Blue Hill

The original Blue Hill restaurant, named after a family farm, was opened in 2000 as a local NYU eatery in Greenwich Village by chef Dan Barber. He was featured on the second episode of a wonderful Netflix show, Chef's Table. Dan Barber, who used to work for one of my favorite chefs David Bouley, believes in ethical and sustainable food. He is working to change the culture of how Americans eat by trying to create an environment that supports good agriculture - by serving ethical and sustainable food, and incorporating whatever crop is in season, whether it is fresh asparagus in the spring or a rotational crop like barley, planted just to enrich the soil. On the show he stated, "When you are chasing after the best flavor, you are chasing after the best ingredients. And when you are chasing after the best ingredients, you are in search of great farming." He works with breeders to breed food for flavor and think about what you are "feeding" the food you eat. 

I loved his concept, and was excited when I was able to snag a last minute reservation at Blue Hill in New York. The dishes are simple, as to let the fresh ingredients shine. Our first dish was a Habanero pepper, farmed specifically to retain the flavor of the habanero, but remove the spicy part. I was able to try some vegetables I hadn't even heard of before. Our wonderful waitress would bring us the whole, raw form of what we were eating so we could see what it looked like as a plant. It was a really unique experience. Hopefully on my next trip to New York, I can make it out to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a center for food and agriculture just outside New York City. 

Habanero peppers farmed without the spice

Turnips with a tarragon sauce

Badger flame beets with smoked farmer's cheese and chocolate

The raw form of the badger beet, looks a lot like a sweet potato

 Celtuce (stems and leaves) with chufa nut milk

Celtuce - whole form for comparison

"This morning's farm egg" - honey nut squash and curried pine nuts

Pastured duck with wild mushrooms and dehydrated grapes

Concord grapes with ginger and blue hill farm milk

Asian pear with blue hill farm ice cream

NYC - fall 2016

Hey Everyone! I honestly cannot believe how fast this year flew by, and that we have another holiday season upon us. I have been traveling a lot recently, as I interview for residency positions across the country. The trips are short, sometimes less than 24 hours. But a few weeks ago I got to spend over a week in New York City since I had several interviews there. Not a bad place to spend some extra time, that's for sure. Individual posts on restaurants will be coming up. For now, I hope you enjoy some snippets of the trip.

One of my all time favorite burgers, at The Spotted Pig

Chocolate Fudge (again at Spotted Pig)

Memorial Building at the World Trade Center

Cappuccino at Ralph Lauren's Cafe in his store on 5th Ave

Back Patio at the new Ladurée in Soho

Champagne and Caviar underneath the Plaza Hotel 

(there is a foodie mecca down there, I definitely recommend stopping by)

Kith is a sneaker store, that has become somewhat of a cult phenomenon, and has incorporated a cereal bar into its store. I thought it was a really cute idea! See below for pictures.

The pictures below are from Chalkpoint Cafe. Avocado toast is all over menus around the city. Unfortunately due to my gluten allergy I had to forego most of them but I finally found my fix on a gluten free toast at Chalkpoint.

Smoked Wild Salmon on Toast

Smashed Avocado Toast on gluten free bread

House Made Chorizo Hash (very tasty)

Za'atar Spiced Cauliflower on Apricot-Coriander Lebneh

One of my absolute favorite meals in NYC, if not the world, is the whole roasted duck at Momofuku Ssam Bar. I have done a post on the entire meal on a prior trip (see here), but here are some snippets. It was as tasty as ever.