Blue Hill At Stone Barns — Restaurant in Town of Mount Pleasant

980 reviews Elite ’15 5.0 star rating 1/1/16 There are meals in life that are great for many reasons. Sometimes a waiter can stand out as very knowledgeable, or perfectly figure out your likes and preferences and tailor suggestions to you. Other times a setting may make the meal, such as our incredible seafood on the Croatian Island of Hvar under the night sky with the sea breeze drifting in. Sometimes instead the food can speak for itself and be perfection of a specific technique or wildly imaginative. Others can blow you away with food you aren't familiar with or reinvent it in a novel way. Blue Hill at Stone Barns stands out because it somehow ticks all these boxes.

Stone Barns, the farm itself, is a center for agriculture and food in upstate New York, about an hour north of New York City. The farms are a working farm system growing a variety of plants and even pasturing some livestock. You can tour during the day, but since we ate in the winter, we unfortunately couldn't see the whole center. I was hoping to spot a sheep or goat on the drive in, but sadly was only greeted by the valets, who were excellent by the way. One even came running down the path to bring us an umbrella due to a light drizzle. This type of service continued throughout the night, but I'll get there.

Being a working farm, Blue Hill sets the menu (available only as a $200 or so tasting menu called the Grazing, Pecking, Rooting menu) based on the food available from the farm at the time. In early winter, late December, this included a lot of root vegetables, but each was so well prepared, it didn't get old after even 15 or so courses, including the same ones prepared in multiple ways. What was most interesting though, was the thoughtful way in which dishes were prepared and presented to tie it back to the fact that it came from the same farm you are sitting on, sometimes right around the building like the playful "foraging for nuts" course which evoked the staff going out and foraging the grounds for chestnuts. A visit to the old manure shed (thankfully no longer used for that purpose) also brought it home how food is sourced and prepared. There is less protein than a typical menu, in our case three courses of about 30, because of this sourcing, but rather than missing it, it gives plenty of room for exploration of other food as a focal point, and again makes you realize the cost of sourcing so much protein from around the world at other restaurants.

The amazing staff also hammer home these points without being pedantic or sticking it down your throat. I calculated a staff to patron ratio of about 2.5 staff per diner at one point and it shows. There is constant attention, we often realized our water had been refilled without noticing it. My wine was refilled within second of putting the empty glass down, and there was no pressure to go for the $150 wine pairing. Our waiter served the majority of dishes and took us on a quick tour of the bakery and the manure shed. He, as well as the other staff, sometimes a single waiter served a single dish, not to be seen again, explained each dish including the ingredients, as well as a little information about the inspiration and preparation of each. They also had no issues substituting a few dishes due to food allergies or aversions.

We ended up with about 30 courses, though sometimes they were small enough or arrived constantly enough to possibly be considered multiple components of a single course. It was enough food to feel completely satisfied and slightly overly full at the end, but not exceptionally so. Each table got a slight variation of the meal. A table of six near us got a pizza type dish, the table of two next to us got an egg dish where you were presented with the eggs, had to guess which would be red, and then got served both cooked. We instead probably lucked out the most and got an exceptional lamb dish. It is a marathon of a meal, lasting about three hours, but some of the most pleasant three hours imaginable.

Not a single dish was anything less...

We had our "dining experience" at Blue Hill a few weeks ago. Given this is far from a night out at the local diner, I wanted to provide as much detail as possible on our experience.

First the good. Nearly everything they put in front of us was delicious. A couple of our favorites were the beet pizza, sprouts and apple and bread yogurt. Second, the servers and sommeliers take time to speak to you and answer questions. Walking around the grounds was also a huge plus - get there early and in the day light if possible. Our "welcome cocktails" were also fantastic.

Unfortunately, I also have many gripes. First, getting the reservation on a Saturday was all but impossible. For three weeks straight, we logged on with multiple devices to secure our Saturday reservation and clicked the button within seconds of the days we wanted opening up. They were gone immediately, as if they were never available in the first place. This experience was a gift for me and had a one year expiration to it. We were getting concerned we may never be able to get a weekend reservation and be stuck having to take two days off from work to travel up on a weekday. In fairness, we contacted them directly and they made it right.

Second, as we were going from the bar to be seated at our table, just out of curiosity, we asked our server if Dan Barber was there that night. He replied by saying "he's in and out." Why lie to us? Just tell us he's not there. We're not going to start crying and leave. I chuckle at all the reviews talking about "chef Dan Barber" because i'm guessing he's just not all that involved anymore (though I don't know that).

