Blue Hill at Stone Barns

money cannot buy taste or culture and the blue hill lacks both of them! terrible decor horrendous food! what a miserable attempt to recreate an Italian luxurious agriturismo ambiance. Breathtaking surroundings but the decor what a disaster as bad as the food! Too pretentious with no substance, we are fortunately not living in space we still know the taste of steamed vegetables and do not need to see them served in a dog bowl as a compliment from the chef, quite insulting. The mix of wrong herbs and food leaves a bad taste the menu is too confusing. Too many waters walking around with no directions, the service lacks basics a proper dress code with ironed shirts and pants. The distance of the kitchen is such that the food arrives cold. It is not the "amount of money" that are attracted to the restaurant that can raise it to the level of excellence. It is not even decent to a trained palate. more

One of the most memorable dining experiences I have had recently was in upstate New York at the restaurant Blue Hills at Stone Barns. This restaurant is unique because it is situated in the middle of a working farm, and gets a large proportion of its produce from the farm. Before dinner, we toured the farm area and saw the chicken coops and (huge) greenhouse where they grow all the vegetables and fruits. Because it is a working farm that has to turn a profit, the restaurant actually has to buy all the produce from the farm at market prices. Dinner was spectacular. The service was impeccable and even though the style of food preparation was relatively simple, it only served to highlight the difference that fresh ingredients can make in the taste of the food. If you've never tasted farm-fresh eggs before, you will have to - the consistency and color of the yolk is quite unlike anything you've ever seen from a store-bought egg. The pork on the menu is straight from the Berkshire pigs that they rear on the farm, and was quite assuredly the most succulent pork I have ever tasted in my life. After dinner, we went on a tour of the kitchen and the wine cellar and charcuterie room. The sous chef is apparently so deeply engaged in charcuterie that he doesn't even work "on the line" anymore (ie. in the kitchen). The fragrance from the charcuterie (or meat curing) room was amazingly pungent that the smell hits you like a sledgehammer even from a couple of feet away. A fellow foodie friend remarked that he was in heaven and did not want to leave after smelling the charcuterie. I've been privileged to have the opportunity to dine at some very nice restaurants before (Lumiere in Vancouver, Jules Verne in Paris, Jean Georges and Aquavit in New York), but Blue Hills was a singularly unique experience, and I highly recommend it to anyone who visits New York and has a free evening to spend. (Blue Hills also has a restaurant in Manhattan for those on tighter schedules). more

I have a love/hate relationship with Blue Hill. I've been there 3 times and have always loved every bite I've taken from their creative mixtures of seasonal ingredients, I hate the fact that it's so expensive. But honestly, it's the best game in town. Blue Hill is a restaurant that works in a partnership with the Stone Barns agricultural center. As such it offers the freshest ingredients that literally come right from the greenhouse to your table. The menu is masterfully put together by chef Dan Barber using the best seasonal produce available. Even the cocktails participate in the fresh theme, with offerings like a cucumber martinis, opal basil mojitos and a rhubarb cosmopolitans. The prix fixe menu can be ordered in one of four ways: as a 2- ($26 per person) 3- ($36) or 4-course ($46) meal or as a chef's sampling, complete with wine tastings. I've tried the 3- and 4- course and frankly, if you're dining with ithers, would recommend the smallr portions which a) save money and b) promote sharing. Every dish I've had here has been excellent. Mr. Barner really knows how to mix diverse elements together without masking the flavor or texture of the individual components. Reservations are difficult to come by, as they are often booked up to 2 mionths in advance, but last-minute diners can often find a place at the quiet and elegant bar, which offers a slighly less expensive, but still satisfying menu. You can go to many mediocre or even good places in Westchester and easily spend $50 per person for a dinner that leaves you feeling less than satified and a bit "stuffed". At Blue Hill, you certainly pay more, but every bite is savored and when you leave, you feel very satisified -- and not bloated. Blue Hill is also open for Sunday brunch, but as much as I think that the dinners are expensive and almost not worth the price of admissin, the brunches really aren't as special and should be bypassed in favor of a truly special dining experience. more