I am back at writing about the places we dined several months ago… Better late than never! I found this spot called Riverpark while I was looking for a nice restaurant with a view of the river. I thought my mother and my niece will enjoy it. The location was not as easy to access, since there is no subway stop right by there. But, we can all use a little bit of walk, can we? The Riverpark is located inside a large building, on the first floor in the back, towards the East River.

The walls facing the East River are covered with huge windows from floor to ceiling. It gives such beautiful view of the river! It has a large, fully stocked bar, dividing the dining room. We went there at lunchtime on a weekday, so it was not busy. We got a table by the window with the view, which was great.

The first main entree we order was Roasted Chicken Breast ($28), with Charred Broccoli Rabe, Baked Purple Potato, Truffle Butter, and Citrus Glaze. Now, it might sound a bit pricy for a chicken dish, but let me tell you, it was delicious!

The chicken was plump and juicy, packed with flavor. It was cooked to perfection, easily said that it was the best chicken we’ve had in a long time… The purple potato was small but elegantly plated. It was really tasty as well. With the slightly bitter broccoli rabe, acidic citrus glaze, and the truffle butter, it was an explosion of flavor. Every bite was satisfying. The dish was nice and filling.

My hubby went with Dry Aged Riverpark Burger ($27), with 8oz Short Rib Blend, Cotswold Cheese, Crispy Shallot, and Sesame Bun. It had a choice of Salt & Pepper Fries or Side Salad, and he went with the fries. We gotta have some good fries with burger! The fries certainly was great, crispy and addictive, with just the right amount of seasoning. The burger came with the veggies on the side, so not to make the beautiful sesame buns to be soggy.

The vegetables were very fresh with some great crunch to it, especially the pickles. The patty was gently covered with melted cheese, topped with crispy shallots. We usually ask for the meat to be done more medium, but since we were sharing with others who likes more cooked meat, we asked for well. The patty was cooked just the way we requested, still juicy and flavorful. I say it was a pretty darn good burger!

The other two of us went with pasta dishes. I chose Al Limon ($21), with Chiocciole Pasta, Lemon, Garlic, Dried Chili, and Parmigiano Reggiano, and I added Shrimp ($9) to this dish, making it $30. I was surprised to see the amount of large shrimp pieces that came with it. The pasta cooked al dente, with wonderful lemony flavor that went perfectly with the shrimp. Fluffy shredded cheese that brought a bit of sweetness, against the little punch from the chili. It was all harmonious and delightful.

The last dish of our choice was Radiatore ($26), with Rapini, Roasted Tomato, Spicy Sausage, Toasted Garlic, and Lemon Ricotta. This was another dish done well. Pasta was cooked just right, with the ingredients all working together in a perfect balance. The tomato enhanced the flavor of the sausage, against the bit of the bitter and nutty flavor of rapini. It was really good!

You know what happens when we love the meal… we go into desserts! We got cappuccino to go with our desserts, and they came with pretty hearts on top. It was a nice cup of coffee, freshly brewed with great aroma.

We got some desserts to share. The first one was Chocolate Profiteroles ($16), with Vanilla Ice Cream. It had a choice of chocolate or coffee caramel sauce. The coffee caramel sauce sounded really great, but I completely forgotten about it when I was ordering, so we got it with the classic, chocolate sauce. I have such weak spot for profiteroles (as I do with many dishes and desserts, LOL). It came with four little chocolate choux, sandwiching vanilla ice cream in the middle. You can see the vanilla beans in there, which I always love. The chocolate sauce was rich and smooth, we poured that magic liquid to make it extra special. It was so good!

The second dessert was Chocolate Ganache Cake ($14), with Passion Fruit Caramel and Whiskey Milk Foam. I know how whisky and chocolate cake go so perfectly together, so I was excited about this one. The cake was moist and rich, and yes, the whisky milk foam was amazing with it. So interesting to have “foam” instead of the regular cream, but it was more like a very fluffy, light and airy cream. The passion fruit caramel had a nice bit of acidic flavor with the right amount of sweetness. Such decadent dessert!

The last but not least, Almond Cake ($14), with Wine Poached Pear, Honey Pudding, Almond Crumble. We mentioned briefly to our wonderful server, Jerome, that we were celebrating my mother’s birthday. Guess what? He brought the cake out with a candle and a chocolate that says “Happy Birthday” on top! And not only that, he brought it out while singing happy birthday! It made my mother so happy. The cake was as amazing as the special celebration. Juicy pear, creamy pudding, perfectly nutty cake. It was great!

