(re)-Opening Party: Red Egg [New York]

by: Anne M. Raso

I was lucky enough to get invited to the grand re-opening night party for the Chino-Peru minimalist eatery Red Egg on the borderline of Chinatown and Little Italy (an area whose ethnic flavor is getting blurred). As you may recall, Red Egg was originally opened in 2008, but was shut down for renovations in early 2010. When I walked in, I noticed that "The Egg" looked more like a Monaco disco than the traditional Chinese teahouse that was once housed in this spot. The place was packed with beautiful foodies, natch, as the party was thrown by New York and Hamptons publicity legend (and former National Enquirer columnist) R. Couri Hay.

Father and Son Restaurateurs: David and Darren Wan (L-R)

I loved the festive vibe of the party, but I was really there for the eats (this is financefoodie.com, after all)! Passed amongst the guests were what owner hopes will be his most popular dim sum items including pork buns, vegetarian and shrimp dumplings, Peking Duck sliders and other Cantonese "standards" with a modern take. Even though the food fare was touted as diversified (the owner once lived in Peru), none of the food passed at the party really had the Peruvian influence - with the exception of maybe the Turnip Cake.

Lettuce Wraps with Minced Chicken

Most of the dim sum items are cheap ($3.75 or less), and are freshly prepared - plus I'm sure Red Egg has "hatched" a few more culinary sensations since the time of this writing so we will go back and check out some of those dishes. Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman has been spotted there a couple of times, and he has raved about it in media interviews, and that alone makes it worth checking out! [Ed Note: I was later informed by the folks at Red Egg that this will be a pure Chinese style restaurant]

Red Egg
202 Centre Street
New York, NY 10013-3613
(212) 966-1123


[Photos: Patrick McMullan]