Taste of Maine at Luke's Lobster

I've always been more of a crab fan myself. Whether it's the roasted garlic crab at PPQ in San Francisco, the Indonesian crab at Fatty Crab, or the blue crab in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, I've always been more partial to crab than lobster. But having been invited to Luke's Lobster by almost every one of my LA friends who swing by town, I knew I had to finally try it out.

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You'll find multiple locations in Manhattan for Luke's Lobster. They're fairly spaced out on the island and most offer delivery too. Each restaurant's decor is simple, kitschy and casual, conveying Northeastern seafood shack.



Lobster rolls are expensive anywhere, but Luke's does provide a hearty amount on each roll. It takes 5-6 lobster calls for the meat of one roll. Luke's has a reputation for sourcing their lobster directly from sustainable fisheries in Maine. Seeing as how this was my birthday dinner, I had to order the Noah's Ark and split it with my friend. Two 1/2 lobster rolls, two 1/2 crab rolls, two 1/2 shrimp rolls, four crab claws, two drinks, and two bags of chips, the feast is pictured above.



Luke's does make an excellent lobster roll. The dominant flavor is lobster, not mayonnaise or butter. As good as its namesake is, I still preferred the crab roll. The shrimp was boring, merely a shrimp cocktail on a loaf. I got a sarsaparilla with my meal, a happy find considering how difficult it is to find.

Luke's Lobster
lukeslobster.com
Multiple locations in East Village, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Financial District, and Penn Quarter.
$15 for just the lobster roll. $41 for the Noah's Ark pictured above.

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Junoon: Indian Entry into NYC Michelin

The dining room is spacious, not only by New York standards, but with the high ceilings and wide spaces, Junoon would not be out of place in a city with cheaper commercial leases. I entered into the vestibule and saw framed reviews, all from this year. The new restaurant received a Michelin star this year. I had high expectations for the my first Michelin rated Indian restaurant.

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Open kitchen. Immaculate chefs' jackets. White table clothes. Well-trained waiters. Junoon had all the makings of an upscale Western restaurant. With the exceptions of some service hiccups during the lunch, all the other ambiance aspects were in place for high end. Little quirks like the elaborate lounge seating in the bar area and the spice cellar add to the experience. But what about the food?



Junoon offers a three-course $24 prix fixe for lunch Monday through Friday. My appetizer, piri piri shrimp in a Goan chili sauce with avocado and jicama salad raised my expectations even higher than they had been. Huge prawns with a spicy sauce cut by the citrus dressing served as a delicious first course.



Whenever I go to a new Indian restaurant, I always order a lamb korma. It is my barometer dish, the standard that I use to compare Indian places. Granted, not all Indian places do an excellent korma, but unless an Indian place specializes in something else, my favorite dish is an acceptable measure. The lunch prix fixe menu at Junoon had a chicken awadhi korma with toasted cashews, cream, green cardamon and saffron, not quite what I wanted, but close enough. The curry dishes come with excellent naan and basmatti rice. In fact, the naan was the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, the korma was one-dimensional and unbalanced in flavor. The only flavor profile I remember is salty. In retrospect, for a restaurant like this, I should've picked a more modern, fusion dish. Nothing about Junoon was traditional; I imagine that the best dishes wouldn't be in a typical Indian household.



A finely shaped cube of cardamon kulfi was my dessert. Kulfi is often characterized as Indian ice cream, except it isn't whipped. The result is a dense block of creamy mouth feel, but digging at it with my fork felt like chiseling a block of marble.

I wanted to like Junoon more. I encourage some diversity in Michelin's guide. I'll have to return to try the more famous halibut or lamb dishes for dinner and give it the attention that the restaurant's interiors inspire.

Junoon
junoonnyc.com
27 W. 24th St.,
Flatiron District, Manhattan
(212)490-2100

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Kajitsu: Fine Day, Fine Meal

I sidled up to the bar, the seats of choice for observing a masterful hand at work. Kevin, my dining companion for the evening, had already arrived and was speaking softly to Chef Masato Nishihara. Unlike Urasawa, Nishihara was not particularly talkative, but both adopted the humble shyness of Japanese artists. Kevin had emailed me a few weeks ago to join him for an impromptu meal at the only Japanese shojin-ryori restaurant with two Michelin stars in America. "Buddhist vegetarian food?" I wondered to myself. Given my recent experience with Vietnamese Buddhist cooking in San Francisco, I jumped at the invitation.

