Blue Hill at Stone Barns

So, it has now been over two weeks since I had my favorite meal ever, and the memories of that night are still as fresh and delectable as every morsel that I ate there. On the most gorgeous of Spring afternoons, DrRuckus and I went to Tarrytown, NY to experience the perfection that is Blue Hill at Stone Barns. I am not sure exactly how to express how incredible this place is. Even one of my favorite food bloggers of all time made a cartoon after he first visited.








Growing up in northern New Jersey and spending a great deal of time in Vermont, I had no idea that idyllic, lush rolling hills and farmland exists right there, mere miles outside of NYC. Yet, it does! Located 30 miles from the city is the Stone Barn Center for Food and agriculture and this is the farm from which much of the food served at the restaurants (there is one in the city too) is grown.




We had just finished reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and so heading to this farm to tour it and then really experience a "farm to table" meal was truly exciting for us. We walked around the farm, saw the happy and healthy animals, and acres of greenhouses and gardens where the herbs and vegetables for our dinner were growing.






After touring the farm, and admiring all of their techniques as well as the fruits of their labors, we wandered around the courtyard that is the heart of the Stone Barn Center. There is a great deal going on there, including frequent farmer's markets and a cafe, as well as many educational opportunities. Finally, it was time for our reservation!



We sat outside and admired the view, while indulging in a wild ramp margarita. (It was Cinqo de Mayo!) It was possibly the best margarita ever, out there, soaking up the scene.



Then, we entered the incredible space that is the restaurant. I have never been in such a beautiful room. High ceilings, exposed beams, rough hewn floors - it is stunning and warm. The centerpoint is a huge table overflowing with flowers and edibles. When we sat down, they presented us with a list of items from which the meal was be drawn, rather than a menu. The gracious staff then asked specific questions about our preferences. We chose the 8 course tasting and told them that we would eat anything that they brought us, that if they thought it was worthy of being served, we would lap it up. "Even offal?" YES. You make it, we eat it! They seemed glad that we were adventurous, but we overheard other diners expressing very specific preferences and all were taken into account. Vegetarians are obviously no problem, but some people had difficult allergies or aversions. A woman seated next to us actually told the server, "I LOVE caviar" and this was accommodated. (Why didn't I think of that?)

We found a bottle of an old favorite wine, a Riesling from the Finger Lakes, and settled in to enjoy the ride. We started with a presentation of fresh baby vegetables on tiny spikes, so creative, so simple, so delightfully fresh and beautiful. From there, we enjoyed 7(!!!!) other courses of amuses bouches before even beginning our 8 course tasting. Because they change it every night, and customize for every guest, I won't go into each course but will just list some highlights. One of the amuses was a pork liver pate sandwiched between caramelized chocolate and was so surprising, fun and delicious! We had a brioche made from heirloom red grains and ostrich eggs and topped with fresh, warm ricotta made from cows that had been feasting on the sweetest grasses of the spring. We had face bacon as an amuse and a trio of porky goodness (belly, loin and leg). The meat from the healthy, happy pigs that we had seen just hours before tasted like nothing I had ever had before. Our final savory course was goat with a sauce made from a variety of herbs that they brought to the table for us to touch and smell before being cooked into liquid gold. The timing, the service, the presentation, and the array of tastes were all spot on. But, the fact that each of 15 (7 amuses and 8 tasting) courses was wonderful is mind blowing!

If you haven't been to this restaurant, it should be on your bucket list. I can't wait to go back.

Our Foodie Tour of NY/NJ

We recently returned from two fabulous weeks back "home" in New Jersey and spent lots of quality time with our families and some time (not enough, no never enough) in our favorite place, NYC. We had so much to celebrate, from my parents' 35th anniversary, DrRuckus's birthday, a good friend's bridal shower, my MIL's 60th birthday, and just the fact that we were there, in the springtime, with the people we love! Ladybug is getting so big and really loved playing with her family and all of the doggies. She also fell madly in love with the beach and I can't wait to bring her back this summer. Z-Man shares our passion for the area and is becoming a true expert on NYC transit. He and Grandpa spent two days in the city, one day just riding around and the other taking the 4 train to Yankee stadium to catch a game. He also went to his first Broadway show with his aunts and Grandma, though it wasn't as much of a hit for him as just being in Time Square. I am so glad that my kids have the opportunity to really get to know the places we call home.

