RedFarm - Review - Downtown Austin - Austin - The Infatuation
"There’s a way to have a good time at RedFarm—you just need to set the right expectations. This fancy dim sum restaurant Downtown with origins in New York City (and an outpost in Miami) offers a lot of spins on traditional Chinese dishes with varying degrees of success. They seem to take late-night drunken ideas and run with them, resulting in things like crispy egg rolls filled with pastrami served next to classic dishes like xiao long bao and three chili chicken, all while Avril Lavigne’s greatest hits blast over the speakers. Here's a sentiment that will upset healthy parents everywhere: Skip the vegetables at RedFarm. They’re often undercooked and priced as if gai lan recently became a rare and endangered plant. Cocktails and light bites are the way to go here. Start with spicy crispy beef and BBQ duck lettuce wraps, then order a few dumplings to share with the table. Better yet, do it during Happy Hour when cocktails and most of the small bites cost around $10. If you happen to find yourself Downtown craving dumplings, we’d suggest heading to Qi, Wu Chow, or Lin to scratch the itch. But if you just want solid drinks, a few snacks, and a nice patio with plenty of people-watching opportunities, RedFarm will get the job done. Food Rundown Cocktails We’ve enjoyed all the cocktails we’ve tried here, including this refreshing one made with tequila, aperol, watermelon, lime, and cucumber. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Spicy Crispy Beef This is about as spicy as Taco Bell’s mild sauce, but it’s an otherwise satisfying dish. The beef is crispy and tender, and the vegetables add a nice crunch. Get one of these to start your meal. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary BBQ Duck Lettuce Wraps The duck lettuce wraps remind us of something you’d find at P.F. Chang’s, and we mean that in the nicest possible way. The meat is juicy and tender, and the sauteed vegetables add a great texture. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Three Color Vegetable Dumpling These dumplings get their three colors from the vegetables inside—carrots, mushrooms, and bok choy. They’re light and crunchy, with slightly chewy skins, but they’re not particularly exciting or flavorful. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Candied Walnut Shrimp With Yuzu And Wasabi As unsettling as this neon green drizzle might be to look at, the shrimp are seasoned well and fried to a crispy finish. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary Chinese Broccoli With Superior Shiitake “Flower” Mushrooms These have arrived undercooked and underseasoned on more than one occasion. They’re also nearly $25. Skip them unless you need more iron in your life and hate money. photo credit: Nicolai McCrary" - Nicolai McCrary
