blue hill at stone barns, 10/2/08

Elizabeth, Brian, Jane and I had a magical evening at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York. Before, our sumptuous, five-hour-long meal, we took a self-guided tour of some of the Stone Barn's green houses and vegetable gardens. The following are some photos of our explorations in a locavore's paradise.


We rented a zip car to make the 45 minute trip to Pocantico Hills from Brooklyn.









The Blue Hill at Stone Barns logo contains a naturalistic portrait of a cow. Comforting and bucolic.
















The animals raised on the property have much land to graze on and roam freely.








We arrived around 5:30pm, two hours before our reservation. That gave us time to explore the property.








Jane peers into the vegetable garden.








Stone Barns has a welcoming atmosphere. We entered green houses, filled with vegetables and herbs. There was a rubber chicken-head mask on a broom.










Sorrell, one of my favorite herbs.


















Mustard Greens.



















Early evening autumnal light illuminates beautiful vegetables.



















Jane's greenhouse self-portrait.









Greenhouse portrait of the ladies.








Greenhouse portrait of the gentlemen in suits.
















Stone Barnes is predicated on the ideals of sustainability, locality, and seasonality.










A floppy-eared rabbit in a hutch. Cute.






The light really was amazing on that early evening.

















Entering the courtyard of Stone Barns restaurant.








A last minute cell phone call before we entered the restaurant and gave ourselves over to an epicurian fantasy.



What I can recall of what we ate that evening:
1. purple cauliflower, cheddar cauliflower, baby carrots, radishes on a fence
2. last of the season's green beans with their flowers
3. parm crackers with herbs
4. baloney, coppa, pate and chocolate
5. face bacon
6. smoked kale, sage-potato chips
7. veal bone and sturgeon caviar
8. farro crisps, ricotta, carrot salt, arugula salt
9. fairy eggplant, sesame seeds and bacon
10a. red beet, golden beet, mixed greens, pickled plums
10b. sashimi of blue fish, apples, radishes, sturgeon caviar
11. green gazpacho, red tomato sorbet, hazelnuts
12. poached-fried egg, chicken of the woods mushrooms
13. raw and poached celtuse, yogurt foam, nut puree
14. artichoke tortellini, pomodoro
15a. bass, zucchini, raisins, curry sauce
15b. lamb shoulder, eggplant puree
16. cheese course: goat x 2, gouda x 2, seckle pair X 2, honey comb
17a. chocolate cake, currants and raspberries
17b. figs, honey, walnut icecream
18. lemon verbena tea, anise hyssop tea, darjeeling, pineapple sage
19. yogurt marshmallow, sesame chocolate
20. concord grapes, figs, raspberries on a fence

What we drank. I can't remember the producers or the vintage of the wine:
1a. Non-alcoholic Gerwurtztraminer
1b. Elderflower
1c. Ramp martini
1d. Concord
2. Chassagne Montrachet
3. Vouvray
4. Margaux