So, of course, I had planned many of our meals and nights out, and there were some definite high points. We also had some great surprise finds that just thrilled and delighted us. It has been a while since I did a total foodie post, but bear with me, I have so much to share:

Lately my family is living a very Michael Pollan approved lifestyle. We try to "Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants" and have discovered so many new flavors, textures and recipes by eating this way and participating in a CSA. We eat very healthfully and my kids love their veggies. However, my amendment to these food rules, is that when I out to someplace really special (which, being me, I will have researched to death and all but guaranteed that it will be great), all bets are off and I am going to enjoy the specialties of the house.

DeLorenzo's Tomato Pies in Robbinsville, NJ. This place was so good that we went twice! We went on the first night of our trip and loved it so much that we decided to drag the whole family down there to get there at 4 p.m. when it opened to celebrate Mother's Day. Tomato pie is to traditional New York pizza as, well, Chicago style is to New York pizza. These pies have ultra thin, crisp crusts with a layer of cheese and then toppings and sweet tomatoes. We had the red pie with white clams both times and it was divine. The clams were all chopped up and added a briny savoriness to the pie that I loved. We also had the housemade sausage and sweet pepper pie and, while more traditional, it was ultra flavorful and delicious. They also do a fantastic antipasti plate and different fresh and creative salads every day. Both times we were lucky to have their heavenly heirloom tomato salad which will only get better as those Jersey tomatoes really start to come into season. Believe me friends in north Jersey, it is worth the drive to Robbinsville to have this pizza.

The Bent Spoon in Princeton, NJ: I am about to make a very bold statement. This ice cream shop makes the best ice creams and sorbets (dark chocolate!!!) I have EVER had, including at Berthillon in Paris. I know!!!!!! Palmer Square in Princeton is so adorable and lovely, and this little hippie ice cream place makes me want to live there and never leave. They are Pollan-ites themselves, sourcing their ingredients locally, supporting local farms, making everything fresh, creating so many incredible flavors every day. We went, we sampled the flavors, we chose, we ate, we sampled some more and then we got seconds! I loved this place so much, I even got a tee shirt. It makes my beloved Arctic Zero stand out like the nerdy wannabe cousin of ice cream that it is.

Chef Vola's in Atlantic City, NJ: This was our second time at this fabulous Italian restaurant in Atlantic City and was the place we chose to celebrate my MIL's 60th birthday. It was just as good this time as last time, maybe even better because with more people, we got to sample more dishes. I usually think that portions like this are ridiculous, but here those enormous plates just part of the fun. And, everything is so tasty that you can't help but eat the whole thing (yes, DrRuckus did finish his entire 2 pound veal chop parmigiana!) Making a reservation is a pain and the setting is strange, but they know how to please their customers. I even made reservations to celebrate my birthday there a few weeks from now!

Colicchio and Sons in NYC: After a 3 star review in the Times and being a big fan of Colicchio and his other restaurants, we thought that this place would be a slam dunk to celebrate my parents' 35th anniversary. It is in a lovely space right under the Highline and aims to be a contender for destination dining in New York. (Well, it is, for suckers like me who feed into the celebrity nonsense I guess.) It was okay, there were some high points, but I wouldn't go back. Best parts of the meal were the crispy chicken skin on my sister's chicken dish and an incredible cheese from my cheese course that came from Stowe, VT (love you Stowey) and tasted exactly like it.

Union Square Cafe, NYC: We met some good friends for lunch at USC and had a great meal there. It is just one of those places that is always solid, always tasty, always delightful. Their "greenmarket lunch" on the weekends is reliably fresh and wonderful with ingredients purchased right up the street at the weekend greenmarket. I had a delicious fresh veggie and pasta dish with a farm fresh egg on top and truffles shaved over it. Heavenly. DrRuckus had a very tasty burger. We got to catch up with friends in a relaxed atmosphere. Not bad for lunch! And, afterwards, we went around the corner to Baked by Melissa, an tiny shop that sells adorable mini cupcakes. What fun! They have great flavors, the cupcakes are filled and frosted, and you can sample a whole bunch of flavors without any guilt. Why didn't I think of that?