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When eating with Kevin, there is no real choice. We ordered the more extensive tasting menu of the two with accompanying sake pairing ($34). The Hana meal set included nine courses for $70, to which we added two supplemental dishes. While $70 may seem like a steal for a nine course tasting menu, you have to consider how much money you save from having no meat or seafood dishes. While I'm not entirely certain that shojin style cuisine is completely vegan, I didn't detect any trace of animal products in the food.


Terrine of Autumn Vegetables, chestnut crumbs, parsnip puree
Azumaichi (junmai ginjo)

The first course was the prettiest of the evening. Varied and complex vegetable patterns peaked through a gelee, set on a carved plate of wood. The colors were meant to evoke changing seasons. I ate from left to right, while Kevin went the opposite direction. It was a refreshing start to the meal, but too many textures and flavors to form a coherent impact. However, visually, this dish was stunning and showed precise execution that I would expect for the rest of the meal. Kevin remarked at the oddness of parsnip in a Japanese dish. The first sake of the night started fairly sweet, a decent pairing to this floral dish.


Red Miso Soup, maitake mushroom tempura, Japanese eggplant

The dense color of the soup comes from the aging process for the miso, which supposedly enhances the umami flavors and brininess of the soup. While the soup itself was pleasant, the highlight of this dish was the maitake tempura, perched a top a bundle of nasu and elevating it above the liquid. I have never seen maitake tempura, but the crispiness paired with the meaty mushroom and a hint of Japanese mustard convinced me to try this one at home.


Grilled Nama-Fu, miso ($9)

Our set menu was interrupted by the first of our supplements. Nama-fu is wheat gluten, a common vegan meat substitute. It can be formed into different shapes. Here, the lighter block is mixed with rice flour, while the darker one has contains millet flour. Honestly, both tasted the same to me. Both had the texture of a grilled mochi, pliable on the outside, chewy and toothsome on the inside.


Aburi Age ($6)

It's somewhat disingenuous to call this a simple dish. While it may seem simple, the execution in keeping a crisp exterior with a spongy center was elegant in it's simplicity. The pairing with green onions and soy made this one of my favorite selections of the evening. Pictured in the back is also the optional thickened soy sauce and shichimi pepper.


House Udon, goma-dare
Born (junmai daiginjo)

The difference between house-made udon and frozen udon is akin to the difference fresh and dried pasta. Here, each noodle had the proper bite and bounce. Dipped, soba style, in a mixture of sesame sauce, green onion, and chaoyte, it made a little mess on my shirt. But the flavors were so fresh, I could easily eat this udon for a meal on its own. The sake had a dry, rice flavor with a rice aroma.


Slow Simmered Taro, Carrot, Mizuna, Kabocha, Tofu, Burdock
Sasaichi (junmai)

It's impossible to eat at Kajitsu without marveling at the colors of the dishes. Chef Nishihara trained in kaiseki dining, where presentation is an dominant aspect of the meal. Beauty in simplicity could be a mantra painted on the wall in detailed brush strokes. Did I mention that the Chef signed the menu after the meal with a calligraphy brush? This dish is a composite of various vegetables, each cooked separately to varied doneness and compiled in a soy broth. The colors struck me immediately, and I mistook that bright redness for a tomato. I bit into it and found the sweetness of a carrot. The lump in the back is satoimo, taro. I especially enjoyed the topping of yuzu shavings.


Assorted Grilled Vegetables, smoked soy sauce, hibiscus leaf, matsutake mushroom croquet, nama-fu
Kokuryu (ginjo)

The main course was actually the most disappointing. While each component was good on its own right, I felt that the plate lacked a unifying theme. The croquet, an intriguing ball of textures, could have been a separate dish on its own. The nama-fu made a reappearance. Had I known it would've been part of the tasting course, I would not have ordered it separately. However, this time, the cubes of wheat gluten were topped with soba sauce and a dash of wasabi, a flavor profile I though matched better than the soy sauce and shichimi. Since this was the main course, the kokuryu sake was served in a larger glass. Although I can't say much for the pairing, the sake was well-timed because it was my favorite of the night and I had the most of it to drink.



