Reviews & Ratings for Blue Hill

05/10/10

Can practically taste the farm in the food!

by GreenChair

I had a lovely time at Blue Hill. The food is, overall, simply prepared and everything tastes incredibly fresh. I wouldn't say the creativity of flavors was as high a I had potentially anticipated, but they really allowed every ingredient's flavor to shine through in such a clean, subtle way.

The service was simply inspiring. They're incredibly accommodating to preparation and taste preferences in the kitchen, and the server we seemed to nearly be a mind reader! He was patient in answering various questions and even gave us an extra glass of wine on the house when he thought we might have preferred a different wine than the one we had ordered.

Really superb overall experience!

• Pros: Fantastic service, fresh seasonal menu
• Cons: Pricey!

03/28/10

Expected Better Food

by kitzen

This is the second time I had dinner at Blue Hill. The waitress recommended the slice veal which both my wife and I ordered. It was full of sinew and grizzle. Both my wife and I mentioned to her that she should not recommend this item to anyone else. The restaurant supplied us with free desert which was excellent. To say the least, we had a dissapointeng experience.

• Pros: Good service and presentation
• Cons: Inedible food

11/20/09

Perfect for a special occasion

by Stephanie Fees

Came here for a non-special occasion dinner, but the majority of those around us were there for birthdays or other special occasions. The food was AMAZING, and very accessible for the price point, meaning you didn't have to ask the waiter what things were on your plate - they aren't trying to disguise the food into ambiguous dishes, they let it speak for itself. I had the morning egg, which was FANTASTIC and highly recommended, the duck, and quince for dessert. I'm in culinary school, so I put my food through a thorough examination, and everything was cooked to perfection and very flavorful. The waiter even noticed me examining my food and guessed I was in culinary school and offered a tour of the (unimaginably small) kitchen. Great food, great service. Highly recommended.

• Pros: Great portion size, fresh ingredients
• Cons: none!

09/14/09

test

by Ramon Torres

i love it

04/26/09

nearly flawless

by saoirse78

Excellent execution with the freshest of ingredients which are aloud to shine on their own merits without any overpowering spices or sauces. Best of class among the new american/season/local restaurants. The space mirrors the food in its elegant simplicity. Excellent service to boot.

• Pros: incrediblly fesh ingredients, solid wine menu, not stuffy
• Cons: can drain your wallet, but better value most

02/06/09

Mixed Bag

by tadevosy

It is difficult to categorize this restaurant, because our dining experience in it was extremely mixed. The space is gorgeous, perfect for a quiet evening, although the tables are a little too closely spaced. The wine selection was very respectable. The service was EXCELLENT--attentive but not intrusive, solicitous but not annoying, accommodating, knowledgeable, able to offer alternatives, and generally close to perfect. The food--the portions were so tiny, that after a three-course meal, I was ready for a nice-portioned dinner. My morning egg with lentils offered a wonderful garnish of lentils and an extremely undercooked and cold egg on top. My rabbit came in 4 ridiculous, literally quarter-sized portions of practically raw rabbit. Seriously, the meat was undercooked to the point of being cold. But the sweetbread ravioli that came with it were heavenly. My husband's pork included a spectacular pork belly, an interesting in-house made warm sausage, and a card-board consistency, flavorless pork loin over mediocre chickpeas. My dessert included perhaps the most original item I have ever tasted--black pepper icecream, which was amazing, served over very good pear and pecorino combination served with a terrible, dry, tasteless biscotti styled cake. I think the restaurant suffers from a definite lack of balance in the kitchen and needs to make a better effort to put together its ingredients.

• Pros: service, desserts, wine list, quality of ingredients
• Cons: some of the food, portion size

11/30/08

Delicious and great for a special occasion!

by snwp

I took my SO here for a birthday - service was lovely and the amuse bouches and vegetables were all clever and delicious. It's clear that the chef, Dan Barber takes a lot of care and effort into the food. Food was simple but outstanding.

Best of all, I was allowed to order a tasting menu while the SO ordered a la carte - that allowed us to mix and match off the menu. Dinner was not cheap, but it was worth it given the food and experience.

• Pros: Quiet, excellent food

10/29/08

Expensive, miniature portions

by DavidHfromNwk

I made a reservation for me and my best friend to celebrate his birthday, based on the amazing reviews I'd read both on this site and elsewhere. The food was admittedly very good, but the portions were ridiculous. Five mini ravioli in a huge bowl for $16, a $30+ entree that was essentially a thin layer of tomato based sauce with some barley-like grain and four small pitiful pieces of lamb, and an $8 side order of brussels sprouts that looked generous in the dish, until I realized that they had separated the leaves of 3 or 4 brussels sprouts and tossed them so that it looked like much more food. All this paired with a $50 bottle of wine that I found on-line for $12 a bottle retail. They are so, so very precious about describing the food that it evidently impresses most people. Overhyped and not worth it. Philip Marie does delicious new American food for a fraction of the price of Blue Hill.

• Pros: Delicious, fresh food
• Cons: Not terribly inventive, prices are a complete rip-off

08/29/08

Simply Outstanding

by GourmetFoods

Went for dinner for a special occasion and had an unbelievable time. Didn't do the tasting menu, but really savored each course. They have a great selection of wine by the glass and make sure to save room for dessert. The service here is impeccable - probably one of the top 5 I have experienced in NYC.

06/29/08

Thumbs Up!!!

by PennyKF

Excellent food. Excellent service. My husband and I went for our anniversary and I will never forget it.

The fresh local produce was the biggest draw. Our cold asparagus soup was a major highlight, as well as the chocolate bread pudding for dessert! The wine list was big and well priced; we had an excellent bottle of rose (a Le Fleur from Mendoza). The ambiance was cozy and romantic, and well worth it!

• Pros: food, service, ambiance