Dear Friends and Family,   

   I'm pinching myself all over to think how lucky we were that Irene inhaled a bit as she rushed by Manhattan - leaving only minor flooding and brief power failures. Mayor Mike played it like a cross between General Patton and Big Daddy.  My guy and I braved the snarling hordes of fellow rabid survivalists at Fairway Saturday morning, grabbing bagels (without tongs, yes, forgive me) and as much bottled water as we could carry, buying not one, but two plastic bowls of pre-cut pineapple. Darling, were you expecting storm refugees from Hawaii?  With our big fat rotisserie chicken bought by Penny on a Costco run, and $4.30 worth of chocolate bark from Jacques Torres, I sat nervously watching the storm news on TV with the sound off, reading advance sections of Sunday's Times. I ate too much, anxious that our fragile stained-glass windows would shatter at any moment and the ocean would sweep into our bedroom, lapping up my vintage handbag collection, but solving forever the conundrum of why I can't throw out clothes I haven't worn in 25 years. What an escape.    

     Friends on Long Island did not get off as lightly. That is Citymeals executive Marcia Stein in the photograph above, mourning the loss of her favorite tree - ironically it was very old and in full plumage.   

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Citymeals Delivers      

       
       It felt better knowing that Citymeals-on-Wheels had made sure that two or three fresh meals were delivered to all our frail, homebound elderly on Friday, that program director Rachel Sherrow's team quickly moved emergency boxes of three shelf-ready meals from our Brooklyn warehouse, and Volunteer Director Vivienne O'Neill was out with volunteers Saturday delivering the last of those boxes. The warehouse staff emptied the shelves of extra water supplies, flashlights and radios, as they packed up the last emergency boxes to centers requesting them. I am very moved by the dedication and professionalism of the people working under both our retiring director, Marcia Stein, and our new director, Beth Shapiro.  And yes, dear friends of Citymeals, we do need extra funds now, specifically to restock the warehouse. Call 212 687 1294 and say Gael asked, go to Citymeals.org for information, or just send a check to Citymeals-on-Wheels, 355 Lexington Avenue, NYC, 10017.  As always, your gift will go only for the preparation and delivery of meals. 

    Along the bumpy way to opening a West Village dim sum carry-out parlor they planned to seed all around town - the partners at RedFarm starting winging it, tasting and ad-libbing. With the dim sum meister Joe Ng and his major league dumpling team in the kitchen, long time Chinese Big Daddy Eddie Schoenfeld conjuring and editing, and Jeffrey Chodorow backing and advising, they decided to open a great Chinese restaurant instead. In a month of experiments and "family" tastings - I talked my way into three of them - the place is already impressive.

    First of all, what they fitted into this 1828 parlor floor above a Laundromat on Hudson is definitely cute with its few red and white banquettes. The communal tables with lead pipes above where chopsticks, menus, greenery and votive lights hang, encourage friendly mingling. In a pinch, the host can even stuff 56 into his 45 seats.  

    Chinese? Sorry. It just started out. Chinese. Then something happened. Smoked salmon and eggplant bruschetta. Kumamoto oysters on Meyer lemon-yuzu ice. Okra and Thai eggplant yellow curry.  It is "unabashedly inauthentic," as Eddie Schoenfeld is saying now.  Did I hear someone say "fusion?" He would prefer you simply acknowledge the untameable Ng's genius. And maybe his own for giving it room.  He expects RedFarm will be a positive influence, teaching established Chinese restaurants a thing or two, waking them up to a farm-to-table philosophy. "Most of them are in a rut. They need to cut loose."

    So the Pac-Man shrimp dumplings are not just adorable critters, delicate skins, sublime shrimp filling, they come with a disc of sweet potato tempura to scoop up the rough-cut guacamole alongside. Kowloon filet mignon tarts sport silken cubes of beef on a savory corn-flecked paste in a layered pastry shell with a frizz on top. (Listed under small bites on the menu, $8.50 for just two.) Shu Mai shooters are fabulous savory bundles poised atop a shot of namby pamby lukewarm carrot ginger juice.

    The luscious duck and Fuji apple stir-fry laced with hoisin sauce - sweet and satiny, savory and crunchy -- to wrap in carefully trimmed circlets of Romaine may remind you of minced lettuce-wrapping moments past. These with their tomatillo salsa topping intimate taco.(Two little bowls for $12 are enough for four "tacos" if you ask for extra lettuce.) Don't ignore mushroom and vegetable spring rolls because they sound prim in such smart company. They are a feast for all five senses, starting with the wild sight of spiraling pastry forming giant chrysanthemums atop each crunchy roll. MORE

    If you missed this week's BITE on Insatiable Critic because of power failure, mopping up or general discombobulation Click here to read more on why you might be willing to join a queue for a seat at Red Farm 529 Hudson Street between Charles and Tenth Street. (212) 792-9700.  

RedFarm photographs of Eddie Schoenfeld pouring wine, Shu Mai shooters and salmon bruschetta, Korean rice noodles and braised beef, Chef Joe NG, Chinese chicken salad, and stir-fried lamb may not be used without permission from Steven Richter.  
        
              Fork Play copyright Gael Greene 2011.