Keoni In The City

So a new neighborhood place has opened up on the recently flourishing Hudson Street.  Red Farm is what I would call a casual Chinese fusion.  This brightly lit and small space made me feel like I was having a picnic, but with Chinese food.  The room is dominated by a large rectangular communal table which can be a lot of fun if you don’t mind sitting next to strangers.  The overall atmosphere was a young good looking , local crowd, so I don’t think anyone minded.  The service was very attentive and friendly, offering great descriptions of the food and recommendations. 

Smoked Cucumbers - I had to try this since it sounded different.  I loved this, quick pickled, thick cut cucumbers in a smoky and spicy broth.  I would order this every time and snack on these at the bar too.

Filet Mignon Tarts - small, sauced nuggets of Filet Mignon served in a small pastry shell.  A nice bite more apt to be served as an amuse bouche. 

Vegetable & Chive Dumplings - Soft on the outside, crunchy and flavorful on the inside; well done

Pork and Crab Soup Dumplings - Surf & turf in a dumpling.  These were great and highly anticipated from a soup dumpling lover.  The outside was a bit thicker than ones from Chinatown or Flushing, but the piece of pork felt and tasted more substantial and the broth was nice with a taste of the sea.

Shrimps, Scallops & Mussels with Rice Wine, Tomato, Basil & Thin Rice Noodles - This was beautifully presented in a cast iron pan with HUGE shrimp, big chunks of tomato and lots of basil.  Kind of like a seafood paella but with more broth and thin rice noodles.  Excellent broth and nice acid from the tomatoes really brightened up the dish.  I love these one pot meals.

Flattened Pork Chops with String Beans - Satisfying, pork chops pounded thin and grilled with a sweet and tangy sauce or marinade.  The accompanying string beans and onions were decent.

If you are a shellfish lover (shrimp, crab, lobster), there are a lot of great options for you.  This is a nice, interesting addition

Red Farm

So I haven’t uploaded or shared any photos for a while…Why you ask?  Because someone stole my iPhone which was pretty much my only camera.  Well needless to say I am chomping at the bit for the new iPhone5 to come out so I can get that and start shooting photos again.

Let me know if you hear anything regarding release of the new phone, can’t wait!

Just went to see the new Off-Broadway run of Rent currently playing at the New Worlds Stages.  Overall I thought it was a fun and successful retake on the popular show written by Jonathan Larson.  I was pleasantly surprised by the talent of most the cast, which on the whole was very strong.  Highlights were MJ Rodriguez’s Angel, fantastic vocals, movement and acting; Ephraim Sykes as Benny with a silky smooth R&B voice, Annaleigh Ashford as Maureen, another strong voice, quirky and fun; and Marcus Paul James as Tom Collins who was absolutely fantastic all around and put out a great emotional performance.  

Here comes my rant:  You’re an Off-Broadway show, take some chances with casting.  I would love to see some casting against type, and for a show like this, it could work.  What annoyed me most about this show was Matt Shingledecker as Roger.  Mr Shingledecker looks the part, ( or the I should say he looks like what has typically been cast as Roger) and while he has a nice voice, that’s exactly what it is, a nice voice.  Roger needs to be a ROCK SINGER.  He is the rock star of the show, his singing has to have some BALLS to it.  Roger is such a self centered, angry character and you need to see and hear that in his singing.  You don’t get that at all with Mr. Shingledecker, he should stick to standard showtunes.  Here is a clear case of where they should cast against type look-wise if necessary to get the right voice.  It is so important to the whole of the show.  I even noticed that there were even harmonies that he (Shingledecker) was not singing that past Rogers had.  Whether he couldn’t hit the notes or what, I don’t know.  Just very unimpressed with his performance, but really I think casting is at fault here.

Other than the major flaw in the casting of Roger, this is a fun and entertaining show.  Let me know what you think.

Rent at New World Stages in New York City