Blue Hill at Stone Barns

“If you’re pursuing great flavor – truly jaw dropping, delicious flavor – you’re also pursuing the right type of ecology and the right type of agriculture. You’ll find they’re one in the same. Our goal is to cook more in harmony with the land and create a culture of eating in a way that reflects that.”

Arguably, no meal in the New York area is as transportive as dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Nestled into a working farm and an agricultural center located thirty miles north of the city, this fine dining restaurant is a pioneer in sustainability, blurring the line between chefs and farmers.

Guests are welcome to arrive early and roam the farm, which can offer a respite from the city’s chaos. Once in the dining room, there’s no menu; instead, diners are presented with a notebook of what’s in season and discuss offerings before commencing the dinner. The kitchen, helmed by Chef Dan Barber, is exceptionally accommodating to allergies and preferences. Meals here are always interactive: at times, bread is buried under hay for diners to discover, gardening shears offered to snip one’s own vegetables at the table, and an invitation extended to visit another space such as a barn for a course or two.

Leaving the enchanted restaurant can be the hardest part – best to stay somewhere local.