Affluence plays a role
Separated by blooming begonias, at the table next to the women, are a senior couple enjoying xiaolongbao (steamed bun) and Peking duck tacos. House water is served in classic French restaurant glass bottles. Crystal ball string lights illuminate the yard when night falls, and the pathos plants stretch their short veins on the wall.
"Chinese chefs are becoming much less provincial, much more worldly. They are seeing other kinds of foods. Now you see Chinese people adding all kinds of food to their repertoire. They are feeling the influence of other cultures," said Schoenfeld of RedFarm, who's known as "the walking encyclopedia of Chinese food" by eater.com.
"Growing" is Schoenfeld's prediction of the future of Chinese cuisine, and he suggested two reasons for Chinese restaurants becoming increasingly upscale.
First is the change in food culture in China. As the economy grows, and Chinese people are becoming more affluent, they care more about what they are eating, said Schoenfeld, and that will affect Chinese cuisine internationally.
"People have money. They spend on food. So, there is excitement in China about restaurants and food - traditional Chinese cooking and modern Chinese cooking. I think we are going to see more and more of these (upscale Chinese eateries)," he said.
There is a growing number of rising local chefs working with Chinese food.
Jonathan Wu, a Chinese American from New York, is the chef and partner of Fung Tu, a restaurant on the Lower East Side of New York, featuring creative Chinese-American food and a thoughtful beverage program.
By Chinese-American food, Wu doesn't mean sweet and sour chicken; he means food that he can relate to.
"Things that were important to me in terms of the cuisine were originality and soulfulness," said Wu. "I would draw from food that I ate growing up, which were American-Chinese dishes that my mother and relatives made."
Wu was exposed to traditional Chinese ingredients from early on. There is a tree in his grandparents' yard in New Jersey.
"It's a Toona sinensis. In the spring, the leaves, when they first come out, are very tender. It has this special flavor: it's garlicky, earthy, bitter," said Wu. "It's very Chinese in its palate. My grandma would harvest the leaves, chop them up, and fold them into scrambled eggs."
That's the inspiration for the dish "The Toon Cloud" at Fung Tu. With egg white-infused dashi (stock), kombu (kelp), ginger and garlic, he makes a floating island. The cloud of eggs is served in the broth, and he drapes toon leaves over the top to highlight its flavor.