Hijiki Rice, black sesame, konnyaku, puffed rice, house pickles
Daishichi (kimoto)

While you usually won't see a rice course on a tasting menu, I wasn't surprised to see this dish as part of the kaiseki meal. The rice itself was cooked to perfection, as can be expected. Flavors of the hijiki seaweed permeated the rice. I added a few spoonfuls of the puffed rice for texture, but it was unnecessary. Eating the rice with the accompanying pickles, I imagined creating gourmet onigiri, each filled with a different pickled center. The daishichi sake returned to a dryness, considering it no longer needed strong rice notes to pair with a rice dish.


Photo credit: KevinEats
Sweet Potato Kinton, coconut tofu cream

The dessert course was a Japanese confection made of sweet potato with a center of coconut "cream." Biting into it, my first taste reaction was actually renkon or lotus. The waitress didn't mention any lotus among the ingredients, so something about the combination of flavors gave me that sensation.



Matcha, Kyoto Kagizen-yoshifusa candies

According to Kevin, Kagizen-yoshifusa is a renowned confectioner in Kyoto. The tiny candies we received were flavored green tea, plain, and shiso. Each had a burst of sweetness and quickly dissolved to nothing on your tongue, especially when followed by a sip of the freshly made green tea. Chef Nishihara made each bowl himself with exquisite care. Even as the end to a long meal, the tea had an accompanying ceremony.


Chef Masato Nishihara preparing the post meal tea.

Taken from the website, "Kajitsu means 'fine day' or 'day of celebration' in Japanese. We have chosen the name Kajitsu hoping that a visit here will always be a special occasion for our guests."

This principle is reflected in the friendly service we encountered. Considering service, decor, and general ambiance play such a definitive role in Michelin ratings, I can see how this restaurant garnered such acclaim. Yet if I were to compare this two star establishment to the other Japanese two star restaurant I've tried, Urasawa would be a step above. I can't say surely whether that meant Kajitsu should be lowered or Urasawa raised, although it's a moot point now that Michelin is out of Los Angeles. No matter the rating, this is an excellent place to bring a vegetarian or if you feel like a detox. I noticed the lack of meat, but I didn't miss it. Kevin and I thought we would walk out hungry, but we were plenty satisfied.

Kajitsu
kajitsunyc.com
414 E. 9th St. (between 1st and A)
East Village, 10009
(212) 228-4873
$50/$70 tasting menus

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My First Filipino Restaurant: Sa Aming Nayon

Filipino cuisine has not made a huge impact on the American dining scene. You're hard-pressed to find a Filipino restaurant in any area without a large Filipino population. Luckily, when two of my Filipino friends were talking about a new restaurant open in East Village, I jumped on the opportunity to go with them.

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Even in large Filipino enclaves there are seemingly few restaurants. After asking around my Filipino friends, my guess is that two major factors make these places so rare.



Little Market Penetration



Unlike other Asian cuisines, Filipino cuisine has little recognition in America. With Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indian being the dominant Asian flavors, there is certainly an entry space for Filipino food. However, it is relatively unknown. Asked to name Filipino dishes, I could only come up with a handful--lumpia, adobo, pancit, lechon, sinigang, halo halo. Many of the flavors of this cuisine are amenable to the American palate. The food is not that exotic (with the clear exception of balut), given the other mainstay Asian cuisines in large American cities these days.



Unfortunately, most Americans experiences with Filipino food are in Jollibee and Goldilocks. Neither of those chains have the diversity of dishes that I believe America is ready to receive.



Mama Makes It Best



The other factor I frequently hear is that Filipino food is very tied to homecooking. Having never been to the Philippines, I couldn't tell you how prevalent restaurants are, but every Filipino will tell you that the best place for food would be at home. Although Sa Aming Nayon was my first Filipino restaurant, I've had Filipino food at home dinners, debuts, and weddings. I'll agree, some of that food is fantastic, but I don't see how the better of those cooks can't translate those dishes to a commercial setting.



