Changes coming at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

[Jenise]

Blue Hill at Stone Barns has, since it opened in 2004, been widely considered among the best, most influential restaurants in America. The chef Dan Barber is practically the face of the farm-to-table movement, and seats at his luxury-barnyard dining room used to book out months in advance.

Now, though, the chef tells the Times that when the restaurant reopens in 2021, it will not be as Blue Hill, nor will Barber be in the kitchen. Instead, he plans to transition to a chef-in-residence format with a new chef taking over each season. (Attention, potential resident chefs: A “strong interest in agriculture” is a must.) In a note to his staff, Barber wrote that the program will “support a rotating, diverse set of chefs’ voices that interpret the farm and the region through their own cuisines and experiences.”

As for Barber’s Manhattan restaurant, which opened in 2000, the Times reports that it will “eventually help support the Stone Barns endeavor” — which will simply be named for the chef-in-residence. Barber says he will step away from kitchen duties for the foreseeable future, and in his note to staff, writes that he will join “Stone Barns in supporting and learning from these chefs. The kitchen and the cuisine will be theirs.”

So, is this the end of “Blue Hill” as we know it? The name will still be used for events and catering, but the final answer to that question won’t really be known until at least the end of 2021, when the chef-in-residence program could end or — one imagines — continue on successfully.

From Grub Street.

Yes, a group of locals was discussing the other day, will be interesting. I've enjoyed Barber's cooking, but will be interesting to see how the playful/theatrical side of the Stone Barns experience translates to new chefs.

One person in my Zoom group went to the picnic 2 Fridays ago, said fun and delicious.

We enjoyed the gift seafood box so much we splurged on pork box, Betsy is getting today. I'll report in.

[Jenise]

Will definitely be interesting to see how restaurants like this cope going forward, and this is an interesting move. I would guess Dan Barber will have no end of great chefs willing to step in. Being fun/playful is what many chefs would kill for, get away from the people who only eat out on birthdays and anniversaries and cook only for people seeking creative food. Grant Achatz already proved the concept.

Canlis, Seattle's best restaurant by most counts, has done something unusual to replace elegant in-store dining. They filled the lower of their two parking lots with sand, decked it out with rotting wooden boats and other seaside paraphenalia and voila--the Canlis Crab Shack was born. Outdoor dining, tickets purchased in advance. It's a planned two hour, multi-course crab feast. You arrive, take your table, and the food starts coming. You get a flag of some kind to put up if you want service, like drinks; but otherwise waitstaff won't approach you except with food. It's pretty zero-contact. Brilliant, I thought.

Sounds like Canlis did a remarkable job of turning an incredibly difficult situation into something fun, delicious, and memorable. I'd love to eat there (but no non-essential trips for me!).

The Blue Hill ResourED pork box had two cutlets (delicious grilled with included spice rub), package of "beetfurters" , package of oat/pork breakfast sausages (both sausages were really good), plus pork belly, baby backs, ground pork which we froze. There was also a couple of hunks of bone char (charcoal made from pork bones). Great stuff, but not as fun/whimsical as the seafood box. Still happy to support the suppliers.

[Jenise]

Sounds like great fun no matter what, Dale. Beetfurters!--that's hilarious and intriguing.

I'm starting to love food coming in the mail. Tomorrow--four 2 lb lobsters (thank you!) and fresh Maine corn!!!!