Third, they sell you on the idea of there being no menu and everything dish being custom made for your table. Not really the case. As we were finishing, a couple right next to us was starting their meal. We saw the same exact dishes we had eaten being brought to their table - same order and presentation. My belief is its simply more efficient and cost effective for them to do the choosing for you.

Fourth, our table (44) was right outside the kitchen area meaning the staff would congregate and come in/out right behind my seat. They must have bumped my seat 6-7 times as the came and went. That gets annoying when you're supposed to be enjoying a "top restaurant" experience. No staff member ever acknowledged or apologized.

Next, part of our "experience" was going to back the kitchen to learn about bread. If you've seen the Netflix episode, Dan Barber is shown doing this himself with a couple. We were hosted by what seemed to be a very junior member of the staff who gave a rather uninspiring presentation. To make that even more of a letdown, we saw two flies in the area, one of which landed on our bread just before we were supposed to eat it. Flies are disgusting. No two ways about it.

In terms of what they bring you, don't expect much on the protein side. The only meat we had was grass fed beef, probably about 2 ounces each. It was impossible to cut. My girlfriend asked for a new knife to try and cut through. I just gave up, put it in my mouth whole and basically swallowed it.

In relation to the above, I'd also note I left somewhat hungry. To be clear, I'm a very active and fit 190 pound man. Just not enough calories for me.

Lastly, I just have a problem with the whole concept and cost. Farm to table is wonderful. I get it. But what are we teaching people? That you have to be a millionaire to experience it? I live in NYC and walk past people everyday who have no food and no means to buy food. We probably could have fed two of those people for a year with the money we paid for one meal. Sadly, I think the ownership and staff have become too aware of their own accolades and press clippings. It's a wonderful business I'm sure, but not for me. No interest...

We had an amazing experience having our wedding at Blue Hill at Stone Barns! There are so many amazing aspects to having a wedding here, but here are just a few:

First, the setting is so stunning, from the picturesque farms to the gorgeous stone buildings, it is a perfect blend of natural and manmade beauty.

Next, the food is incredible - obviously since it is ranked among the best restaurants in the world! - but it was really a source of such excitement and anticipation for our guests.

Perhaps most importantly, the wedding staff that guides you for the months before the wedding is impeccable - professional, thorough, and attentive, as were the waitstaff on site on the day of.

Finally, we found that having a wedding at a venue that is also a high-functioning restaurant really simplified the process of planning the wedding - the catering, the rentals, and the parking/valet was all taken care of! All we needed to do was hire a wedding planner, a photographer, and a band!

A little more detail for those who are curious:

We arrived around 3:00 PM for first look and photos. It was a gorgeous summer day and the farm never looked better. There was a small bridal suite (with a shower if needed), where the bride can put on her dress. We had our first look on a shady, winding path through the woods and went out across the farm for couples photos. While we were doing that, our families waited in a comfortable, air-conditioned lounge stocked with drinks and snacks. After family photos in front of the scenic wine cellar, we had our own private space for a ketubah signing, even as guests were being greeted out in the courtyard with lemonade and settling down for the ceremony.

The ceremony took place under an amazing magnolia tree in the courtyard. The weather was a bit hot but most guests were comfortable in the shade. Of note, there were back-up plans in place: a covered verandah in case of drizzle and the indoor Haybarn (where the reception was held) if the event of a total downpour.

After the ceremony, we got to enjoy 15 minutes in the bridal suite to unwind alone together, while our guests made their way to the garden for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Importantly, Blue Hill made sure that the bridal suite was fully stocked with one of each appetizer, one of each signature cocktail, and two glasses of champagne. We were able to toast our marriage and eat some food before heading out to the garden to join the party.

After the cocktail hour, everyone was guided inside for the reception upstairs in the Hayloft. After a very short dancing set, all three dinner courses were served, interrupted only by speeches to allow the guests to enjoy the food, as recommended by the planners at Blue Hill. The food met and exceeded our expectations - everything was chosen because it was in season, fresh from the farm, paired with excellent wines (there are also two full bars located in the reception hall). After the meal, we danced for the rest of the night, pausing only to cut the cake.

After the reception ended, we had buses to transport our guests to local hotels and back to the city - mainly because Ubers/Lyfts are sparse in that area, especially late at night.

Overall, we were so thrilled and happy with our choice to have our wedding here and could not recommend it...