Sa Aming Nayon



I came to Sa Aming Nayon with two Filipino-Americans. We started with a lumpiang Shanghai, a Chinese style lumpia with pork and shredded cabbage. Reminiscent of Vietnamese chả giò fried spring rolls, I always find the smaller size of lumpia much more appropriate than the gigantic Chinese-American egg rolls.



For a vegetable dish, we ordered a pinakbet, a Ilocano dish of boiled vegetables with a strong anchovy or shrimp paste. One of my contributions from my limited Filipino vocabulary was the chicken and pork adobo. Adobo, from what I've heard, is an incredibly simple and satisfying stewing dish that you can make yourself. And that's inherently what most of Filipino cuisine is--cheap comfort foods. For starch, we had a pancit palabok thick rice noodles mixed with a savory sauce. Previously, I though pancit was stir-fried, but the dish we had was not. Of course, since this is a Filipino restaurant, we also received several bowls of white rice.







The biggest dish we had was the crispy pata, pictured above. A deep fried pig knuckle, we weren't quite sure how to dig into it. The skin was so thick and tough that the butter knife the restaurant gave us to carve it up proved less than sufficient. We eventually sent it back to the kitchen to be chopped up. Delicious crispy skin well flavored meat, as difficult as it was to eat.



Giving us a dull knife for the pata was just one example of how this new restaurant is still getting on its feet. We had quite a few issues with service. The table next to us received the wrong check and had to wait twenty minutes or so to clear up the problem. Our own check was incorrectly calculated at first. However, for a New York restaurant, the food was appropriately cheap; the four of us got out for about $16 per person. I'd like to come back when their operations are more polished.



Sa Aming Nayon

201 1st Ave

(between 12th St & 13th St)

East Village, Manhattan 10003

(212) 388-0152



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Banh Mi in NYC

I've been going to my favorite banh mi place in Oakland since high school. Until now, I haven't been able to find a place quite like it in New York. Of course in West LA you can drive an hour east or an hour south and find delicious Vietnamese sandwiches in either direction. But with my first visit to Banh Mi Saigon, I finally found a place I can return to regularly.

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In a very Vietnamese fashion, Banh Mi Saigon shares its store space with a jewelry shop. The owners are well aware that the sandwiches are the main draw so they make you walk past display cases of jade necklaces and gold bracelets to get to the banh mi. I wonder how effective that is? It seems unlikely to me that a $5 sandwich order would turn into a $200 jewelry purchase.

While the sandwiches are not as cheap as they are in places with a vibrant Vietnamese population and low rent, you can still get a Banh Mi Saigon signature sandwich with grilled pork, pate, pickled daikon and carrot, and cilantro (spicy or not, up to you) for less than $5.

I like my banh mi a little sweet, with an abundance of sweet pickles. The buttered toast is also a nice addition. And of course, you need a flaky, fresh baguette for the proper sandwich. The banh mi here hit all those marks.

Banh Mi Saigon
banhmisaigonnyc.com
198 Grand St
(between Mulberry St & Mott St)
Little Italy/Chinatown, NY 10013
(212) 941-1541

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La Maison du Chocolat's Summer 2011 Collection

Summers in New York are unbearably hot and humid. It's tough without air conditioning, and much too warm for serving temperature of chocolate. Luckily, La Maison du Chocolat stores are kept at steady, optimal environments for chocolate. This summer, they're rolling out a few unique and limited items, while bringing back a few big hits.


My favorite item for the summer collection is the Chiberta set of five French Basque bonbons. I didn't know Baque country had chocolate, but apparently it's the historical origin for French chocolate. The Txokolate Iluna or "Solemn Ganache" is pure dark chocolate. For a change in texture, the Praline Macaron has pieces of crushed macaron shell within the ganache for a crunchy filling. The Etzia is a milk chocolate ganache with wildflower and chesnut honey highlights. This was my favorite of the five. For the more exotic, Almond Paste with Patxaran has an anise liqueur enhanced almond paste center. The Espeletako Piperra has a spicy pepper kick. These are available for a limited time, and while expensive, they are certainly unique ($24 for 10 pieces, $60 for 30).
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The Salvadore Raspberry Mousse Cake makes its return. The cake was introduced a few months ago at La Nuit du Gateau, or the Night of Cake. Semi-sweet chocolate with raspberry highlights, this cake is available from one to twelve servings ($8-110).


