Restaurant Review: Red Farm

I was meeting a friend in the West Village around 8:00 on Friday night, so I decided to take this opportunity to get a table at RedFarm with Jeremy. Typically there is always a huge crowd lingering outside of the restaurant waiting anxiously for a table, however I got there around 6:45 and was seated immediately. By 7 pm, every table was filled. I didn't realize that there is a downstairs seating area that has a separate entrance, but that is where we were taken. The place has rustic decor with some small tables, but mainly a large communal table in the center of the room. Service was good, and we received our food quickly.

We both started with a beer, me with the Sixpoint Sweet Action, and Jeremy with the Peak Organic IPA. Both were good and nice compliment to the food we ordered. Speaking of food...

We chose 4 dishes to split: Shu Mai Shooters, Katz's Pastrami Egg Roll, Pac Man Shrimp Dumplings, and Wide Rice Noodles with BBQ'd Roast Duck.

The Shu Mai Shooters were presented nicely with 4 double shot glasses containing carrot and ginger bisque with a scallop and squid dumpling sitting on top. The shu mai was delicious and did not have an overpowering fishy taste. It was also just the right amount of salty. The carrot and ginger bisque was VERY gingery. I think I am just sensitive to ginger, because Jeremy was sucking these down. I did like this dish overall because it was actually two things that complimented each other well.

Shu Mai Shooters

Katz's Pastrami Egg Roll was as amazing as it sounds. It was the pastrami of all pastrami stuffed inside an egg roll and deep fried, and served with honey mustard. It was served warm and super crispy on the outside, yet not at all greasy. This dish is just the best idea ever. You must order it.

Katz's Pastrami Egg Roll

The Pac Man Shrimp Dumplings must be their top seller by far. Every single party at the communal table ordered this, and the same waitress brought them all out with her memorized shpeel describing the dish. She was Ms. Pac Man. Anyways, this dish was totally adorable. There was a piece of fried sweet potato shaped like Pac Man directed towards 4 dumpling "ghosts." Each dumpling was made with shrimp, but each one was different in that one also had bamboo, one also had lobster, and I forget the other two. But they were all good. A dumpling is a dumpling you know? Some are better than others, and these count as the better ones. But it's hard for me to tell you why. The fried sweet potato was awesome because anything fried pretty much is. And it was sitting in a dollop of mushed avocado which provided a nice flavor and textural compliment. This was a good dish overall, but I think it is more about how fun and creative the idea behind it is than the actual food.

Pac Man Shrimp Dumplings

Against the recommendation of our waitress, our "entree" was the Wide Rice Noodles with BBQ'd Roast Duck. She suggested we get something from the entree section as the noodles are made to compliment the entree dishes, but honestly this all was plenty of food for us. We both really liked this one. The roast duck was laid on top in slices, with super savory and crispy skin and juicy, tender meat underneath. There was a layer of fat, which normally I hate, but this was really very delicious duck. The noodles were in a brown sauce and had probably an entire red onion with it. This would be my only complaint, the abundance of red onion. While it was cooked onion, it was still a bit overpowering. I think the noodle to red onion ratio was 1:1.

Wide Rice Noodles with BBQ'd Roast Duck

We opted out of dessert because we had to run, but overall we had a nice experience. While the restaurant has a nice ambiance, and has a fun, playful menu that is very delicious, it is a bit pricey for what it is. While way less glamorous, it is hard to pay $100 knowing you can go to Prosperity Dumpling and for just $2.50, receive 10 super tasty, authentic dumplings. Just sayin.