Red Farm

I really appreciate how Chinese food is finally getting the respect it deserves with "New Chinese" restaurants like Red Farm, Café China, Yunnan Kitchen, Mission Chinese Food, Wong and Xi'an Famous Foods. Okay, so maybe it took a few hungry hipsters with money to get this movement going, but I like where it's headed. In my opinion, New Yorkers don't really get Chinese food, but how could they when their perspectives are mostly based off what they see and taste in Chinatown? I like this "movement" because it's modernizing Chinese food by dumping the takeout boxes for quality ingredients, thoughtful décor, attentive service, creativity and regional specialties. You no longer have to deal with short-tempered servers and poorly translated menus to eat great-tasting Chinese food. There are now restaurants that care about the entire "experience" but obviously at a premium.

Firstly, how adorable is this restaurant? The country/industrial design is perfect for this concept and fits well in the funky West Village.

We hit the ground running with the Assorted Appetizers. This pu pu platter is a must! My ocean-loving mouth adored the cold and refreshing Oysters with lemon-yuzu ice. The Curried Beancurd was out of this world with its spongy firmness and soft curry flavor. We also loved the Spicy Crispy Beef which might have been more batter than beef, but the sweet and tangy sauce paired with the beef's crunchy texture incredibly well. Let's not forget the Lobster Salad which laid generous pieces of fresh lobster on top of arugula dressed with a heavenly peanut/sesame/ginger concoction. Lastly, the Shrimp Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers were some of the best poppers I've ever had. These babies were perfectly fried inside and out with deliciously plump shrimp in the middle. 

How cute are these Pac-Man Shrimp Dumplings? Whoever wrote this menu definitely takes a money-making approach to food, because this dish sells itself. The fact that these dumplings were rainbow-colored freaked me out a little, but each dumpling was plump as hell and freaking delicious. Now this is the part that hurts - at $12.50, these high-quality dumplings were not cheap when compared to their $4 counterparts in Chinatown. Worth it? Yes!

Katz's Pastrami Egg Roll? Isn't that sacrilegious? Pastrami is the last thing I'd expect from a Chinese restaurant, but Red Farm had many tricks up its sleeve. Close your eyes and just imagine biting into a hot, crispy roll filled with carnivorous delight. There are a few drops of dijon mustard dripping down your chin, but you're not quick enough to wipe it away without getting something on your new shirt. That's the pastrami egg roll for ya!

We were already on a food high when we tried the BBQ'ed "Black Foot" Berkshire Pork Belly. This put us over the top. I've never had pork belly melt in my mouth like that. It was so damn tender and buttery! I loved the sweet and savory flavors along with the smoky finish. Just one minor thing, the pork was a touch too salty. Just a molecule too salty. Nothing major. Oh pork belly, I love you.

We should have probably stopped there, but if you know anything about me and my friends, you know there was no way that was going to happen. We ordered the Soft and Crunchy Vegetable Fried Rice. My picture doesn't do this fried rice justice. It definitely did not taste like the usual day-old white rice smothered in brown sauces and old veggies.

So this is where our meal should have stopped. Instead, we tried the Okra and Thai Eggplant Curry for research purposes, of course. I'm so glad we did because there's nothing like Thai curry regardless of whether it is red, yellow or green. This creamy blend of veggies, Thai basil and some more of that awesome tofu had a spicy kick to it, which was perfectly subdued with rice. I could really eat this all day, everyday.

Have you noticed that Chinese restaurants often miss when it comes to dessert (if they have a dessert menu at all)? Chinese people love fruit so you might be lucky enough to score oranges or red bean soup after dinner rather than a fortune cookie. At Red Farm, the dessert menu named a few Asian sounding ingredients (i.e. ginger) but was almost exclusively "western" in execution. This Chocolate Pudding is the perfect example. It was good but nothing to write home about, and I didn't really get why it was on the menu. FYI, the best place for Chinese desserts is in Hong Kong, but that's more than a hop, skip and a jump. 

