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“Blue Hill Stone Barns”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	New American	Upper West Side	Break the Bank	Good

and we agreed to let him guide us. He didn’t ask us what price point we were going for the but first white he chose was a Fiano, and at $44 we were happy with the choice (terrific wine) and the price. Later on though, things got a little crazy.

While we waited for dinner, we were served small, warm housemade rolls, shaped like open books, with thick buttery pages of flaky biscuit dough. We tore through them in moments and when we were asked if we’d like more, the answer was a hearty “Yes, please.” These were delicious.

Mulling over the menu, we settled on a few of the egg courses (we both love eating eggs at night), and the braised bacon and roasted pig dish, and the waiter told us Dan would send us a few dishes that he thought we might like. How nice.

While we were tearing into round two of the orgasmic rolls (and I wonder why my clothes don’t fit), we were served one of the most outrageous little crocks of chicken liver patés I have ever tasted, made by Adam, one of Dan’s army of cooks. The creamy paté was spiced up with cinnamon, coriander, garlic, and nutmeg, and topped with a tiny dice of chives, pickled ramps, and Allepo pepper giving the cashmere-like paté some texture and a lush, insistent heat. It was fantastic. We shined the bowl clean.

Just then our first courses arrived—the “Maine sea scallops in the style of ceviche, with oysters, herring caviar and romaine lettuces,” and the “lightly smoked salmon, as a tart with spring onion soubise, parsley, sunny side up egg.” The scallops were stunning—sheer pearl slices of raw scallop, buttery and delicate, topped with a lively sauce made from romaine lettuce. But the coarse sea salt was a bit overpowering along with the herring caviar and masked the scallop’s precious flavors. As for the lightly smoked salmon, it was sliced in thick rectangular planks and had little discernable smokiness, or flavor for that matter; it was totally unseasoned. The sunny-side up egg was similarly unseasoned, and served cut with a circular cookie cutter so it rested atop the planks of fish in a uniform circle. It looked very neat and tidy but I prefer my eggs the way they come out of the frying pan, with unevenly shaped whites and crispy brown edges left on. The spring onion sauce was a gorgeous bright green color, and had a fresh light taste, but it was just too gentle in flavor, especially ... [more, click below]

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Posted: May 16, 2004

Other restaurants in Upper West Side :
+ 'Cesca   + Asiate   + Blue Hill Stone Barns   + Per Se   + The Neptune Room   + Spigolo   + Telepan   + Aix Brasserie   + 'Cesca   + Bar Boulud   + Dovetail   + BarBao   + Dinosaur Bar-be-Que   + Kefi   + Bar Luna   + Ed's Chowder House   + Red Rooster, by Rachel Barbarotta   + Loi by Dara Pollak   

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