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Westchester Restaurant Named Best In Country

POCANTICO HILLS, N.Y. -- The national food site Eater has compiled a list of the best restaurants in the country for the third straight year, and, for the first time, has named a single "Best Restaurant in America" -- and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills has earned that honor.

Here's a morning chefs meeting at Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Chef Dan Barber, left, heads the restaurant -- just named restaurant of the year by Eater -- which offers an ever-changing dining experience.

Here's a morning chefs meeting at Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Chef Dan Barber, left, heads the restaurant -- just named restaurant of the year by Eater -- which offers an ever-changing dining experience.

Photo Credit: Blue Hill at Stone Barn Instagram
Yelp user Maki Y. shared the small booklet that highlights each month's ingredients at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Yelp user Maki Y. shared the small booklet that highlights each month's ingredients at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Photo Credit: Maki Y., Yelp
blowfish and green tomatoes

blowfish and green tomatoes

Photo Credit: Ken S., Yelp
bass with seafood risotto

bass with seafood risotto

Photo Credit: Krista C., Yelp
A vegetable plate at Blue Hill includes what's at peak season.

A vegetable plate at Blue Hill includes what's at peak season.

Photo Credit: Elaine H., Yelp
Yelp user Kate N. called this variety of berries, served on a honeycomb, the "grand finale of the most amazing dinner I have ever had."

Yelp user Kate N. called this variety of berries, served on a honeycomb, the "grand finale of the most amazing dinner I have ever had."

Photo Credit: Kate N., Yelp
The main dining room of Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a former dairy barn.

The main dining room of Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a former dairy barn.

Photo Credit: Tyler L., Yelp
Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a descendant of a Rockefeller estate.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns is a descendant of a Rockefeller estate.

Photo Credit: Enrique D., Yelp
Blue Hill sheep provide groundskeeping services at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, in Manhattan.

Blue Hill sheep provide groundskeeping services at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, in Manhattan.

Photo Credit: chefdanbarber Instagram

Eater is a Vox Media company, which describes itself as "the authority on dining and food."

Eater's Restaurant Editor Bill Addison waxed eloquently about the Pocantico Hills restaurant in his Monday article bestowing the honor, "The Prophet of the Soil: Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns is the best restaurant in America."

Addison summarizes his adoration near the article's beginning:

There are plenty of restaurants that, like Blue Hill at Stone Barns, create unforgettable experiences for their guests. But this restaurant, set on a working farm tucked among rolling hills 30 miles north of Manhattan, is the best restaurant in America because it is more than a restaurant. Under the guidance of Dan Barber, its executive chef, co-owner and chief philosopher, it is an experiment, a laboratory, a learning center and a model for the future of agriculture.

Addison describes his favorite feature as "the subtle choose-your-own-adventure thread that the staff coordinates on the fly." He describes the diversity of diners' experiences, based on what they like and dislike, how brave they're feeling, and how much time they want to put into their meal.

There are no menus in the restaurant. Addison describes how every dining experience will vary both on diners' preferences and ingredient availability. Barber not only has a farm-to-table methodology, he's also done pioneering work on eliminating food waste and developing optimal crop strains.

The restaurant is perhaps the most public face of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. a nonprofit that hosts a variety of programs to encourage sustainable farming -- and eating -- including educating farmers, hosting a summer Farm Camp and conducting agricultural research.

The Center also facilitates innovative projects off the farm as well -- like grazing three lambs on the cemetery grounds of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral, in Manhattan, after the current groundskeeper retired. At least three trios have now made this trek.

You can read Eater's full, lengthy article on Blue Hill at Stone Barns here.  Read the list of all Eater's favorite restaurants here.

To learn more about Blue Hill at Stone Barn, visit its website or Facebook page.

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