Blue Hill (NYC)

[Mao]

Admin: The active discussion thread for Blue Hill may be found here.

Suggestions of what to order? Seem to be a decent population of people on this board who eat there with some conviction and pleasure. Along with Ilo and Veritas (been once) the places I keep meaning to go to, but have yet to make the trip.

[robert brown]

Mao, I have been to Blue Hill four times in the last three months or so. Ordering the degustation keeps seeming to me to yield the most satisfaction. True, this menu is as fixed as can be and for the entire table, but done so in a way that always works. The one time we ordered a la carte, the meal wasn't as balanced. The portions in the menu are never copious, but they give you enough to leave comfortably filled. I also find Blue Hill tasteful and  without pretense. It's definitely a place that seems to attract people who take their food seriously. It is very far from a scene kind of place. You may also bring wine; otherwise their list is nice and is reasonable. A 1999 Peter Michael "Mon Plaisir" was $70. there and $225 at Lespinasse.

Have fun.

[Bux]

I've gotten pretty close to Dan, the chef owner. I often get dishes that are not on the menu. In the first months of our going there, we generally ordered a la carte and always enjoyed a great meal. I don't think it's too difficult to order an appetizer and a main course that balance each other. The fixed tasting menu is always an option. It's a little more expensive that an a la carte three course meal would be, but worth the difference if you're interested in going that route. I don't remember the number of courses in the tasting menu, but every course added makes it easier to balance the meal, at least in theory. In any event, the tasting menu dishes are enumerated and you see exactly what they are and decide what to eat. As it's been a while since we've ordered from the menu, I'm rather reluctant to recommend any specific dish, but I've enjoyed all of the fish dishes I've had as well as the slow poached (in duck fat, I'm told) duck breast. I've always been a sucker for their simple rice pudding dessert, but the chocolate (bread pudding?) which has undergone some permutations over time has also been a standout. All of the food has a certain simplicity, which is quite different from saying it's simple, although the rice pudding is kind of simple but not exactly plain. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

[Mao]

Thanks for the input.  Is there a bar area where one person could eat?  And here is a question you probably can't answer, but I will throw it our there anyway:  does anyone can know if one person can do the tasting menu?

[Damian]

Dined at Blue Hill last night and had a wonderful meal.  We actually called for a reservation around noon yesterday and were lucky that they had room for us at 9:30.  We arrived early and had a glass of wine at the bar.The bartender was busy, but friendly.  I can't remember the wine we had at the bar, but it was a light, dry red, an excellent aperitif.

We were seated promptly in the Garden Room which is a stylish enclosed patio behind the kitchen.  Initially disappointed that we weren't in the main room, we were pleasantly surpirsed to find the patio very comfortable and quieter than the main room.  On the way to the patio, we passed by the kitchen entrance and exchanged a smile and nod with the chef who seemed relaxed amid the chaos of his busy line.  

We ordered the tasting menu at $65 per person and a bottle of Hirsch Gruner-Veltliner 2000 and some Pellegrino.  Our server was relaxed and friendly and answered all questions easily and thoughtfully.  

 

Amuse was a shot of chilled asparagus soup with a tiny float of pistachio oil and the very tip of a mint leaf.  It was actually closer to room temperature, and would have been better if slightly colder.  Creamy texture and the little surprise of mint made it memorable.

The wine arrived just after the amuse and was barely sweet with light oak and a citrus nose.  Well worth the $33 tab.

Next was maine crabmeat arranged, but not cooked, in a cake.  Served cold with a sauce of vanilla and pineapple and a cap of microgreens and thinly sliced water chestnuts for texture.  This was wonderful; light and refreshing and was the dish that went best with the wine.  Every bite was ambrosia.

To follow was a small filet of White King Salmon served with baby morels and pickled ramps with a green ramp sauce.  I'd never had white salmon before and it was pure silk, the morels and ramps adding tangy tenor and woodsy bass.  Also wonderful, this may have been the best dish of the night, if I was forced to choose.

To follow was sliced duck breast, with a creamy layer of fat, served with asparagus tips and the tiniest fiddleheads.  Also included was a crisp duck leg with meat falling off the bone.  The dish was toothsome and succulent.  The asparagus and fiddleheads had a nice snap to them.  The crispy chewy mini-baguettes were perfect for mopping up the simple gravy.

A cold rhubarb soup served with rhubarb compote and a scoop of fromage blanc sorbet was an excellent palate cleanser with the sweetly-sharp, slightly astringent, rhubarb balanced by the broad flavor of the cheese ice.

