Did you ever go out to dinner, really wanting to love the restaurant but you came away disappointed?

Last night Jon and I went out to dinner in NYC to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We’ve been eating home almost every night lately so, for the first time in a while, I was really excited to go out for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Blue Hill New York and it’s the sister restaurant of Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County. Both are known for featuring the absolute freshest organic produce and the finest meats, both grown locally, many on the Stone Barns Farm which is on the same grounds as the upstate restaurant. The wine list, too, features local producers and all the food prepared is said to have real respect for artisanal techniques. So, I was really looking forward to eating a meal that was thoughtfully prepared in all respects.

Well, although I totally “got” the passion behind the concept of this restaurant (even by the wait-staff, who were all lovely and extremely knowledgable about the ingredients featured in the menu as well as the wine list), I’m sorry to say that I didn’t enjoy my food.

In all fairness, Jon loved his (and I liked his, too)…But, truthfully, he didn’t like mine and I don’t think that a restaurant should be deemed “great” simply because of it’s philosophy or because you happened to be lucky enough to “order right.” Everything on the menu should be equally good. I’m not talking about the word “delicious” since that’s totally subjective but when you order something from the menu that sounds amazing, the execution should match the description.

OK, here’s an example: For my first course, I chose ” “This Mornings Farm Egg with Stone Barns Hen Broth and Root Vegetables.” Here’s what I got: About three tablespoons (no joke) of hot chicken consommé with a few nondescript chopped vegetables and an egg sitting in the center that was practically raw (truly, the egg was barely coddled and only had the thinnest layer of coagulated white on top of the yolk, which seemed bordering on raw). The best part was the broth, which was truly impeccable (although almost nonexistent). I guess, the thought was that the egg would cook in the hot broth but it didn’t, not enough (and I’m a poached egg fanatic!).

Jon ordered “Braised Octopus with Winter Vegetables, with Black Olives and Stone Barns Mache,” which he loved and I thought the octopus was amazingly tender and not overly seasoned. He also had, for his main course, “Wild Striped Bass with Vegetable Pistou, Broccoli and Soy Beans.” I didn’t try his since I was a bit overcome with mine and not in the best way.

For my main course, I ordered “Stone Barns Berkshire Pig with Braised Red Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts.” Here’s what I got: A beautiful plate of food, which was it’s highlight. The only other things I liked (a lot) was a small piece of belly meat (delish) and the way they prepared the cabbage. It wasn’t served as a pile of braised cabbage (which I happen to love) but they did something really innovative. The red cabbage was braised and then pureed and strained into a very smooth coulis, which was used to add a (way too small) tasty splash of color to the plate. I would have loved to eat more of it. The pork tenderloin was sliced into medallions and fanned on top of a serving of sautéed Brussels sprouts. Sounds great, right? Wrong. The pork, although (typically) tender, it was almost raw! (Listen, I’m not one of those pork-paranoids, but really rare pork is just not appetizing.) And, the Brussels sprouts were so salty that I could only manage a few bites.

In truth, they did very happily take the pork back to give it more fire (actually, our waitress was so quick to acquiesce that it seemed she was used to hearing the same reaction to the pork) but, by the time my plate returned, I was a feeling a bit queasy and just not into it… Something about (politely) eating an almost raw egg, and then trying to swallow very rare pork that can really put a damper on one’s appetite.

For dessert, we shared a cheese plate. I was surprised that of the four types of cheese presented, there were two Cheddars and two kinds of blue cheese, and all very firm and all made from cow’s milk. Why not swap one with a goat’s milk cheese and/or add something yummy and runny? The port was good, though.

The best part of the meal was the bread…Hot, crisp, skinny, light as air and yet nice and chewy baguettes, halved through the center and placed, standing up, in a receptacle. And the butter tasted fresh and was the perfect temperature and spreading consistency. The wines we had by the glass were also wonderful. And the atmosphere was lovely, too. The lights were nice and dim, which I love –actually, the lights were so dim that the restaurant provided each diner with their own tiny, squeezable flashlight to be able to read the menu. A nice touch, although as the meal progressed, I started to think that the management purposely keeps the lights extra low so people won’t see how undercooked the food is….)

Anyway, in the end, especially when in such a pricey place, it’s not whether or not the Maitre de is sweet or the atmostphere is inviting that will (or should) ultimately deem a restaurant to be considered “great” or not. It’s how one feels after eating the food. So, although I really respect the thrust behind the concept of this restaurant (and many of the things I’ve said are positive) and even though I had a wonderful time being with my husband celebrating our anniversary, in retrospect, I wouldn’t go back. To me, that says it all.

Tags: bad restaurant experience, Blue Hill New York, NYC dining, restaurant review, special dinner

Comments (2)