Restaurant Review II- Blue Hill at Stone Barns

There are few experiences one has in their life, which can spiritually, physically and emotionally shape them. For me, they are usually centered on food. Sunday brunch at Blue Hill at Stone Barns was one of these experiences. Chef Dan Barber uses local ingredients to create gastronomical and artistic wonders. Everything from the homemade butter to the environmentally friendly cardboard straw has been carefully and flawlessly thought out. For two and a half hours we tasted seasonal food that could not be forgotten.
The menu is very unusual, where you see all of the ingredients Chef Barber may use in your meal. The participants at the table let the waiter know if there are any allergies or dislikes, such as liver or brain (which we excluded) from our repertoire. Let the eating begin!

Unsure if this was our first course, the waiters casually brought over four amuse bouche. First was homemade white bread, made on the premises, still warm and exactly what I was craving after three painful weeks on a no-carb diet. Next, were beet chips. Paper thin, the chips practically melted on your tongue after giving it a lightly salted jolt. Keeping with the winter root vegetable, beets, were mini beet burgers. Between two moist corn bread-like disks was a compote of beet and raspberry. A micro-green playing as the lettuce, I wish there were twenty more to shoot down. Venison sausage (my dads favorite) and sunchoke soup were part of this pre-first course.

Next a young lady came to our table presenting five brown eggs in a hand blown glass hollowed bowl stuffed with the makings of a nest. She gave us a shpeal about how many eggs the farm produces in the winter months. Ten minutes later we were presented with what had me up thinking about for days later. The soft-boiled egg is lightly deep-fried in an almond panko crisp breading and presented with a green house salad with pistachios and a schmear of herb dressing. Days later I was lying in bed when Barbers method still had me stumped, “After being boiled, peeled and fried, the yolk was still perfectly runny. How the hell did he do it?”

Second course was poached halibut in a spinach broth with baby shrimp and clams. The waiter caught us starting the meal with a fork when he rushed over and recommended using the spoon in order to get the broth evenly distributed over the piece of fish. He knew what he was talking about. The fish absorbed the broth, changing the color and flavor. Absolutely delish.

Thirdly was roasted venison and venison sausage with carrots. We understood it as though the venison came from a nearby deer farm. Not knowing that was either legal or available in Westchester we were open to this new experience and embraced it to the last bite and lick of the plate. The carrots had the right amount of sweetness and al dente, also grown on the farm.

The cheese lovers that we all are, we decided to insert the cheese plate into our menu. A little disappointed with the options that they had, we definitely felt we could put together a much better cheese plate. They had us comparing and contrasting two blues and two cheddars. I was hoping for a little more originality, especially since the previous three courses. I think we all felt a little upsold. None of that stopped us from finishing all of the cheese in our preparation for dessert.

Two different desserts were divided between the five of us. I got an apple strudel pancake with vanilla maple goose egg ice cream. Not usually being one for desserts, I couldn't get enough of the ice cream off of the plate. I was looking for more bread to soak it up with. A great end to a fantastic meal. One that I will never forget.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

630 Bedford Road

Pocantico Hills, NY

914.366.9600

http://www.bluehillatstonebarns.com/

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