Degustation, NYC: One night DrRuckus and I were heading into the city to meet friends for dinner but we weren't sure where to meet them. We headed downtown without a destination and then the other couple had to cancel on us last minute. We were in the East Village and I turned to my trusty friend, Yelp. Lo and Behold, there was a restaurant two blocks away with a very solid 4.5 star rating that I had never heard of. Yay! We found parking (karma) and walked over. We didn't have a reservation, but it was early and it was Monday and we were seated around a sushi bar for one of the coolest meals of our lives. This place was made for foodies and we loved every second of it! All 16 patrons are seated around a sushi bar where 4 chefs are preparing "tapas" with a french/molecular gastronomy bent. They offer tapas by the plate or in 5 or 10 course tasting menus. You know me well enough by now to know what we chose! At $80 for 10 courses (plus a plate of 3 amazing amuses), it was a bargain! Each plate, each taste, imparted new delights. It was made even more special by the fact that we were sitting up close, watching these artists create each of our plates and present them like masterpieces. The entire meal was like watching a cross between a ballet and an episode of Top Chef, except that I got to taste it all. Each dish was intricate and interesting and yet harmonious. I must say, though, that the highlight was the bruleed brioche pudding for dessert. I am still dreaming of that . . .

After such an amazing meal, we walked around the very happening East Village for a while and decided that the only thing that could top off such a great meal would be a massage. "Hey!" we said, "This is New York. We can definitely get a massage at 11 p.m. in this city." So, with trusty Yelp on my iPhone, I found a place in Chinatown called "Foot Heaven" that promised to be legit, high quality and open. Off we went and had pretty amazing reflexology massages at that late hour. Only in New York!

The ultimate high point of our trip was the afternoon and evening that we spent touring and dining at Blue Hill at Stone Barn. It was so amazing though, it will get its own post.

A Bone in My Fish.

Sushi is one of my favorite cuisines (the other being Thai), so one of the things I lament about living down here is the lack of really good sushi. Because the quality of fish is just not all that high at most places, I end up getting a lot of maki (roll) sushi because the fish is somewhat obscured by the flavors of the other fun ingredients. There are so many interesting combinations of fish, veggies, spices and colors that I am usually pretty content even if I am not blown away.

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a place called Thai Cottage that opened up on 242, not far from my house. Not only is it a new Thai restaurant, but it houses a small offshoot of Houston's "Blue Fish House" sushi bar. Though it looks like a fast food joint from the outside, the inside is cool and inviting. We had a pleasant lunch there with some fun maki and a big dish of edamame. The Z-Man loves sushi, and we polished off a ton of it.

This afternoon I had to pick up MrRuckus from work. Poor guy! He has been working like a fiend and had car trouble again today! A few months ago there was some flash flooding at the hospital at which he was working and he unwittingly drove through a lake of water. His engine had to be replaced and this is now the second time since then that his car has had a problem. Thank goodness that BMW pays for all service for the first 50K miles! But, it is frustrating and saddening to have our beautiful convertible have to keep going into the shop.

But, I digress . . . So, we were on the way home from picking up a loaner and wanted to get dinner near the BMW dealer and decided to return to Thai Cottage. Started out great. I had a grilled shrimp salad with a very spicy citrus and garlic sauce that I couldn't stop eating. I then ordered two maki rolls: a tasty mango crab roll and a yellowtail, ikura and avocado roll. I had one bite and found a bone in it! I have had so much sushi in my life and have NEVER found a bone in my fish. The whole point of sushi is that the preparation is an art. They did replace the roll but I couldn't eat it after that.

I will go back to Thai Cottage, but I will stick with the Thai food. I will not be ordering sushi there any more. I might wait until my trip to Hawaii in October when we can get really amazing fresh fish!

