RiverPark

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RiverPark

Photo: Cititour.com

Contact Info:

Address: 450 East 29th Street
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10016
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 729-9790
Website: http://www.riverparknyc.com/

Food Info:

Chef: Sisha Ortuzar
Cuisine: American
2nd Cuisine: Seasonal
Reservations:  Click for reservations
Payment: Amex Visa Mastercard Discover

Cititour Review:

The New York City waterfront just got a welcome addition.  Tom Colicchio's Riverpark at the Alexandria boasts floor-to-ceiling views of the East River, and patio dining for the warmer months.  Inside, the space is filled with dark woods and curvy leather seats that give it a sexy, sheik feel. 

Riverpark is also quite affordable if you play it right.  Cocktails start at $10 while a nice assortment of bottled and draft beers can be had at $5.  We started with a "Smoky Manhattan" ($13) made with rye whiskey, Kagavulin single malt, vermouth and a drunken cherry.  It's powerful.  Just don't light a match near it.  The Dark 'n' Stormy ($10) with Goslings rum and home-made ginger beer seemed overpowered by the ginger, while the Blackwell's Cove ($12) is a pina colada without the coconut which it desperately needs.  Hopefully they'll rework the drinks.  In the meantime, stick with beers like the Bitburger Pilsner ($5) and the Palm Belgian amber ale ($8).  There's also a nice, if somewhat limited, wine selection starting at $9 a glass.

Begin your meal with some picks from the raw bar.  Malpeque oysters arrived perfectly chilled and briny ($15 per 1/12 dz), or feast on some little necks ($10 per 1/2 dz) while taking in the river views.   Appetizers here also excel.  Braised octopus ($14) was a delight to the senses served with cockles in a spicy broth spiked with shishito peppers and a touch of cilantro.  Pumpkin seed tortellini is also fabulous in a roasted squash soup and just a hint of fresh sage.  It's the perfect dish for a chilly fall night.  It comes in two sizes ($12/$18).  You'll want to get the large.  Mackerel Escabeche ($14) was also quite good, although the skin could have been a bit more crisp, and the portion size a bit larger.

Entrees include a scrumptious rack of lamb with roasted peppers and smoked eggplant.  Diver scallops ($26) tasted as if  they had just been plucked from the sea arriving with a hen of the woods, pear, butternut squash, kale chutney on the side. The pork chop ($24) was large and tender.  It came with a wonderful brussels sprout-apple hash, and parsnip puree.  But "medium" I felt was actually quite rare.  If you like your pork white, not pink, order it well.  Also on the menu is duck breast ($27) with black trumpet mushrooms, and meals for two; including roasted organic chicken ($55) and a dry aged rib steak ($68).

And don't pass on dessert.  My dining companions were swooning over their goat cheesecake ($12) with with balsamic-roasted figs and pistachio.   I preferred the beignets ($10), light puffy doughnuts served warm with a rum-chocolate sauce and vanilla custard for dipping.  I could eat them everyday.

Mr. Colicchio and his partner, Sisha Ortúzar, have a few kinks to work out, including a bathroom that's quite a distance away in the lobby, but Riverpark appears to be a hit, and I can guarantee come summer that outside patio will surely be packed.

 

Review By: Thomas Rafael

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