I bet that chef Dan Barber's appearance on the season finale of "Top Chef, Miami" resulted in a spike in interest for his West Village restaurant, Blue Hill. Not to mention his much deserved James Beard award for "Best Chef, NYC."Too bad for us.
No longer low profile, it may be harder to get reservations at this fabulous neighborhood restaurant, which has been serving up fresh, locally sourced, organic products since 2000.
Long before organic became the buzz word of the day.
Blue Hill is excellent. Excellent in every meaning of the word. The food is exquisitely prepared, always always with the freshest ingredients, paying mind to our ever changing environment.
Located in a converted West Village townhouse, upon entering you feel like you've been transported back in time. A time when dining out was always a special event.
Your meal usually starts with some sort of amuse bouche, to cleanse the palate. Then of course comes the bread. Fresh bread. With at least 3 different kinds of butter. You'll never taste such creaminess again.
Appetizers. My favorite has to be "This Morning's Fresh Farm Egg." At $15 bucks, you may say..too pricey. But that's the price you have to pay for the freshest, most perfect egg you'll ever have. Nothing's better than an egg done right.
Favorite entrees include the Grass Fed Lamb and the Stone Barns Pastured Chicken. Now I am not ordinarily a huge fan of lamb - I don't like the strong "lamb" taste you get at most outposts. Dan Barber's rendition however is divine. I'm not sure if it's the result of special preparation, or if it's proof that everything lies in the ingredients.
Freshness.
The same goes for the chicken- this isn't your ordinary chicken. I usually don't ever recommend getting chicken at restaurants. I often say "I can cook it myself!"
But, good chicken is probably one of the hardest things to do right. And Barber does it right. Juicy. Juicy. Juicy.
Keep in mind that the ingredients and preparations change along with the season and our environment. If something is not in season, it's not going to be served.
Blue Hill also offers a tasting menu, which is a great introduction to the chef and the restaurant's point of view. Perfect for a date or a special occasion.
Well, every date with your honey is a special occasion, right?
The Barbers also own Blue Hill at Stone Barns - a farm, restaurant and educational center located in the Hudson Valley. (picture from bluehillnyc.com)
Blue Hill NYC
75 Washington Place, New York, NY
212-539-1776
Blue Hill at Stone Barns
630 Bedford Rd, Pocantico Hills, NY
914-366-9600
http://www.bluehillnyc.com/
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