Summer Cravings

It is so f-ing hot here! When I step outside, I often get the feeling that there must be an oven or a furnace open and if I take a couple of more steps, it will return to normal. But then I realize that, no, all of outside is an oven or furnace and this is normal until at least October. Just disgustingly, brutally, stickily hot.

Last summer I was very pregnant and it was so much worse. I would often say, "I hate outside!" after just exposing myself for a few seconds. This year is much better; I can bear it for a few minutes at a time. However, I realize that my constant cravings from last summer had much less to do with pregnancy and more to do with trying to stay hydrated and refreshed. I managed to not gain a ridiculous amount of weight with my last pregnancy because it was just too hot to eat and all I wanted to do was eat watermelon and drink lemonade (and sleep . . . )

Well, thank goodness I am not pregnant this summer (and NEVER plan to be so ever again. I am not a good pregnant person. I have two amazing little kids. But I digress . . . ) Still, I find myself once again only wanting to eat watermelon and drink lemonade. Local watermelons are in season and I am getting one weekly at the farmer's market and cutting it up to snack on all week. Pretty healthy, though all of the sugar in it does add up when I am eating plate after plate of it. Luckily, I have found a very lo-cal way of satisfying my lemonade craving. Chick-fil-a makes diet lemonade with that is so good! It has the perfect puckering tartness, real pieces of lemon, and is sweetened with Splenda, my very favorite calorie free sweetener.

In the past week, I have gone through their drive-through daily to get my large diet lemonade. It has become quite the addiction. So, yesterday after grocery shopping, I pulled in only to see that they were closed. The horror! Who ever heard of a fast food joint being closed on a Sunday? F-ing Bible belt! So, today I got smart. I got in line at the drive through and ordered a gallon to go. Now I don't have to worry about them being closed and can quench my thirst and my craving any time I want.

On another note, I hope that someday they don't find that Splenda will kill you because I will be a goner for sure!

Grasshoppers!

After last week's disastrous date night (way too much wine resulting in a very sick MsRuckus), we were determined to be a little more mellow.  As we have been sampling many of Houston's finest restaurants lately, we thought that it was high time that we try Hugo's, known around town as one of Houston's best restaurants and one of the best Mexican restaurants in the country.

Though they have an amazingly well thought out wine list, I had their $28 margarita, listed on the menu as the "best margarita you'll ever have".  I had to try it, and while very good, I am not sure if it was head and shoulders above all others.

Our meal was really great, starting with goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms and the grasshopper appetizer.  Yes, grasshoppers! If there is something interesting on a menu, we always have to try it.  These were just little ones, sauteed with onions.  By themselves they were slightly crunchy and grassy.  In the blue corn tortillas with a little avocado and sauce, they were crunchy, grassy and delightful.  We then had the slow roasted goat and lamb.  Both were tender and delicious.  However, the true highlight of the evening was the dessert course.  I had churros with a variety of sauces served with a big bowl of Mexican hot chocolate. The churros were fresh and lightly dusted with cinnamon and sugar. The chocolate and caramel sauces were finger licking good, but that hot chocolate!  Rich, cream, spicy and utterly delicious.  MrRuckus had a bread pudding that was divine as well.  I can't wait to go back. It would be so much fun to go with a big party for a birthday dinner.

The Bryan Caswell Empire

One of the best things about living in The Woodlands is that it is less than an hour to Houston. One of the worst things about living in The Woodlands is that it is almost an hour to Houston.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a free day and it wasn't too hot, so we decided to try to take the kids to the zoo before schools let out for the summer.  I also had an ulterior motive: to try the sliders at Little Bigs, purported to open in Late Spring 2009.  So, we loaded the kids into the car and got to the zoo before 10 a.m. only to see that every school in Texas had decided to take an end of the year field trip to there that day.  It was too crazy for us so we decided to take the Z-man on the Hermann Park train.  We had just done this a few weeks before with playgroup and he thought that it was the greatest thing in the world.

