Out of the Bright Lights and into the Barn: a Weekend Escape

The only time my husband and I stay put during the year is during summer.   The city is beautiful especially when the sun is out, and us New Yorkers just crave the warm weather.  However, it is also the season for major tourist congestion.  Soho becomes like a flea market, and the streets are often crowded and chaotic.  The solution?  Get out and enjoy the suburban life.  Perhaps, even the farm life?

For starters, your quick getaway could be having leisurely brunch at the beautiful The Inn in Pound Ridge.  It’s an hour away from the city by car.

Only 1 hour from the city by car

Once inside, this Jean-Georges restaurant will not disappoint.  The interior looks vintage w/a farmesque feel.  A former inn, the place is transformed with mid-century decorations such as wooden tables and stone walls.  Getting a table in the basement is an absolute must!  If there is no available seating, come back another day.  Take my word for it.

For the price, food is absolutely worth it (since it surprisingly won’t cause a huge dent in your wallet).  Our group started off with the tuna tartare avocado with radish and soy ginger dressing, crispy calamari, crab toast and buttermilk pancake.  Yes, I said pancakes for appetizers. Lol.  The winner for this round is the tuna tartare avocado.  It was extremely delicious.

For our entrees, my companions had the croque madame, grilled yellowfin tuna burger, parmesan crusted organic chicken with artichoke.  I had the beef tenderloin with grilled squash.  For this round, most of us agreed that the chicken gets the gold medal, although hubby insisted on his croque M.

Dessert was slightly a disappointment.  We ordered the strawberry short bread cake which was a tad dry, but the lemon and raspberry sherbert more than made up for its flaw.  All in all, it was a very pleasant start to our day and we were looking forward to the next stop on my birthday itinerary.  Oh yes, did I mention it was my bday and that hubs planned this whole day affair? :p  That’s why he gets all the honorable mention on this post.

View from the basement seating area

Downstairs bar

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Our next stop was Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture.  This place was donated by the Rockefellers – and turned their old farm barn into an educational center while also partnering with Dan Barber, owner of Blue Hill in NYC, to build the very same restaurant at Stone barns.  The farm is about 80 acres of land where they raise chickens, geese, pigs and bees.  Children will definitely enjoy this place!  Our group did the 2 hour walking tour for $20 each to see the most of it.  My fave was being able to pick yummy wild wine berries during your stroll and eating on the spot!  And they grow everywhere…

As an alternative, if farm life is not your thing, you can also visit Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate in the Historic Hudson Valley.  It is about 10-15 mins. from Stone Barns and is quite a landmark in Sleepy Hallow.  This top of the hill mansion is home to 4 generations of Rockefellers, and an absolute delight to all art lovers.  A must see, Kykuit offers a 2-hour tour for either $25 or $40 – depending on the type of tour you’d prefer.  For us, the classic $25 tour was enough as this would give you a chance to see the inside of the house, a glimpse of the beautiful garden, and the view of the lake.  Afterwards, you can proceed to Blue Hill for dinner, however note that pre-fix menu starts at $200 per person + drinks.

 

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So go ahead.  Plan that quick trip.  New York City is not going anywhere.♥

NSJ