The River Room Harlem

[ewindels]

Encouraged by the recent blurb in the New York Times, six of us essayed this place on Saturday, spurred largely out of curiosity in a restaurant trying to position itself as higher end, of which there remains a lamentable dearth on the West Side above 72nd Street. The crowd (of a healthy size for a holiday weekend) was an interesting mix of Seriously Decked Out local denizens and the curious plainly from other neighborhoods. What experience the combined crowd anticipated I can’t say, though I wager they, like us, found the experience that night wanting. An outbreak of that sudden and mysterious illness to which so much of the service industry seems to fall prey on long holiday weekends, particularly when the weather is nice, had left the River Room with a skeletal staff who struggled noticeably and with minimal success to handle their responsibilities. The result was long waits for everything, vestigial experience, miscommunication, and not a little frustration on all sides.

The restaurant is easily accessible by bus, by subway and a short walk, or by personal vehicle (though if you park at the facility there is a mandatory valet parking fee). There is seating both inside and outdoors. If seated between 7PM and 9PM on weekends, parties are subjected to a mandatory “music cover charge” of $5 per person for the jazz groups that play in the room, which proved to be onerously loud during trips to the washroom but provided a subtle, distant, pleasant backdrop to the outside terrace. A 20% service charge is automatically added to parties of six or more.

The menu on the restaurant's web site, which had generated so much excitement and anticipation within our party, turned out to be obsolete: a new chef has been in command for six months and has largely dispensed with the previous offerings, though retaining the idea of a high-end gloss on soul food. A printed wine list doesn’t exist, and the three options each of red and white were recited by our server, without being able to provide either vintage or vineyard names. All are $34 a bottle. My guess is that the primary clientele at this place is more interested in the cocktail menu, a cursory glance at which suggested it was heavy on the overly-sweet, brightly colored variety.

These various setbacks and issues, which our group found slightly off-putting, are a shame: the venue has real potential, and the location provides without question one of the top three views in the city, if not the top. I can happily report that at no time is one aware of the facility which the restaurant surmounts. The indoor room, if somewhat utilitarian, would require minimal effort and expense to dress up a bit and live up to what seem to be the ambitions of the management. As for outdoors: It doesn’t get much better on a mild, cloudless late-summer evening than relaxing on the broad, tree lined terrace on the side of the restaurant with a breathtaking, unobstructed view north up the Hudson, which only improves as darkness falls and the George Washington lights up like a Harry Winston display, with a broad iridescent shimmer on the river reflecting the lights on the bridge.

To top it off, the food is quite good, or certainly better than our initial reception led us to expect. Baskets of fresh-from-the-oven corn muffins and rolls are warm and welcome. The fried clams and calamari were perfectly crisp and dark golden brown, accompanied by piquant mayonnaise-based sauces. The Buffalo wings were fine, almost overshadowed by the zesty red cabbage slaw underneath. My bourbon glazed ribs were as good, if not better, than any ribs I’ve had around town, and the accompanying eggy, mustardy potato salad was a perfect counterfoil. Creole shrimp on top of grits were seriously creamy and luxurious. I didn’t get to taste the chicken, but was told it was very good. The seafood burger was pronounced inedible, though I confess to have scant sympathy for someone who orders a seafood burger at a soul food restaurant. The three desserts recited to us were neither interesting enough to tempt us or for me to recall, and we left off there.

I’m sorry we didn’t get to sample the previous menu, which from the web site looked like a creative and playful take on soul food. The current menu is somewhat less inventive, although the results were perfectly fine. The wine list could benefit from a little expansion and a diversity of prices (and actually being printed out). I would definitely go back, perhaps for an early autumn lunch when the leaves are starting to turn out on that incredible terrace. No doubt by then the staff will have recovered from its collective malady and service won’t be an issue.

[mtkr]

I haven't been to the River Room since last fall, so I guess I got the previous chef. The night we went was very quiet, so we didn't experience the delays in service that you got. I enjoyed the food, although after all these months I can't remember what I got. I do remember thinking it was a little overpriced, but I really liked the idea of an upscale take on soul food.

And you are right about the view. In any other neighborhood this place would be packed just for the view.

[oakapple]

We were quite dismayed with River Room, and won't be returning anytime soon, even though we live way uptown, and it is convenient for us.

Despite the forbidding address, it is actually quite easy to get to, but we found it almost totally deserted on a Friday night. I agree that the view is priceless, and with food to match it could be a hit. Unfortunately, the place proves the rule that great food and a great view seldom go together.