozzarella, veal meatballs, caramelized onions, olives, aged pecorino, and oregano, but somehow this one escaped the photographer.

The most interesting was the “Quattro Cipolla” (four onion) with béchamel, gruyère, mozzarella, caramelized onion, cippolini, scallion, fried shallots, and big fresh spring onions.