A glass of dessert wine (separately ordered) arrived suggested by the server to accompany dessert.  Forgive me for not remembering the name, I want to say "Banjools," but that is phonetic (I never saw the bottle nor the menu).  It was a fortified granache with chocolate cherry and prune/raisin flavors.  The wine was like fireworks when paired with the chocolate bread pudding served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sorbet and a dark chocolate sauce.  Rich velvet luxury.  

Toasted almonds coated in cocoa powder served as farewell petit-fours.

A bracing check ($194 including tax and wine, pre-gratuity), but a wonderful, relaxed meal of excellent quality, and friendly efficient service without even a hint of pretense.  

Blue Hill could be our new favorite. Thanks egulleters (Bux, this means you) for turning us on to this one.

I've been somewhat lax in reporting a few of the other venues visited since our arrival in NYC (Artisanal, Cafe Boulud, 11 Madison among them), but am always grateful for the insights and suggestions to be found on this board.    

Next up is probably Jean-Georges or Daniel for an anniversary celebration this month.

[Mao]

Thanks for that greatly detailed description of your meal.  Everything that you ate the ramps, asparagus etc sounds ike the kitchen puts an enormous emphasis on swerving whatever is fresh.

[Patrice]

Bluehill is also one of my favorites NY restaurants

The wine you were served was probably a Banyuls. This sweet red wine made in the south of the France, is often served with chocolate.

[Bux]

Damien, I'm pleased you enjoyed Blue Hill. I loved it the first time I ate there. I think the food has always been superb, but it continues to improve. While the ambience and service don't compete with Daniel or that class of restaurant, I think the service and overall quality of the dining experience have also been improving steadily since Blue Hill opened. My personal preference is Daniel, but as I've noted, it's possible that my preference is based on my personal history with the restaurant, although that in turn, is based on my earlier preference.

Mao, yes, the food is pretty seasonal, but I would guess that's because seasonal foods generally offer the best flavors for the price. rather because of some imposed limitation. Yes also, there is a bar and I've seen singles and couples eating at the bar from time to time. When you ask if one person can have the tasting menu, do you mean alone at the bar or at a table while others are having fewer courses? I don't see a problem with the former, but the latter might well not be allowed. Call the restaurant.

[Wilfrid]

I ate dinner at Blue Hill last night with some ornaments of eGullet, who may choose to expose themselves hereafter.

I don't have time to review in detail right now, but wanted to mention one intriguing dish.  Described as "baby beef", it was several slices of leg meat, served rare over oyster mushrooms, fingerling potatoes and fava beans (peeled! good!).

"Baby beef" - why isn't that veal, you might ask?  The meat was a rich red color, and was explained as a grass fed calf from the Hudson Valley - slightly older than veal calf, if I recall correctly.  The meat was mild in flavor but with a very unusual and attractive texture.  It was tender, but almost had a snap to it - hard to describe.

At the time, it strongly reminded me of meat I had eaten before, but I couldn't place it.  Venison?  No, this was much more delicate.  It came to me this morning; it was very reminiscent of one of my favorite game meats - kangaroo, also usually served rare.  Quite distinctive.

[cabrales]

I'll confess to having been party to the dinner, although I'm not sure if I would be an "ornament".

I agree with the above, and note further:

-- While the dining party received a special tasting menu thanks to a previous visit to the restaurant by two other eGulleteers who may choose to "expose" themselves, the "regular" $65 tasting menu also had this roasted leg of baby lamb dish.

-- While the meat was from the thigh, upon initially tasting it, its texture was sufficiently unusual that I could not ascertain what precise portion of the baby cow our servings had been taken from.  

-- Note the taste of the baby beef was very different from veal. As Wilfrid suggested, it had a meatier taste than veal does. The baby beef's taste was not dependent on the effects of fat. The chef indicated that the baby beef were grazed on grass (?).

-- This dish was aided by an appealing Chateauneuf du Pape that an eGulleteer had furnished.  

[rozrapp]

Bue Hill has been on my "to go to" list for quite some time, but we have yet to get there.  Question:  How do the gentlemen diners dress?  Jackets?  Ties?  Or would casual dress be o.k.?  -- meaning a nice shirt and slacks, not jeans and a tee shirt.

[cabrales]

rozapp -- A nice shirt and slacks would be fine.

[Jinmyo]

Wilfrid, where have you had roo? I think that would make an interesting thread.

[Wilfrid]

Originally in Sydney in 1994; it had become legal to shoot 'roo as game shortly beforehand, because it had multiplied pestiferously.  Subsequently in Australian restaurants in London.  In New York, Eight Mile Creek has it, but I haven't got around to sampling yet.

