Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills

nychelsea · May 23, 2009

This is a fabulous restaurant, especially if you like organic food and locally grown stuff. I have had some woderful times there over the last two years. Imagine my surprise when the sommelier recognized me from Le Bernardin - it took some fast talking to cover up that one on the home front!

Go organic,

Chels

superwoman01 · May 23, 2009

Sounds delish Chels! I really enjoy organic too! I did not see a direct link to the restaurant. I did find this link and I found it to be very interesting.
http://www.americanfarmtotable.com/blue_hill_stonebarns.htm
P:S organic milk makes a body good!..wink..wink!
FYI- when you shop organic and the label has an eight its great!

justlooking · May 25, 2009

The reason you didn't find a link is that the restaurant is actually called Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

I hope Chels doesn't mind if I fix the title of this thread (assuming I can figure out how to do that).

Monk · May 26, 2009

It's a little unfair for me to write this, since I haven't been to either restaurant, but I heard that when they opened Blue Hill in Manhattan that the quality of the original restaurant (the one at Stone Barns) dropped. Is there any truth to this?

justlooking · May 26, 2009

It can't be true.

Because the New York restaurant opened many years before the Westchester offshoot did.

Maybe what you heard is that the New York original restaurant got worse after the Westchester offshoot opened. Since I dislike the New York restaurant, I wouldn't be able to judge that.

Monk · May 26, 2009

I'm sure you're right (about it being the other way around).

nychelsea · May 28, 2009

justlooking said:

I certainly don't mind the correction. Actually, I first learned about this place from some friends in Tarrytown. The next thing I learned was that it is the most popular restaurant in Westchester County, according to Zagat.

Enjoy,

Chels

RuffToy · May 28, 2009

justlooking said:

When Dan Barber opened Blue Hill, a particular gentleman became a regular patron, he became a huge fan of the place. He eventually approached Dan and told him about the location in Pocantico Hills that he would like him to consider opening an offshoot since he owned the property. The man was David Rockefeller and the rest is history.

This was told to me by someone very very close to Dan.

mr. f · May 28, 2009

I hate to be the one to break up the lovefest but I have eaten at the Westchester restaurant twice and found it to be very over-rated and hugely over priced. In fact, both times the people I went with felt the same way.

justlooking · May 29, 2009

Overrated? If it's anything like their Manhattan place, I can only agree.

Overpriced? I guess that's what they get for charging standard Manhattan prices out in the burbs.

nychelsea · Jun 3, 2009

mr. f said:

Each to his own Mr. F. Restaurant quality is in the eye (mouth, stomach?) of the beholder. My friends and I enjoy the place thoroughly. You and your friend did not. That's what makes the horse race! It would be helpful though if you explained more thoroughly why you didn't like it, other than the price that is.

Ps. I have not been to the NYC place.

Enjoy good food,

Chels

Monk · Jun 3, 2009

nychelsea said:

In this way, reviewing restaurants is a lot like reviewing prostitutes. Now I finally understand why this section is on this board!

justlooking · Jun 3, 2009

I thought that it had been definitively established years ago that restaurants are analogous to commercial sex in almost every way.

Monk · Jun 3, 2009

justlooking said:

I have to laugh, because I was the one who used to make that argument and got shot down so many times (especially by Slinky) that I gave up.

mr. f · Jun 4, 2009

nychelsea said:

Fair enough.

Other than what I believed was a very over priced meal for the quality here are my issues.

There was much more attention to the theory of the meal, i. e. the macrobiotic self-sustained farm production, than to a coherent dish. I thought there were flavors that did not match, and quality of produce (note I am not complaining about freshness) that was sub par for the prices. I thought the preparation was off both times I was there as well. A vegetable dish came out with way too much salt and the sweet breads were way over sauced.

In short, I found the restaurant too cerebral at the expense of taste.

mr. f · Jun 4, 2009

Continuing the above, I am not against this kind of restaurant - I really liked Verbena in the city when they were around. I just felt the whole production of Blue Hill in Westchester was a bit much.

The room and the surroundings were beautiful though.

justlooking · Jun 4, 2009

mr. f said:

Well, this shows that Stone Barns is different from their original Manhattan place.

There, everything is way underflavored.

nychelsea · Jun 5, 2009

Maybe we have been lucky when we have gone to eat here. The fist time was in July when a lot of the ingredients were quite fresh and, so the waiter said, from their gardens.

Thank, Sir F for being more specific. I see your point.

Enjoy fresh food,

Chels

mr. f · Jun 5, 2009

nychelsea said:

Thank you for making me a Sir.

This thread makes me think a best restaurants in Westchester could be useful.

justlooking · Jun 5, 2009

Is anyone stopping you from starting it?