For fine dining, a river-side location, great food, and supreme service, go to the River Street Café. It can be a little pricey, which is why I have only dined there twice over the past year, however, the service and atmosphere makes it worth the price.

You never have to worry about long lines and rowdy guests. You walk into a relatively empty room with a kitchen off to the side. The dining area is upstairs, where you can easily snatch a table by the window featuring a beautiful view of the river and antique vines climbing up the walls of the neighboring building. Serene music is playing and the overall ambiance is wonderfully relaxing.

If you’re expecting a “get in, get out” dining experience, then the River Street Café is not for you. You begin your meal with a complementary dish (I had a delicious plate of chilled pasta), followed by a large salad with vinaigrette. Both dishes ended up being incredibly filling and I hadn’t even gotten to the meal.

The main course was a delicious juicy steak with a side of mashed potatoes and chives. The steak was prepared exactly to my liking and was practically drowned in butter and spices. I have had some of the best steaks at The River Street Café and it’s one of the few restaurants I’ve gone to where I can order a rare steak and rare is exactly what I get–great service.

Finally, I asked the waiter to pack up the leftovers and begin reading off the dessert menu. The moment I heard the words “coffee lovers…” I immediately knew what I wanted. Yes, I was full, but I didn’t care. It was a small cylindrical tower of chocolately coffee goodness. Most of it had a mild chocolate flavor, but there was a single layer which can only be described as coffee overload. Additionally, there was chocolate sauce spread around the plate where you could dip the dessert, making it even more enticing.

Be prepared to leave the restaurant satisfied, full, and about 30 dollars or so poorer. This isn’t too bad considering that one of the alternatives to dining at there was going to Tosca’s that seemed to have a minimum meal price of 40 dollars. I wouldn’t go to the River Street Café every day, but it’s worth at least one visit and I can’t wait for next year’s.

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Related posts:

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2. A surprisingly savory supper at Angus McIndoe restaurant
3. A palatable night out at Taste of Thai
4. Bob’s Diner: 24 hours of traditional goodness

This entry was posted Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Food, Reviews. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.