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Wine Enthusiast, which is based in Mount Kisco, recently released its list of the best places to “drink up while dining out.”
Among the recipients of the prestigious designation was Blue Hill at Stone Barn in Pocantico Hills.
The publication feted representatives of Blue Hill and other honorees at a reception at at Marta Restaurant in Manhattan on June 27.
Blue Hill opened in 2004 at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in the Mount Pleasant hamlet.
The restaurant gets its foods from the working, four-season farm and educational center’s fields and pastures, as well as other farms.
According to its website, there are no set “menus” at Blue Hill and guests are can pick from “multi-taste grazing, rooting or pecking” feasts “featuring the best offerings from field and market.”
Blue Hill allows guests to bring their own vino -- if it’s not on the restaurant’s extensive wine list. It limits the bottles to one for every two guests and has corkage fee of $90 per bottle.
According to Susan Kostrzewa, the magazine’s executive editor, the list is not of “the best wine programs,” but rather aims to praise restaurants “where wine, food, service and atmosphere are all integral to the overall experience -- with an emphasis on discovery.”
"There’s an incredible amount of diversity and experimentation happening with wine in the restaurant space right now and our list reflects this variety,” she added.
Similarly, food that made the list ranges from upscale hot dogs in Manhattan to “the peak of fine dining," Kostrzewa said.
There is no ranking; Winners were categorized by trends, such as tasting menus.
Other categories include “Great Glass Programs” (restaurants with exceptional by-the-glass lists); “Laser Focus” (eateries whose wine lists are narrow in focus, and whose staff has deep knowledge and expertise in those areas); and “Not to Be Missed” (restaurants that simply defy category).
Other highlights include chef and sommelier Q&A’s, exclusive recipes, and the observations of influential wine directors.
Blue Hill made it into the “Excellent By-The-Glass” program.
That means that it uses the “friendly glass format to introduce customers to new wines, winemakers and pairings,” the magazine said.
To read Wine Enthusiast’s complete list, click here.
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