Blue Hill Restaurant

As a general rule, Chris and I stay away from anything too trendy. We don't want to embarrass them with our sophistication and taste! But Blue Hill in the Village was a must. Chef/Owner Dan Barber and Chef Juan Ceuvas have made a name for themselves serving farm fresh food (some from the Stone Hill farm in Westchester). The NY restaurant is in the basement of a townhouse on Washington Square. The room is simple but very comfortable with tables nicely spaced and a VERY knowledgeable and attentive staff who will give you the history of every ingredient of every dish. Because of their friendly and unassuming style it does not come off as precious or pedantic. It was recently given 3 stars by the Times and we agree.

Both restaurants rely heavily on meat and game from Stone Hill farm supplemented, when necessary by green-markets. The ingredients are clearly excellent and the preparations reasonably straightforward to take advantage of them. You can see the seasonal menu at their web-site (see link below).

Chris started with 'Squash Soup', the only item we found mildly disappointing. My own starter with the unusual sounding 'This Morning's Farm Fresh Egg with Foraged Mushrooms', was incredible. I love mushrooms and these retained their earthy flavor, while the poached egg provided a rich sauce.

I followed with the 'Berkshire Pork with Spaetzle and Stone Barns Arugula'. In recent years I have been increasingly enjoying pork in lieu of beef. I find it has more variety and interesting preparations. This is especially true when heritage Berkshire Pork (with all its wonderful fat!) is available. This particular dish included a nice piece of the loin and a piece of bacon - one of my favorite splurge items. I had to fight with Chris because she loves Spaetzle. Her selection of the 'Hudson Valley Venison' with the same foraged mushrooms was exceptionally tender and flavorful (I think it was prepared with the "Sous Vide" vacuum process Dan Barber is known for). We also had locally grown brussel sprouts (not Chris' from Otis). Our wine selection was a wonderfully ripe and smooth Amarone della Valpolicella (2001).

Unusually, we had cheese and dessert - Chestnuts with crepe and hot chocolate sauce that was lovely with only a hint of sweetness.

Blue Hill Restaurant

75 Washington Place

New York, New York 10011

212-539-1776