Easter Brunch

On this brisk 40° Easter Sunday, we traveled to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY, to partake in that most WASP of activities -- the Easter brunch. I had been looking forward to dining at this seasonal, sustainable agriculture restaurant for some time, after having missed several opportunities to eat at the Blue Hill in Greenwich Village, and was thoroughly charmed by the food (and oddly not too perturbed by the cantankerous drunk elderly gentleman sitting next to us railing against the family with "brats" who had been seated at "his" table and his dining companion's fruitless "Raymond, Raymond, no one wants to listen to you.").

Our meal in the beautifully appointed barn room kicked off impressively, with three delightful amuse-bouches: a mini tart with smoked salmon and caviar; a shot of cauliflower soup and basil oil; and a mini beet burger on olive oil financier. My bouche was very amused. Then came the meal itself. I began with a plate of Greenhouse greens, mushrooms, and a fried soft-boiled egg that was simple, fresh, and delicious. KimCheeMac's crab meat salad was perked up with pomelos and just as wonderful. I was similarly enthralled with my perfectly cooked wild striped bass, and loved the taste of the tender lamb shoulder that I sampled while looking out the window for the lambs grazing in the field. By the time dessert rolled around, I had nearly reached my limit, but felt it would not be polite to turn down the citrus coupe, a parfait of meyer lemon sorbet, lemon cake, grapefruit, and caramelized milk. Delicious, said my stomach, as it asked when we could return.

At the end of the meal, the server came by with our parting gift -- four farm fresh eggs from my new friends at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.