The miniature train goes all around the park and through a tunnel (!!), with many stops to get out and play.  We had a blast riding it around and stopping to play and then returned to the main train station/gift shop.  Of course!  Where MrRuckus bought a new train for the Z-man.  Of course!  But, the new Little Bigs Hermann Park was not yet open.  

So, we loaded ourselves back into the car to drive down Montrose to the original location of Little Bigs, the "slider shack" opened last year by the team from Reef.  What a great concept and what a treat!  I happen to love sliders and these did not disappoint.  They are really tasty little burgers and truly delicious fries.  My favorite part of the meal, though, might have been the sangria slushie that they serve.  If I lived near there, it would be a summertime addiction.  As it is, I can't wait to go back.

The next night, we went with some of our favorite friends for a highly anticipated night out.  I had made reservations at Reef because I am a total nerd for foodie magazines and when I read that there is a restaurant in Houston that was:

• Top 10 Best New Chef by Food and Wine
• One of 50 Best New US Restaurants by Travel and Leisure
• #1 Seafood Restaurant in the US by Bon Appetit

Well, I just had to go.  In the meantime, I read every Yelp review of the place and thought hard about which fish dish I would order.  Luckily I went with fantastic people who were not only great to spend the evening with, but were willing to share and taste everything.  I think we managed to taste much of the menu that way.  The food was delicious,  beautifully presented, cooked to perfection, but did not blow me away.  The room was cool, very lofty and open, but quiet loud.  All in all, I had a great night and a good meal, but would not even put Reef on my list of top five restaurants in Houston, let alone the US.

I have a Crush on Crush

MrRuckus and I believe very much in couple time.  We go on trips without our kids and aim for "date night" at least once a week.  Almost always, this involves a delicious meal out with some wine.  The other day, we had that PLUS a movie!  Not only that, we got to try out a really fun place during its "soft opening".  

Crush is a new wine bar that opened in The Woodlands along the Waterway, behind Hubbell and Hudson, my favorite grocery store/restaurant.  Walking in, you are transported from Suburbia to a cool, chic spot (c'mon, The Woodlands is getting better all the time, but it is most definitely Suburbia).  The bar on the main floor (the second floor of the building) is enormous, snakes the whole length of the room and glows.   On this floor, there are tables inside and outside. The outside tables overlook the fountains.  Upstairs is an even more lounge-like rooftop space.  There are cabanas with long settees, a sleek and modern fire pit, and plenty of comfy chairs and couches, as well as a few tables.  The look is very modern but the feel is inviting.  Staff members are friendly and, so far, really seem to want to please. 

This has been their "soft opening" so they still are working on some kinks.  However, things seem to be going in the right direction.  Wine list is extensive and varied, and there are many items available by the glass.  One strange thing is that the list was "backwards" with Cabs on the first page and sparkling wines on the last.  I have never seen this before. Also, there was little information given about the wines, so you have to put a lot of faith in the servers.  I would like to see flights offered as a way to taste many of the carefully chosen selections.  I had a very dry sparkler from New Mexico to start while MrRuckus started with a juicy Alsace Reisling (of course).  We then each had a light and fruity pinot from Monterey that our server recommended.  Perfect for that evening, a rare Texas night in May that required a "light sweater or jacket".

The food was quite good. We had a cheese plate with five different cheeses.  All of them were yummy (though I love cheese, all cheese, except Swiss), but no one except the chef knew what they were.  In fact, one server said that the chef sources all of them from a dairy "in The Woodlands".  When I called BS on that (dairy in The Woodlands???), I was told that their source is in The Woodlands and all of the cheese are from Texas.  Maybe . . .  The cheese comes with light and tasty homemade flatbread, some nuts and some fresh berries.  We also had beef carpaccio whose flavor was marred by the overuse of dijon mustard.  Then, we had their Kobe sliders with a gooey cheese sauce on top.  Great burgers, but no fries!  How can you serve sliders without fries?  I was told that they never intend to have a fryer.  At least some fancy chips?

All in all, a great place that I intend to frequent.  We then went down the street and saw "Angels and Demons".  Ugh.  As usual, "the book was so much better."