Believe it or not, my husband turns thirty this weekend, and I thought that a trip to NYC for his birthday would be amazing. So, over comes Grammy to watch the lil' ham for a few days and away we go. Watch out Big Apple, here we come to eat you!
We arrived in Manhattan and checked into our hotel, The Carlton. First off, we needed some cold beverages, so we popped into a shop to grab some Stellas and a bottle of wine. To our dismay, six warm beers cost us $15 and our bottle of wine a whopping $30! So, strike one for us country bumpkins in the big city! Luckily, we more than redeemed ourselves with our restaurant choice...
That evening, we had a reservation at Blue Hill Restaurant in Greenwich Village. After feeding on nothing more than horrible airport food all day, it's not surprising that we were both salivating the whole walk there. A non-descript building housed the restaurant and we entered by going down some stairs that opened up into the dining room. Once we were seated we decided to order some sparkling; specifically an Italian Spumante. With drinks in our hands and visions of food on our minds, we quickly ordered with a feverish excitement. I ordered the "Zucchini & Squash Blossom with Cured Immature Egg, Green Garlic and Purslane", the "This Morning's Farm Egg with Chanterelle and Corn", and as a main "Klaas Martens' Emmer Quinoa with Peas, Corn, Pancetta and Berkshire Pork". Doug on the other hand, ordered "Grilled King Mackerel with Stone Barns Galisse, Dandelion Greens and Pine Nuts", "Sweet Pea and Mascarpone Ravioli with Stone Barns Bresola and Basil", and as a main" Grass Fed Lamb with Summer Beans". Oh my! All I can say, is that every dish, every ingredient and every taste sensation, was orgasmic! My "This Morning's Egg" was by far, the best thing I've ever put in my mouth. Our server, Steve, was very professional and knowledgeable. He surprised us with an extra course of their "Pastured Chicken"; a luscious, moist breast and crispy piece of thigh. He paired it with a Barbera; outstanding! Our mains were over the top. My pork dish consisted of fatty belly slices with the crispy skin, as well as some braised shoulder pieces. Every item on the plate literally melted in my mouth. At this point, I was ready to tap out, but somehow managed to save room for a cheese plate that showcased old and new world cheeses.
All I can say to sum up our experience, is that Blue Hill Restaurant blew us away and left us wanting much, much more! Thank god we went as it has inspired me ten-fold.