During the summer, the stores serve chocolate, pistachio and caramel ice cream. They also have strawberry and raspberry sorbets ($4.50/scoop). The wild strawberry sorbet I had was fruity and natural. No artificial strawberry flavors.

For a limited time in the summer, the stores will have a Macaron Sylvia ($2.75 ea), milk chocolate ganache with notes of biscuits and honey. They usually sell two types of dark chocolate macarons, but I especially enjoyed this lighter one.

La Maison du Chocolat
lamaisonduchocolate.com
You can purchase online or at any other of these four boutiques:

1018 Madison Ave
Manhattan, NY 10075
(212) 744-7117

30 Rockefeller Center,
Manhattan, NY 10020
(212) 265-9404

63 Wall St
Manhattan, NY 10005
(212) 952-1123

Short Hills Mall
New Jersey, 07078
(973) 379-5043

Photos courtesy of La Maison du Chocolat.

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Unique Flavors at La Maison du Macaron

I have a soft spot for macarons. Ever since I first discovered these delicious morsels at Paulette's (now just 'lette Macarons) in Beverly Hills, I'll always buy a box whenever I see them. In a random stroll past the Flatiron Building, I wandered into La Maison du Macaron.

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Nowadays, most any respectable French pastry shop will have macarons, typically in common flavors like raspberry, chocolate and pistachio. La Maison du Macaron had the most unique flavors I've ever seen; I was delighted and conflicted to narrow down my choices to nine from a selection of a few dozen.

Since their flavors change daily, they don't have any type of menu. If you order online, you will have to trust in their selection. I chose the following, from left to right in the picture above: orange blossom, Tahitian vanilla, caramel fleur de sel, kir royale, blackberry bergamot, apricot champagne, rose, strawberry violet, and passion fruit.


Caramel, kir royale, Tahitian vanilla, and rose

The pastry chef knows what he's doing. It seems that La Maison du Macaron used to be called Madeleine Patisserie. I suppose their madeleines are good too, but the shift to macarons was smart, as that market is blowing up. Each flavor was intense and unique. I picked ones that were unusual, but I bet the classic standbys would be just as satisfying.

The biggest issue with macarons are its cost. I understand they are very difficult to make, delicate enough to require hand-crafting. As of now, they are still somewhat of a novelty item, cost prohibitive for regular consumption. Until people stop confusing macarons with macaroons, the price will still stay pretty hefty. For clarification, a macaroon is a meringue cookie, usually coconut flavored in the U.S. A macaron is essentially an almond powder sandwich cookie with a filling of usually buttercream. The box of nine I got was $25 (though you save $3 getting the clear box instead of a fancy gift box).

La Maison du Macaron
132 W 23rd St
(between Avenue Of The Americas & 7th Ave)
Chelsea, Manhattan
212) 243-2757
nymacaron.com


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Movie Review: A Matter of Taste

What Eric Ripert says about Paul Liebrandt's food, I apply to A Matter of Taste--"Yeah it is good. I would recommend."

Accumulating over 200 hours of footage and shooting for over nine years, Director Sally Rowe captures the Liebrandt's fall from grace and subsequent revival in the New York dining scene. I am not sure what movie she set out originally to make, but the fickle restaurant business created just the right kind of compelling story set in 68 minutes.

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In many ways, A Matter of Taste is similar to Jiro Dreams of Sushi, the other Tribeca Film Festival movie I saw last week. Both are about the key central figure, a man with uncompromising talent and drive. Yet in Jiro's case, the story was nearing its end. The adversity in his establishment at the top had long passed. For Liebrandt on the other hand, the nadir of his career is thrown on the screen. In fact, I could imagine the documentary Liebrandt Dreams of Cooking in fifty years being very similar to Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Yet the comparisons with Jiro soon fall apart. This isn't a food porn movie. In that sense, as a human story, it has a broader appeal than to just foodies. While Liebrandt's dishes are visually appealing, the real work on display is Director Rowe's story telling. She wonderfully portrays Liebrandt as struggling against the tide, going from gastronomic masterpieces to grilling up burgers and fries. His struggle with the elusive New York Times reviewer Frank Bruni creates suspense. The audience follows along with Liebrandt's roller coaster life, all the while crossing its fingers and hoping for success.