The bathroom is in the main lobby of the building, so you need to leave the restaurant to get to it. It is near the information desk, by the large column on the restaurant side. The sign is not large, but you will find it as there is nothing else around there. The bathroom was large, well-lit, and spacious.

We had a wonderful birthday lunch for my mother, special thanks to our server, Jerome. The view, the food, the desserts, everything was top notch! We enjoyed it so much, we went back again for dinner a several days later.

This time, we started with some cocktails. We ordered Maize Runner ($19) with Tequila, Amontillado, Corn Lime, Coconut, and Shaved Pistachio. Thing called Love ($18) with Rum, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Amontillado, and Yuzu. Nothing New ($18) with Vodka, Yuzu, Apricot, White Peach, and Soda Water. Men with the Yellow Hat ($18) with Rye, Coco Lopez, Pineapple, Banana, and Lemon. They were all very tasty. Elegantly sweet, fruity and each sip left us wanting more.

With it being dinner time, we got some complimentary bread with butter and olive oil. They were more like focaccia with rosemary, warm and comforting. There was a dash of sea salt on the butter, which was really good too.

Then we received amuse-bouche, a little crostini. I unfortunately don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was refreshing. A nice little bite of a pallet cleanser before the dinner.

We all got appetizers, and my husband went with Crab & Orzo Soup ($17) with Summer Vegetables and Parmesan Consommé. As this was towards the end of September, so the menu was more summer-ish. It had a generous amount of crab, with earthy corn flavored broth. Bright and beautiful vegetables with nice crunch. The soupe was really tasty!

Then Fluke Ceviche ($19) with Passion Fruit Leche de Tigre, Bell Pepper, Avocado Mousse, and Plantain Chips. The ceviche was plated so beautifully, with bright bits of greens and red, while white fluke peeks from underneath. All presented in the bath of bright red bath like the brilliant Sun. Plantain chips were super crispy and crunchy, being the perfect boat for the juicy ceviche. The seasoning on ceviche was just right, it was super fresh and tasty.

We also ordered Salt & Pepper Calamari ($23) with Mushroom, Romesco Sauce, and Grilled Lemon. To me, fried calamari is one of the classic appetizers, fun to eat, fun to share. They were lightly fried, perfectly seasoned, and the grilled lemon was a nice touch. Then the Shrimp Cocktail ($19) with Jumbo Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce. And when they say “jumbo” they mean really jumbo! It came with just two shrimp, but since they were huge, that kind of make sense. Still, a bit pricey for two shrimp… They sure were super plump and tasty though!

For main, we ordered one interesting dish, Cauliflower Milanese ($28) with Spinach Truffle Purée, and Pumpkin Seed Gremolata. It was something out of this world looking, almost like an alien from another planet or some kind of exotic insect??? No matter how strange it might’ve looked, it was absolutely delicious! I would love to get a recipe of this dish…soooo good! The breading on top, somehow juicy cauliflower, the tasty little bright green dots of purée…it was amazing! I could have this every day.

We also got two pasta dishes. The first one was Chiocciole ($28) with Shiitake Mushroom ‘Bolognese’ and Walnuts. It is kind of a vegetarian bolonese, and it sure was great. The mushroom was packed flavor, juicy and went great with the pasta. Last dish was Linguini ($28) with Mussels, Dry Vermouth, and Fennel. Mussels didn’t come with the shells, so it was easier to eat. It came with a generous amount of mussels, and fennel gave such nice earthy flavor.

As we continue to celebrate my mother’s birthday, the server brought a special dessert for her with a candle! It was a trio of mini cupcakes, which I didn’t see on the dessert menu. I assume they bring them out for a special occasion like this? It was Vanilla, Chocolate, and Red Velvet, and the were cute and tasty!

The dinner was a success, even though our original server, Jerome, was not available that evening. We were still well taken care of, we had a fun dinner. Everything we tried was delicious, all the cocktails were well crafted, strong but not too strong. The dishes we tried were very good. I am glad we got to try their lunch menu and dinner menu. The view of the river was super nice, and they also have pretty fantastic outdoor space as well. The traffic noise takes away the peaceful ambiance a bit, but still, it is really nice. We loved our experience at Riverpark. I would definitely go back again for more! Thank you Riverpark and the staffs for celebrating my mother’s birthday with us!

Riverpark – 450 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016