In a former speakeasy a few steps below street-level just off Washington Square Park, chef-auteur Dan Barber seems more interested in showcasing upstate than showboating downtown. Proving that the Hudson Valley has more to offer New York City than country houses and deer ticks, the well-edited menu highlights regional guinea hen and poached hake. Berkshire pork comes with peace of mind, guaranteed to have enjoyed a stress-free life by Chef Barber himself—the meat is sourced from Stone Barns, the Westchester farm/restaurant Barber runs with his brother. Ingredients for “This Morning’s Farm Egg”—poached and afloat a fascinating swampy green lettuce broth—are freshly plucked from Barber’s other farm, deep in the Berkshires. A puritanical streak may run from the tiny, muted room to the simple, unadorned cooking, but food this fresh doesn’t require much accessorizing. Grilled hamachi gets by with just a splash of mussel juice; Maine crabmeat is paired with Stone Barns panther soybeans; and Rabbi Bob’s veal, straight out of Dutchess County, mixes it up with spicy local carrots. Blue Hill may not be as flashy as Craft, its pioneering greenmarket kin, but don’t be fooled—it’s always the quiet ones.