TN: Hoares in NY Pt.2, Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Ah, the crucial term- "to my taste." One of the best things about sharing a meal with geeky friends is seeing how you relate to the same wine. Sure, you can do when someone posts on a wine you know, but your bottle of '95 BV Tapestry tasted 6 months ago might not be the same as mine tasted last month (aging, storage, bottle variation can all play a part). But here I get a chance to taste the same wine and compare reactions. Useful when reading someone's notes, to know where your tastes tend to coincide and where they differ- and believe me, I've not met a "palate mirror" to mine yet (in fact, some of my tasting friends are more like 180 degree opposites). Now if we can get you and Jenny down to Dobbs for dinner I have a better idea what I can serve you.

Indeed!

Thanks for the interesting comments (I don't agree with all the comments re food, but indeed the bok-choy accompaniment to the pork could be described as muddled!).

I would quibble with characterization of wine list as high, though. I think it comes down to expectations. By what I'm used to this was quite fair. Most higher end restaurants in NY area have markups that range from 2X (lowest I've seen) to 4X. I'm happy if markup is less than 2.5, and resigned to 3X (if above

In this case, the Chinon and Chablis were $32 & $50 respectively, if I remember correctly, which is almost exactly 2X retail. That's pretty much in line with rest of list. Offhand, I remember the Trimbach CFE at $70, Vietti Arneis at $36 or 38, '00 Fleur la Gue at $42 (I was thinking of suggesting this one if it seemed almost everyone was getting lamb), '95 G. Mascarello Monprivato at $120 or 125, one of the big boy '02 Sancerres from a Cotat at $80, etc.

The one wine that I thought had a high markup was the Grosset Polish Hill Riesling, at $60. But a look at winesearcher shows that it apparently has undergone a price jump since I last bought, priced more like $30 retail than $20. Yikes.

In any case, I know of no NY area serious restaurant with comparatively cheaper prices. Which is why I tend to really limit my wine buying in restaurants!

As you said, the most important thing was the people. Thanks for your visit, all 3 nights were fun (I'll try to have TNs up re last night soon)! Dale

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One other comment about this experience. I agree with Ian that the variations between the same dish are a bit disappointing. One thing I wonder about is the fact that we dined on Sunday night. My experience (or I should say what I have gleaned from my ITB friends) is that in most kitchens Sunday/Monday are the lead chef's night off (to rest after the weekend insanity).

Ideally a kitchen should hum along whether or not the chef (whether Keller, Grey, or in this case Dan Beard) is present. But I've had to accept long ago that this is not an ideal world. Next time I book a visit to Blue Hill, I'm aiming for a Th (imo the likely top night of the week- before the weekend crush, but with a team getting ready for weekend).

Dale

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