#2 – RIB EYE at REDFARM

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

When you think Chinese food in this country, you very rarely think farm fresh and certainly not local. Well, Chinese chef Joe Ng and Jewish restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld would like to change that way of thinking.

They opened RedFarm in the West Village last year to much fanfare and excitement. It had been on my list for a while, but it was Time Out that finally brought us here.

It wasn’t at all what I expected. It was very intimate and bright with a large communal table in the center, menus and water cans hanging above. If I didn’t know the menu (or smell the food cooking), I never in a million years would have guessed that Chinese food came out of that kitchen.

RedFarm is much more expensive than any of my favorite language barrier eateries in Chinatown. But the food they’re serving is inventive and wonderfully delicious.

We started with the popular Katz’s Pastrami roll, which is exactly what it sounds like and works perfectly in a joyful heart attack sort of way. If you never understood the connection between Chinese and Jewish culture, this dish will enlighten you.

I also really loved the smoked cucumbers which were spicy, refreshing, smoky, and too easy to eat. The Pac Man dumplings were more show than anything else, presented in a very playful way with a nod to everybody’s favorite video game. The dumplings themselves were fine, but if it weren’t for the show, I’d have been angry paying those prices for four dumplings.

The ribeye was what Time Out chose for their list and it was spectacular. It was cooked not a hair above medium rare served with a side of plump, crunchy bok choy. I’m generally not a fan of rib eyes because I find them too fatty and chewy, but this tender cut melted right away. The charred exterior had a nice sweet, smoky glaze that had subtle hints of ginger and soy with overwhelming umami flavors of quality beef.

I couldn’t help but gnaw on the bone to make sure I didn’t miss any bits of scrumptious steak. So it seems like not only my perception of Chinese food in this country has changed, but so have my manners.

Would RedFarm’s Rib Eye make my Top 100 of the year? Just like the entire dinner, this rib eye was surprising, flavorful, and left me yearning for me. It earns nothing less than a 9 out of 10.