This Farm-To-Table Mecca Is The Best Restaurant In America
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Co-owned by Dan and David Barber, Blue Hill is the ultimate farm-to-table restaurant, taking locavorism to new heights. The Stone Barns location (there's also a Blue Hill restaurant in the West Village) sits alongside fields of vegetables and rolling hills spotted with pigs, ducks, and beehives.
All the ingredients on your plate are fresh from the surrounding Hudson Valley. At Blue Hill, there's no set menu — you're in the hands of Dan and his team of experts — but the waiters will be more than happy to tell you where your mushrooms were foraged and what the lamb was fed.
And if you're really curious, you can go walk around outside and see for yourself.
Flickr user Alex Sugerman visited the famous restaurant back in September 2012. He was lucky enough to partake in the 12-course tasting menu ($358 per person, with wine pairing).
Welcome to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, The Best Restaurant in America.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The restaurant is located in pastoral Pocantico Hills, New York.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
It's 35 minutes on the express train out of NYC, and taxis are standing by at the station to take diners to the restaurant.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Inside the restaurant, there are high ceilings, photographs from around the farm, and fresh produce arranged as a centerpiece.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Diners choose between a five, eight, and 12 course tasting menu with optional wine pairings. Sugerman chose the 12 course option.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The first amuse bouche was Stone Barns's "V9," a delicious vegetable juice concoction.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The second was a series of fresh, raw vegetables washed in salt water and presented on a wooden block.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
"Whoopie Pies" with the unlikely combination of onion and mint were arranged on the scorched stump of a Birch tree.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Standing potato chips, faro crackers, and sage were served in goat cheese as another starter before the main meal.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Blue Hill is known for these mini burgers with vegetables and sesame seeds. Sugerman had the sweet tomato version.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The sixth amuse bouche was summer squash wrapped with panchetta and sesame seeds.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
For the first course, the diners were brought three slices of heirloom tomatoes...
Photography by Alex Sugerman
...as well as all the ingredients for a make-your-own salad: salt, pepper, fermented corn, house-made yogurt, caramelized onions, onion croutons, bacon marmalade, herbs, and tomato vinaigrette.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The tomatoes looked a lot less lonely once patrons chose their add-ins.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The second course was grilled corn, beans, and scallions with almond chorizo, dressings, and Parmesan shavings.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Summer beans, scallions, almond chorizo, eggs, Parmesan shavings.
A series of grains were then presented for guests to sample, that were used to make...
Photography by Alex Sugerman
...The third course — red fife brioche with swiss chard marmalade.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
It also came with freshly-made, Blue Hill farm ricotta cheese.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The result looks absolutely delicious.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The fourth entrée was brook trout cooked to perfection and lightly garnished with Stone Barns ginger and cauliflower.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Followed by "Compost Eggplant" — for this course, guests were brought outside to see how vegetables were sealed in plastic and cooked in a compost pile.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Here's what that looked like.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
A slice of crusty potato onion bread was up next.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
With sides of carrot powder, tomato powder, whipped lard with honey, and butter.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The sixth course was a Stone Barn egg in a broth with foraged mushrooms.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Up next was the seventh course of goose egg pasta topped with sea urchin and grated cured egg yolk for saltiness.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Poussin was the eighth course of the meal, accompanied by Lima beans and tomato broth.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
It was followed by three slices of Berkshire Pork with broccoli rabe and yellow peppers.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
A cheese plate was served as the 10th entrée. It featured chutney, greens, and pretzel bites.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Then it was time for dessert. The first was quince served with "Pawpaw sorbet" and fromage blanc.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Alongside a concord grape soufflé with plum jam and almond crumble.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
As the meal was winding down, the table was brought the Tisane cart full of fresh herbs for tea.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
A waiter snipped off the various herbs, and guests chose which they preferred for their personal pot.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
The drinks could be flavored with locally-sourced honey served in an adorable honeycomb jar.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
Lastly, Sugerman and his companions enjoyed the mignardises: chocolate truffles, caramelized sunflower seeds, and chocolate-raspberry squares.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
As well as a fruit bowl with an assortment of peach slices, grapes, and raspberries.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
After dinner, guests can walk around the surrounding farm and see where their food came from.
Photography by Alex Sugerman
And say goodbye to the gorgeous setting before they depart.
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