I was pleasantly surprised and absolutely stunned by the cute and simple atmosphere of The Red Fern restaurant on the historic Park Avenue of Rochester, NY. My friend and I were looking for a spot for lunch on Saturday and, while initially opting for our staple lunch go-to, Magnolia's, approached The Red Fern and decided to check it out. I have passed by it dozens of times before, initially thinking it was a bar because of it's location downstairs of a large apartment building and the only indication of it's name, a logo of a red fern, displayed at the entryway. While they do sell some alcoholic drinks, many craft and gluten-free options, they are mainly known for their café-type foods and pastries. Many of my friends have posted on social media of their visits to The Red Fern, and the cozy, hidden eatery intrigued me.
The restaurant prides itself with an entirely vegan menu, and most, if not all, of the ingredients are natural and fresh, which isn't lost in the taste whatsoever. I immediately found what I wanted to order with little trouble, my eyes shooting down to a sandwich that promised bleu cheese, the Buffalo Bleu. I am a huge fan of bleu cheeseburgers; I'm infinitely bias and nine times out of ten will order one off the menu if I see it. This sandwich is described as having "braised buffalo tempeh, cabbage slaw, cucumber, bleu cheese dressing on focaccia." I did a quick Google search on what "tempeh" was and, as expected, it was a soy-based meat substitute, less processed than tofu. I actually used to be a vegetarian in college due to the rather interesting looking meat choices in the dining halls, so I was no stranger to soy products and had high expectations for how yummy they had the potential to be.
There were many other items on the menu that I definitely would like to come back to try. They had an appetizer which was called the Mac & Cheese Nachos, "brown rice macaroni & cashew cheese, tortilla chips, cheddar, green olive salsa verde, roasted tomato," which you could order with buffalo chicken flavored tempeh, avocado puree, a spicy meat sauce, or "loaded" with all three. Another menu item I'd like to try is their own version of a traditional Rochesterian garbage plate which they title a Compost Plate, which is comprised of "mac salad, sweet potato salad, spicy meat sauce, balsamic field greens and your choice of protein – lemon maple tofu, buffalo tempeh, lentil burger, italian sausage, or seitan steak." Both sound like enough food for two to share.
My sandwich arrived and it was way larger than I thought it would be. It also came with a side salad of fresh greens and a vinaigrette dressing. As I took my first bite of the Buffalo Bleu, my tastebuds first gravitated toward the almost Asian flavoring of the red cabbage slaw, which was both tangy and sweet. The secondary flavor was quite contrasting, but amazingly good; I can only describe this sandwich's flavor and texture as being a piece of boneless buffalo chicken sandwiched between two slices of pizza. I'm not kidding. The bread was so poofy and soft and the bleu cheese was more like a creamy spread which sunk into the holes of the bread so nicely. And I could not believe the buffalo tempeh was not real meat; it really did taste like biting into fresh chicken. After eating the first half of the sandwich and the salad, I knew that I was too full to finish the second half and took it to-go.
In actuality, I was eyeing the desserts when I came into the restaurant. The Red Fern had plenty of dessert options including cheesecake, brownies, chocolate truffles, a banana cake, donuts, and more. But I was, of course, instantly pulled toward the giant cookies they had on display. My favorite was offered, the classic chocolate chip. I was only planning on eating half of it but I completely ate the whole thing. As you can see from the picture, I didn't even wait to take a photo before I took a bite. The flavor was almost nutty, and the cookie was a bit crumbly, but the different texture was a bonus for me. I appreciated the soft, chewiness the cookie had, almost as if I took a spoonful of cookie dough straight from the bowl, but without tasting raw. Definitely grandmother's cookie worthy.
In all, I absolutely would like to revisit The Red Fern for fresh, healthy, vegan food. There are many reasons to eat a vegan meal more often, even if you aren't vegan or vegetarian, including healthy eating, animal sustainability, or if you have a lactose or gluten intolerance. I am very excited that more places like The Red Fern are popping up, I would whole-heartedly like to explore other all-vegan or all-vegetarian restaurants in the future.
The Red Fern is located at 283 Oxford Street, right on the corner of Park Avenue. They are open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 11am until 9pm, and Friday and Saturday until 9:30pm. They offer parking behind the building before 5pm, but we found plenty of free street parking within a close distance regardless. They also have a special dinner coming up soon on Monday, April 10th which benefits animal rights through Animal Rights Rochester. Tickets to the exquisite four-course meal at The Red Fern can be bought through the Animal Rights Rochester website. Thank you for reading my restaurant review, keep an eye out for more articles like this by following my Twitter or my Instagram for post updates!
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