Blue Hill at Stone Barns | New York, Part 2 of 3
It turns out that one of the best dining experiences in all of New York lies not in the city but 45 minutes north at a little farm in the Pocantico Hills.
On a Sunday afternoon, we left Manhattan to spend a day at Blue Hill at Stone Barns where they take farm-to-table to its logical conclusion– put the table on the farm. The Barbers were hand picked to open their Blue Hill restaurant on the site of Stone Barns, and they enjoy a great symbiotic relationship to this day. Our dinner reservation was not until late in the evening, but we arrived early in the afternoon to take the tour of the farm and explore the surrounding area.
Our first stop was to grab a bite to eat from the Blue Hill Cafe– a taste of great things to come. That beet & goat cheese sandwich was amazing. It was also an indication of many more beets to come– tis the season!
This was a magical moment of great luck for me, as I recognized Chef Dan Barber working in the kitchen and snapped this photo mere milliseconds before the tour guide realized he was supposed to tell me not to take photos of the kitchen. I then apologized but excitedly checked my screen and confirmed that I got the shot. With Chef Barber in the kitchen, this was going to be a meal to remember.
We saw artichokes going into the ground.
The greenhouse was perfectly kept with all sorts of goodies growing.
As nice as the veggies were, they could not beat this… April means the arrival of NEW BABY LAMBS! Ahhhh, the cutest! Shelby the guard dog looks out for them.
Out of all the baby lambs, just one came out black and white.
And then we met the pigs.
Baby pigs!
Our Blue Hill crew: Julia, Davis, Robyn, Peter, me, and Jesse.
And then, since we still had four hours to dinner, we headed in to the neighboring town of Tarrytown and wandered around for a while.
We came back at sunset.
Blue Hill at dusk.
Setting the scene for an incredible meal.
First, I got to try a ramps cocktail– pickled ramp gibson. The ramp is a spring onion available for only a few days each year.
There are no menus at Blue Hill. Instead, they provide a small pamphlet that lists some of the ingredients that are in season throughout the different months of the year. The Farmer’s Feast is a tasting menu with five, eight, or twelve courses. We opted for the eight.
First up were these little squares that looked like granola but actually had a gelatinous texture and were made up of beets and goat cheese. In the middle of the top row, mini birch whoopie pies. And on the right, one of my favorite presentations: miniature veggies. Tiny broccoli, carrots, and radishes for all!
In the second row, some farro, polenta, and beet chips as thin as paper, and then some pea shoots with a lemon vinaigrette with scissors for you to cut the shoots off yourself.
Third row above, a celery ‘sushi,’ a very delicious acorn polenta and ham shooter which was unexpectedly warm and tasted like a wonderful corn chowder, mini beet burgers, and a gluten-free beet yogurt with a green apple sugar compote for Robyn.
Top row below, bone marrow with caviar– yes, really. And everything up to this point had been an amuse bouche, not technically a part of the eight courses of our meal. On the top right, brioche, spinach and kale, ricotta cheese, and fresh black pepper.
Second row, farmer’s tacos with kohlrabi wrappers, shrimp, mussels, green peas, daikon, sea salt, and mini bottles of watermelon molasses hot sauce.
Third row above, with the big ball of black coal, we were shown the biological charcoal process. At this point, we were all so invested in the meal, we would have been willing to carve right in and start digging for the cabbage inside, but it was just a demo. We were served the amazingly tender savoy cabbage with speck and smoked apple shown in the next picture– it’s so crazy, it looks more like fish than cabbage.
Last row above, some carrot and beet salts. Then, a rutabega also cooked in the bio charcoal process with a compost shell, paired with blood sausage (as a liquid removed from the casing). Next, a Pollack-esque squid ink with celery root and a soft poached egg. Finally, a trio of porks with green apple puree and sauerkraut.
Next, it was time for the dessert rounds. Some tea with a beautiful honey from the farm. Upper right, rose hip, pistachio ice cream, and yogurt. On the bottom row, milk jam and chocolate and Robyn’s non-dairy alternative, and on the bottom right, (served on a tree, of course) dried apple, macadamia nut chocolate, Meyer lemon, and pumpkin seeds.
It was an incredible meal and a wonderful day from beginning to end. What a way to leave the city and be transported to an entirely different experience. Thank you to all my dining companions and especially to Jesse for bringing me out there! I also stole most of these food descriptions from him, since he was the only one taking notes and remembering what everything was.
And so the adventures continue.
Anna is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. Follow her on facebook or subscribe to her blog for the latest on her food, photography, and travel adventures.
New York
Part 1: Manhattan
Part 2: Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Part 3: Eating Through New York