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Blue Hill at Stone Barns

One thing you certainly miss living in the city is seeing the stars at night. Sometimes it's truly a delight to get away from the orange hue of New York's night sky, even better when that diversion includes a superb meal. I recently joined a group of LA bloggers for a trip to Pocantico Hills, about forty minutes outside of the city for a visit and dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
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We arrived in style in a rented minivan. Without a car, Stone Barns is not that accessible. Since we came directly from lunch at M Wells, we had several hours until our 5:30 reservation. Even with a brief drive through tour of Sleepy Hollow, there was still plenty of time to walk around the farm.



As cold as it was outside, the greenhouse stayed pleasantly in the 60 degree range. Currently the farmers had planted winter greens, mostly making mesclun salads and other heartier roots like carrots. Below is an image of the colorful Swiss chard. The farm offers a variety of tours on different topics. I wonder how easy it is to take a tour dressed as you would expect to explore a farm, then change to formal attire for the Blue Hill dining room. I can tell you that walking around the dirt and ice in dress shoes was not easy.



Even during the bitter winter, Blue Hill has a menagerie of sheep, Berkshire pigs and chickens. Although we were told by the manager that the farm is much more productive in the other seasons. In fact, only 30% of the ingredients were sourced locally during the winter, while the figure is closer to 70% in the summer.





We eventually made it to the dining room, still at least forty-five minutes early. No matter; due to the superior service, we ordered some cocktails and were taken to our table within ten minutes. They kind folks even matched our coat check to our valet so that as soon as we left the table at the end of the evening, our coats and car were waiting for us.

The Dinner

The Farmer's Feast is $135 for eight courses. There is a five course for $105, but the waiter insists that the same menu be selected for the entire table. When dining with foodies, there is no way we were going for anything less than the full experience. I was confused about the number of courses though. For one thing, the menu doesn't actually list any food. As the waiter mentioned, it is more a formality than anything. The dishes you receive is based on the availability of ingredients, food preferences, the timing of your reservation and your openness to offal. In fact, during our requested kitchen tour at the end of the meal, Executive Chef Dan Barber explained to us that we would've gotten pasta if we didn't express our welcomeness for exotic foods. When we left, I could see completely different dishes leaving the kitchen than the ones we were served.

Another thing that is somewhat misleading about the eight courses description is that the meal starts with a "Tour of the Farm," in which you receive several offerings of food created on site but they do not count as courses. Think of it as an extended amuse bouche.


Maple sap - Refreshing and light. The flavors of syrup are there, but just barely a hint. A true palate cleanser to whet your appetite.


Turnip, Carrot, Cauliflower - A light dusting of vinegar is all these vegetables needed. I saw them growing in the greenhouse. The presentation reminded me of a wall motif at a Fresh Choice or Soup Plantation.


Dried vegetable chips, Kale, Lettuce, Parsnip, Sweet potato - Terra chips anybody?


Mini beet burgers - One of my favorite little snacks of the night. Who knew that beets could taste so beefy?


Salsify, Panchetta - At this point, I'm still not quite certain what salsify is. It had the consistency of taro. I thought the chef went overboard with the sesame.


Pork liver, Caramelized chocolate - I have a complicated relationship with liver. Good liver dishes, like a heavenly foie gras are to die for, but bad liver just tastes of iron. This pork was so creamy that contrasted with the bitter chocolate, I got only the best tastes of liver.


Beef bresaola, Flatbread - I could have done without the crispy, thin flatbread. Just give me several slices of the air-dried salume and I'm good.


At this point, the waiter pushed a cart by demonstrating a few varieties of the greenhouse plants currently growing. I thought it was a nice touch to periodically bring attention to the ingredients that we were eating. I also thought it was a signal that the actual courses were beginning.


