Top Chef Goes To The Farm

January 15, 2009 at 11:36 AM | by BS | 0 Comments

After just seven episodes, Top Chef New York has apparently had enough of NYC and headed out to the boonies for this week's episode.

The chef'testants went on a road trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the rural outpost of Dan Barber's West Village eatery, Blue Hill. Set in Pocantico Hills, 45 minutes north of Manhattan, it should be clarified that this isn't so much a restaurant as a "Center for Food and Agriculture." Now that sounds to us like a fancy name for "trendy locavore place," but according to at least one blogger, it's no less than "the most important restaurant in America." OK, you've got our attention!

The menu here is certainly like nothing we've ever heard of. Diners are presented with a list of everything the farmers have on hand that day, and you sort of order in reverse, just telling them how many courses you want and what ingredients you absolutely don't want. Then the chefs just make whatever they feel like. Judging from Serious Eats' extensive photo collection of dishes like baby asparagus burgers; kampachi with pickled ramps, pig ears and rhubarb gel�e; and creamy farmers cheese ice cream, the method looks like it works pretty damn well.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is open only Wednesday through Sunday for dinner, and carbon-concerned locavores can take the Metro-North train to the Tarrytown stop.

Related Stories:
· Blue Hill at Stone Barns [Official Site]
· Blue Hill at Stone Barns: The Most Important Restaurant in America [Serious Eats]
· Checking In At Jamie's Place [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bravo]

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Tags: Top Chef Travel / Food Travel / Television Travel / Restaurants / → All Tags