Balic knew all about 'roo, and we did discuss it a while back -the old search engine problem...

[Steve Plotnicki]

Ornament? I thought my presence was monumental!

First of all, after dinner the chefs, Dan and Mike, came to visit the eGullet celebs who were dining at our table It was in that context that they described the baby beef. If my memory serves me. It comes from Holstein's that have been raised in the Hudson Valley on a dairy farm and this is a way to use a part of the herd that has been historically discarded (whatever that means.) It is raised for 16-19 weeks, as opposed to veal which is 14 weeks and beef which is 21 weeks I believe he told us. But I thought the flavor was starting to get a little beefy. What I think Wilfrid is describing is more about the tenderness, which was completetly unusual, more than it is about the texture which to me was denser veal filet. I asked if they could make filet steaks from it and they said it wasn't a problem they just hadn't butchered the meat that way yet. Hmmm, maybe I can start a trend. And maybe they will name that cut after me. Like Delmonico Steak. "Plotnicki Steak." Gee wouldn't that infuriate a bunch of people.

[Wilfrid]

Yes, I'm sort of with you on the steak description, Steve.  I am finding it hard to put into words.  Very tender, but not in a soft way - still kind of biteable.  While I have a second, let me download the other dishes from memory, and y'all feel free to correct me.

Raw tartare of sea bass with mussel juice, paired with salmon belly sashimi (what was the dressing?)

Mussels in a chilled asparagus broth

Very rare fillet of sea bass with fava beans and smoked herring row.  This was the second green sauce in a row, which I thought was an aesthetic mistake.

Baby beef as described above

Four desserts:  a rhubarb tart with some kind of ganache (?), warm chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, a kind of espresso sorbet over coffee ice cream and a macaroon, and something served to Steve P. which he ate before I could catch a glimpse.  

And good bread - simple small baguettes - and butter.

Okay gang, what did I get wrong?

[tommy]

"celebs".

hehe.

[cabrales]

Wilfrid -- Your recollection is accurate. Here are the "official" names from the restaurant's menu:

"Small Plates ... Simply Raw" -- Salmon Belly, carrot-yuzu vinaigrette; Bass tartare, [edit based on Steve P's reminder below, smoked herrings' roe, mussel jus]

Chilled Asparagus Soup, yoghurt and mussels

[bass dish, which is not on the menu and which was the best dish of the meal for me]

Roasted Leg of Baby Beef, oyster mushrooms, roasted new potatoes and fava beans

Strawberry and Rhubarb Soup, fromage blanc sorbet

Chocolate Bread Pudding, chocolate and vanilla ice cream, cocoa nibs and crisp praline (my dessert)

[Steve Plotnicki]

Wilfrid - No the smoked herring roe was with the bass tartar. The braised Black Bass was with fava beans and fresh peas. And while I agree that two greens in a row no-no, I thought that dish was fabulous. It was obviously inspired by L'Astrance as we were told by our own in-house expert that they poach salmon in olive oil there, and because Chef Mike did a stage there this past March. It was quite a fantastic dish, and I thought good enough to have been served in a top place in France. My dessert was a red berry compote with cream.

I thought dinner was excellent.  A true one star place (like as in French one star) where they capture the spirit I am looking for in cooking. And let's not forget to mention the wines. 1982 Krug which was superb, and a 1989 Andre Brunel Les Cailloux "Cuvee Centenaire" which was a little tight but still excellent.

[Wilfrid]

Mmm, looks like I completely fumbled the herring roe.  I found the black bass just a shade salty, but it was a technically fascinating dish.  Overall, very precise and imaginative cooking.  I would have taken cheese instead of my dessert, but that rhubarb pie looked good.

The wines were terrific.

[cabrales]

The meal was very good, with good service from both the dining room and kitchen teams. The wine Steve P brought were much appreciated, particularly the Krug 82.  

[stefanyb]

Okay, let me see, thats Wilfrid, Cabrales, Plotz, and ?????

Give me a clue.

[Wilfrid]

Clue.  You have met him.  We have both met him at the same time.

[Damian]

Link to another recent Blue Hill post for the sole purpose of continuity and organization.

Click - Blue Hill

This has been a test of the emergency organization system, feel free to resume your normal posting activity.

[yvonne johnson]

Having eaten tuna till it's coming out of my ears (two weeks in Hawaii--more later), that sounds like an interesting tasting menu. I've been to BH only twice, but on both occasions I found the main courses on the sweet side. Any evidence of this the other night?  I agree the bread is very good.  I think it might be Tom Cat, but I'd like to find out for sure. Anyone know?