hot mama health: Blue Hill

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Spring Visit Blue Hill at Stone Barns

1:23 PM | Posted by Christine | Edit Post

A Friendly Hen

This past Saturday, Jimmy and I returned to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY. We went with friends for an afternoon of walking the grounds and an evening of eating and, um, lots of um, eating. Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a working farm that feeds its restaurant with locally grown seasonal foods. All the food and animals are grown and raised humanely without the use of fertilizers, hormones or anything else you wouldn't want turning up on your plate and in your food. Everything you eat is fresh, delicious and totally REAL.

I have already written two posts on Blue Hill (see here and here) so I won't go on about how wonderful and amazing of a place it is to visit. But I will share some of the pictures we took last weekend... :)

Grazing Hens

Jimmy in one of the gardens...

A really good salad with flowers and foam.

A little blurry, but that is a fried fish on a stick!

With that, I want to announce the winner of the Vemma Give Away...Lindsey! Unfortunately, Lindsey, in your comment, I was not able to link back you your blog. So, please leave a comment and a way for me to get in touch with you. I will choose another winner when I get back from vacation in the beginning of June if we do not connect :(

Labels: Blue Hill | 1 comments

Holiday Dinner: Return Trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns 12/12/09

7:54 AM | Posted by Christine | Edit Post

Dan Barber signed our menu and circled

the ingredients that made up our meal :)

Okay folks, Jimmy and I had our third dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past Saturday and it was even more amazing than our last visit in September. If you caught my briefing on Blue Hill last week, I explained that this restaurant aims to serve farm-to-plate local, seasonal and organic food. However, I did not mention that the chef, Dan Barber, was named the best chef in the country for 2009 by the James Beard Foundation. We caught a peek of him in the back of the restaurant with his chef outfit on, which made us excited! Even more exciting, upon finishing our meal, our waiter brought us into the kitchen for a tour! Dan Barber signed our menu and circled the foods that we ate throughout the evening.

The menu at Stone Barns is unlike any menu I have ever encountered. Instead of listing dishes by name, there is a long and varied assortment of fresh ingredients printed on a page. After perusing it the waiter asks if there is anything on the list that you prefer not eat. He also makes sure to ask if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies. Jimmy and I do not, and we decided to pass only on the venison and organ meats. Everything else on the menu we fervently agreed to taste. After the waiter walks away the food that follows is a complete surprise! I was there with a pen and notebook (as well as camera) to document it all :)

Jimmy and I did not shy away from choosing the 8 course Farmer's Feast meal. It lasted a little over three hours and, yes, we were stuffed. But stuffed in the best possible way!

What we ate.....

Appetizers

Veggies from the Field

Salsify w/ Pancetta & Buckwheat

Smoked Kale, Adirondack Sage & Beet Chips

Beet Burger

Coppa on Adirondack Blue Potato Frittata

Tuscan Salami & Bologa (from Berkshire pigs on the farm)

Hudson Valley Veal Marrow w/ American Caviar

Main Course

Grilled Wahoo w/ Parsnips & Brussel Sprouts (from the field)

Roasted Carrot (from the field) w/ Spiced Bread Crumbs & Carrot Puree

Braised Hake w/ Crispy Squid & Pig's Ear

This Morning's Farm Egg w/ Dehydrated Vegetables & Lettuce Broth

Squab w/ Rutabaga, Cranberries & Leafy Greens

Berkshire Pork w/ Stuffed Squash (and something) & Spinach (from the field)

Dessert

Peanut Butter Yogurt Parfait

Chocolate & Graham Souffle w/ Prunes (and something else)

After Dinner Bites

Vinegar Chocolate

Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Marshmellow

Pictures

Fresh Vegetables from the Field

Braised Hake w/ Crispy Squid & Pig's Ear

Peanut Butter Yogurt Parfait

I apologize for such dimly lit photos. We did not want to be that crazy couple with the camera flashing every 10 seconds. I would have attached more but it is hard to see them with the lighting. Jimmy will be writing a review of our meal today at his blog Golden Eats. He is much more elaborate and his review is sure to have just a wee bit more detail, plus there will be more pics :)

I highly recommend that anyone within driving distance of Blue Hill at Stone Barns make a trip out to Pocantico Hills and enjoy the gardens, the animals and the food!! It is a once-in-a-life-time, food-altering experience.

Labels: Blue Hill, Dan Barber, Dining Out | 1 comments

Holiday Dining!

3:05 PM | Posted by Christine | Edit Post

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Hi Bloggee friends! I hope you're having a great Wednesday. Weird weather up in NYC! I awoke to the smattering of sleet hitting my window and wind wrapping around the building. Now it is quite mild and pleasant for a near mid December evening. Anywho, I wanted to write a quick post on holiday dining plans.
Jimmy and I are heading to one of our favorite restaurants this Saturday, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York for our holiday dinner. The food here is locally grown, seasonal and organic, not to mention it is absolutely amazing! Blue Hill Stone Barns is the epitomy of eating well; the food is 100% sustainable, respecting both the land and in turn our bodies. We loved it so much when we visited last spring that we vowed to go back every season in order to experience the different food and flavors. This visit will be our third and our first winter meal. I am so excited to share the food and photos with you next week. I took pictures from our visit in early June and I still look at them in amazement. Here are a few that I hope you enjoy!
What are your plans for holiday dining? Staying in and cooking, going out? Hitting up a favorite restaurant?