Stone Barns

August 13th, 2008

My mom flew in Friday night which gave us the perfect opportunity to do something we’ve been meaning to do for a while – take a ride up to Tarrytown and visit the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

About a month ago we had dinner at the restaurant there, Blue Hill at Stone Barns and ooooooooh it was probably the best meal I have ever had. The menu is unique in a way that most of the food is produced on the farm and that instead of a set menu there is just a list of ingredients. You tell your server what you like and dislike and they work with the chef to craft a menu just for you. My menu was no game meats, organ meats or caviar. Matthew agreed to eat anything and everything. They did a really nice job giving us similar but not exactly the same meals, it was just awesome.

This is a photo of the Tisane service. They have a tea garden out back where they pick the herbs and then cut them at your table and make the tea right there. Our server also happened to tend the tea garden and sensing my intense enthusiasm (2 glasses of wine!) invited us out back to check it out but it was pouring. Maybe next time!

During the day they have a bunch of tours (pick your own eggs, anyone?) but us city folk were slightly more interested in the farm market, shop and cafe so thats where we headed.

The farm market is fairly small and a bit pricey but still pretty cool

We picked up the carrots and beets, salad greens, onion and garlic for dinner plans that night. We also got a jar of the fresh honey. Its the summer honey from the apiary they have at the farm and its delicious. Matthew has been eating toast and honey for breakfast everyday so its worth it. I hope there’s something left when he gets home…

After the market we cruised over to the cafe and had some lunch. 

So that’s an open faced tuna sandwich, goat cheese and tomato sandwich, a veggie fritatta, and 2 plates of the salad bar thing which included roasted corn salad, tomato salad, some chic peas with broccoli stems that was…interesting and a farro salad. The 3 of us shared and it was all really, really fresh and tasty once you got over the broccoli stems. All that bounty for only $47. Wait, did you say $47. Hmm. That can’t be right. Well I did get the jar of pickles that are a bit pricey…Oh! Mom’s paying?!. Nevermind.

We stopped at the store on the way out. Although there was nothing I wanted at the moment I snapped a few shots of things to save for later, when I have room for them and stuff.

 

We headed home mid afternoon and picked up a chicken to roast for dinner. Here is the recipe Matthew’s been using for years:

Clean chicken and place in pan (he uses that one because its easier to make gravy)

1/2 green apple cut up

1/2 onion cut up

garlic

thyme

Salt and Pepper the chicken inside and out. Stuff the garlic, onion, apple, and half the thyme into the big chicken hole. Take the rest of the thyme and place it under the skin.

Make a mixture of paprika and olive oil and baste the chicken

Roast in oven at 350 until done (based on weight)

In the meantime: take all the odds and ends and throw it into a pot for gravy stock

Before

After

Gravy Makin

I put together a salad with the greens from the farm, a little goat cheese and beets that Matthew’s Aunt pickled herself (Thanks Auntie Jean!)

Dinner

Dessert? Spumoni. Adoy.

Tags: pretty things, recipe

Entry Filed under: At the stove, On the road, Out to eat, Pleasing the eye