A Lovely Ride on the River

I want to introduce you to my all time favorite and most romantic restaurant… This is the place that I reserve in my head as the spot that I would go to if I had an important occasion, like to celebrate an important milestone, birthday, anniversary, or just wanted a special evening…

When I went there to celebrate a friend’s birthday, it was about 10pm on a Saturday night, and pouring outside.  It almost felt like we had walked onto a movie set, because I felt I had been transported to a different time and place.  We drove up to the door, and the valet was waiting to take our car.  The main entrance is paved with cobblestones, and off from the street.  As we walked in, it felt like we had walked into a flower shop because there were so many fresh flowers.  The maitre d’ greeted us like she had been awaiting our arrival, and we didn’t even have a reservation.  We were seated in the lounge, right by a window facing the lower Manhattan skyline. Our waiter was amazing! He made us feel like not only were we special guests, but also his only guests.   My glass was never empty as the staff was constantly watching for me to put down my glass. The food… not only was it beautifully presented, it tasted  as good as it looked.  This is a special event type of place, especially since  the bill is an event in itself!  Expect to pay at least $125 a person, including tip, and more if you really drink.

I’ve had also dined at River Cafe for brunch in the main dining room, which was also fabulous.  The only thing that struck me as a little out of place was, the attire of the patrons.  I expected the guests to dress a little better, considering that brunch wasn’t much less than dinner.  Overall, I would definitely recommend this restaurant for your next special occasion.

For those of you that don’t know, I am also a licensed NYC tour guide, and yes, I researched the history of the restaurant.  Turns out that the owner, Michael O’Keeffe was a visionary and picked a place that everyone considered to be high risk… Brooklyn waterfront docks in 1962 weren’t what DUMBO is today.  It took him 12 years of negotiations to finally get NYC to give him the clearance to build his dream there.  He finally acquired the land in 1974 and opened in 1977.  The restaurant itself is part on land and part on barge, not that you can feel the difference, but it does explain how you can get so close to the water.

Initially it was like an oasis in the middle of a rough, undeveloped area, tucked right under the Brooklyn Bridge.  Mr. O’Keeffe was smart enough to strive for perfection,  and made the restaurant THE place for young aspiring chefs to strive to work at.  Only the best of ingredients, and the best chefs.  It was considered as “the Harvard Business school of the culinary world”.  I guess this was the place to be before cable television introduced us to the Food Network and Top Chef.  It is an award winning restaurant and even included in the Restaurant Hall of Fame.  It has been rated one of the most romantic restaurants in the US. Come see for yourself.   I don’t think you will be disappointed…

(Gentlemen, you must wear a jacket for dinner.)

River Cafe

1 Water St (Old Fulton Street) , Brooklyn, NY 11201

(718) 522-5200

www.Rivercafe.com