Last April, Trav had booked a surprise for my birthday present. It was taking place on August 29th and that's all I would know until the cab pulled up at our destination at 3pm on Monday. That nasty Irene had taken everything so far but if you know me, you know better than to poke the bear when it comes to my birthday.
Only being one day after the hurricane- I was prepared for the black cloud that was hovering over me, yet not the rest of the city, to ruin the day but was still hopeful and upbeat that I might just beat the odds and have a great day. On my actual birthday back in June, Trav had taken me to Florida for an amazing week. Unbeknownst to us at the time, it would be our only successful summer vaca so I was thankful to have that, should this day also wind up being added to Irene's Greatest Hits.
It turned out to be a beautiful and sunny day and lucky for me, I had closed my Hoboken business since my staff had evacuated and had yet to be able to get back in, so I had the day wide open for a 3pm surprise.
A pink dress and brown cowboy boots were the only thing salvaged from the Dominican suitcase. Everything else had that familiar musty smell that made us smile when in the Dominican but equated to mothballs when smelling them in Jersey. I got dolled up and forgot about the millions of things that would soon haunt me in the middle of the night.
We took a train to Floral Park from Penn Station and I have to admit, I felt Travs birthday present skills (which have been spot on! in the past) may have gotten a bit rusty as the train roared into Queens. I was quite positive, at that moment, that no one had actually chosen to celebrate their birthday in Queens. I would soon discover how very wrong I was.
The cab pulled up & my boots hit gravel, not the very familiar concrete. I looked around and saw trees instead of high-rise buildings and red barns instead of red brick, and pigs instead of, well, we actually have lots of these in New York as well. Just a slightly different variety...
Trav finally let out the secret he had been holding for four months. An amazing organization called Outstanding in The Field which specializes in "farm to table" was holding a once in a lifetime event for the hundred or so guests that had made it out to Queens Farm (excuse me, Queens County Farm Museum, as it's officially known).
One of the oldest working farms, operational since the 1600's, (in Queens!! Did i mention that already?!) kicked off their private event in a beautiful orchard. Surrounded with fallen apples, large steer, and a giant floppy eared bunny that carelessly hopped from tree to tree eating apples, we mingled while sipping cocktails and enjoyed amazing passed hors d'oeuvres like fluke fish tacos and summer corn soup with tomatillo pesto. Feeling the mud & grass squish beneath my feet and the warm 80-degree sun on my skin (my long lost friend, the sun) was bliss but I had much bigger things in store for me.
We toured the farm- oh yeah, I was fighting food poisoning from the night before from post-hurricane Chipotle. Knowing Travs restaurant hadn't received deliveries all week, I'm really not sure why I thought Chipotle would be any different. Live & learn. Or live, pay for your mistakes, and then learn. I took several breaks to sit down in the shade while the crowd learned all the workings of the farm.
All of my worries, cares, (and stomach pains) disappeared as I saw a beautiful, long table (just one!) elegantly placed in the middle of the lushly green vineyard & corn fields. We were all instructed to grab a plate and a seat as we met our new "family" as dinner was served family style. The dinner was to be cooked basically table-side by Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelson (picture below)! (I'm a huge fan!!!) WOW!!
I've been to Blue Hill at Stone Barns twice so to say it was the dinner of a lifetime would be a tough call. However, I don't think I've had better atmosphere, a better chef, or a better group of people to share it with. Immediately adopted into the family at the table, we laughed continuously as the wine flowed and dishes were passed. We had fresh corn bread with tomato jam & fresh honey butter from Bronx bees, heirloom tomato & watermelon salad- served fresh from the farm. Yard bird with mace gravy, jerk bacon and beans and corn succotash. The food was nothing short of amazing! 
We dined on course after course until the sun had set and all dishes were cleared. With tears in my eyes (happy one's this time!) I thanked Trav for yet another completely unforgettable experience. The rain stopped and the sky lit up with blue.. For just one night. Reality would be there in the morning but it could wait!
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