Blue Hill

It was date night for the president and the first lady. Motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base, hop on your Gulfstream and zoom on up to New York City. Not bad for a former Columbia University student who once lived in a small apartment on New York's upper east side a few blocks from our house.

The first couple dined at Blue Hill in the Village near NYU. The restaurant, three steps below street level, is charming and intimate. Nothing too fancy here. The food is excellent. It is all gathered from local area farms.

We have one notable link to Blue Hill. For the past three summers Zoe and her friend Georgina have attended summer camp at Stone Barns, near Tarrytown, New York. Stone Barnes is the home of the sister restaurant to Blue Hill.

Stone Barnes is located on a farm that is part of a former Rockefeller estate. Here mostly city kids feed pigs, sheep and cattle, chase after chickens and till to the vegetable gardens. The food harvested here goes to both restaurants.

So the first couple dined on fresh produce and dairy products free of harmful chemicals. They ate their meal without interruption. But when they stood to leave, everyone in the restaurant gave them a huge ovation.

We like Blue Hill too! But I bet it will be hard to get a reservation for some time to come!