Red Farm, I love you :)

Tertulia

Hello little fatties! As always, it's been a while since my last post, but obviously I was out doing "research." The past month has been full of great food due to the fortunate timing of my birthday and the spellbinding weather which is always conducive to fatty habits. For this post, I'll write about my dinner at Tertulia with my favorites - Teresa, Rachael and Christine - because I can't stop thinking about one unforgettable dish! Not to mention, it was a meal with miss @chaodownnyc thanks to her CFO's influence in getting us a reservation. Note: get there by 7pm or else!

Okay, so the dish I still can't get over was the Tosta Mejillones...so basically grilled mussels, fennel jam and raisins on toast. Let us just forget that the thick toast was warm, fluffy and buttery for a second. The super plump and juicy mussels paired with grassy sweetness was almost too much for me to handle, so much so that I couldn't stop raving and probably caused a scene of foodie delight. This appetizer was one-of-a-kind for me and my belly.

It wasn't just the mussels that got to me, the Tosta Huevo Roto y Jamón Ibérico also found its way into my belly's happy place. I found the crushed egg, potato and ham combination unique and discreetly rich. And oh, the toast.......let's not even go there. This post would go on and on.

With @rachaelbova at the table, our meal would not have been complete without some sort of octopus. FYI, this girl loves octopus like it's her job, and she's really good at finding the best octopus dishes in the city. The kitchen sent out a hefty piece of grilled octopus sprinkled with peas, leafy greens and lemon zest. This is a great example of a simple preparation creating bold flavors. Mmm...

It's still unusual for me to see eggs on anything other than a breakfast/brunch menu, but this trend (or whatever you want to call it) is certainly becoming popular in New York as I've seen it at The Fat Radish and North End Grill recently. The chef calls this dish "Cojonudo….Revisited" which could only mean that he modernized it in some way. I Googled "cojonudo" and got this from Urban Dictionary (...oh boy, never a good sign). Fortunately, Google Images gave me this. So it looks like he poached the quail egg rather than fried it while adding some fancy spring onions. I also remember that the egg rested on a biscuit-like thing which automatically led my taste buds into a heavenly breakfast realm for a moment.

We heard from a few people that the tomato toast was worth ordering, so we told the server YES to the Pan Con Tomate! And again, the thick, fluffy toast found its way into my belly! I don't know how this happens...#fatty ;) This tosta was the simplest of them all but really brought our attention to the beautiful dimensions of a single ingredient - tomato. I wish this had come out before all the other appetizers, because its subtlety was somewhat overshadowed by the heavier tostas, so ask your server to bring it out first!

Sorry for the wonderful quality of this picture, but I wanted to give you at least a feel for the next dish which didn't photograph well in the dark (I wonder why). Since everyone and their mother now loves brussels sprouts, we did everyone a favor and ordered the crispy Coles de Bruselas. They were good and a little spicy, but nothing really to write home about here. Fortunately and unfortunately, the mind-blowing brussels sprouts at dell'anima will always have the #1 spot in my belly.

So...the paella we ate...wasn't this paella on the restaurant's homepage which was practically begging me to order it. Our paella was too salty and kind of boring. I can't quite describe why we didn't like it, but the saltiness was definitely a deterrent. I really wanted to have another paella spot I could go to in the city besides Socarrat, but I guess I'll have to keep looking!

Again, another wonderful picture courtesy of Fatty Kat. My phone is in need of some TLC...I'll tell you that much! So our dessert choice was largely up to me (as usual), and I have to say that I could have and should have done much better. The Torta de Manzana - warm apple cake - sounded great on paper and from our server, but it fell flat when it reached our mouths (not literally). The heavy cake with rum ice cream and caramel just wasn't very special not to mention a little too heavy and sticky. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. On my next visit, I want to try the caramelized Spanish toast with hazelnut ice cream! Mmm, sounds great.

Despite a few hiccups towards the end, I really enjoyed this meal at Tertulia. Our server was knowledgeable and a little too snooty for his own good, but I'll give him credit for doing his job well. The bustling environment paired with young and sexy professionals in this downtown location was very much "New York," ya know? Although it was a scene and would've been much crazier if we weren't lucky enough to get a reservation, this experience was one that warrants another visit in the near future. Nomz away, my fatties.