Farm greens, Cured goose breast, Egg yolk
You know at fancy restaurants when a team of servers will bring out a course all at once and place the plates in a synchronized motion? That maneuver is even more intimidating when they put gigantic triangular wedges of marble in front of you, making the table look like a stone pizza. The assorted greens were topped with an orange sauce that tasted like apricots. As a table, we had a hard time identifying the little orange glob that tasted like cheese but was creamy like butter. We found out that it was a specially prepared egg yolk.


Red Fife heirloom grain brioche, Ricotta, Mustard green marmalade
I didn't realize you could make marmalade from anything other than fruit. The mustard green marmalade was savory, but had the consistency of a spread, its flavor somewhat akin to chimichurri. On top of a fluffy, yet thick toast with a heap of warm ricotta made locally and a dash of black pepper, the combination would make an idea breakfast.


Mystery Dish
Considering there was no menu, technically all the dishes were a mystery. No, we weren't served charcoal. The waiter brought this tray out to explain how the farm makes its own charcoal out of different types of biomass to try to impart the flavors onto the food. He prefaced the next dish by mentioning how it had been hanging above the grill for eighteen hours cooking in its own skin. At this point, we were all salivating thinking of the Berkshire pigs we had seen earlier. I imagined an entire lechon style roast piglet brought out to the table.


Pea stew, Tapenade, Red cabbage puree
Okay, those are odd accoutrements to a roast pig...


Smoked tropea onion
Surprise! One of the courses was an onion. Yes, half an onion. Even paired with the three sauces and smoked for hours, it wasn't just an onion. I would've taken an Awesome Blossom over this.


Potato onion bread, Farm fresh butter, Fennel salt, Carrot salt
At last the bread came out. While the bread itself was nothing special, the carrot and fennel salts were intriguing.


Poached egg, Red Cardinal Spinach, Black truffle
One of my favorite dishes of the night, a pairing of black truffles with egg is always a hit. Even better, once the yolk spilled out, you could soak it up with the potato onion bread. While the truffle shavings could've been bigger, they were in adequate abundance to impart the earthy flavor.


Calf brain, Eight Row Flint corn Polenta, Red onion marmalade
Again with the savory marmalades. But as I can imagine onion jam, this one wasn't quite as odd. I wasn't distracted by the marmalade for long however, as this was the first time I tried brain of any animal. Lightly dredged and fried, the preparation was similar to the most common usage of sweetbreads. But the texture was so delicate and creamy that it fell apart in my mouth. Besides the texture, I don't recall any specific flavors of brain.


Finn Dorset lamb loin and rib chop, Pecan, Squash, Cranberries
As much as I love gamey meats, the sign of a sophisticated lamb dish is one that can counteract the gamey taste. Cooked well and dressed nicely, I was satisfied with this as my main meat course and the last savory course of the meal.


Yogurt, Green apple, Celery, Noble Sour vinegar
The first of the desserts was light and fruity. As I expected, the next one would be chocolatey and dense. If anyone has any experience with Noble Sour, I'd like to hear more about it. I'm contemplating buying a bottle after having this dish. Oddly enough, I think the vinegar may have been the primary source of sweetness compared to the other tart ingredients.


Chocolate brioche, Granola ice cream, Oatmeal hazelnut dust
Molten chocolate cakes are overdone. Yet, somehow a brioche just seemed especially appropriate for a "Farmer's Feast." I was more interested in the granola ice cream. It brought up memories of a bowl of granola, but had a rich and decadent texture.


Honey vanilla milkshake, Chocolate caramel hazelnut crunch
Lastly, the mignardises were especially refreshing. Just as starting off the meal with a shot of maple sap, the milkshake smoothed out my tastebuds after a variety of flavors. The crunch was reminiscent of a praline.

As one of the best meals I've had in New York, Blue Hill will be on my list again in the near future. Most promising is that their menu is constantly changing. I certainly want to come back again in the summer for their tomatoes and other local produce. And if I needed any other assurance that this was a good restaurant, we spotted Martha Stewart in the dining room.

Thanks to Kung Food Panda for the pictures!

Blue Hill at Stone Barns
630 Bedford Road
Pocantico Hills, New York 10591
(914) 366-9600
They're only open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner and Sunday for lunch.

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