Riverpark

I feel a visit to Craft restaurant may be in order soon.  The flagship of Tom Colicchio's empire has always intrigued me, surprised me, and satisfied me.  The simplicity of flavors, the large portions, the striking decor, and the warm service combined leaves every diner yearning for more.  The sub-par meal and horrible experience I had at Craftbar during brunch late last year, along with the overpriced sandwiches offered at 'Wichcraft, popped my Craft balloon.  I was deflated.  I thought here we go again, another chef who is over-expanding and his restaurants are starting to suffer.  When I went to Riverpark for restaurant week, I was hoping for a saving grace.  Sadly, I didn't exactly find it here.  Was it a good meal?  In some aspects yes.  Chef Sisha Ortuzar is offering the entire menu at a discounted price, with no change in portion sizes.  Was it memorable?  Not at all, as I have to look at the pictures I took just to remember what I ate.

When some people mention restaurants can be located "off the beaten path", no restaurant is more deserving of this title than Riverpark.  Riverpark is located on the first floor of The Alexandria Center, a medical building living on the far side of a gated, security guard watched, community in-between Bellevue Medical Center and NYU Medical.  Walking up 29th Street and eventually to 1st Avenue you can't help but seem reluctant to walk through the large iron gates to find your destination.  Confused and bewildered, the security guard looks at you and says "Don't worry, you're in the right place.  Just keep walking".  I guess he has become accustomed to not even asking where people are going.

So up the brick-lined, small-inclined, street you go.  After a few feet your eyes catch the surrounding areas and eventually to the silver sign outside of the Alexandria Center.  You've found it.  A part of you wants to control your enthusiasm.  Another part of you wants to jump up and down and scream to everyone walking behind you "There it is!  Follow me!".

There are highlights of this walk, though.  Riverpark Farms, NYC's largest urban farm, is located right outside of the restaurant.  Right next to it, an outpost of 'Wichcraft.  Far in the distance are beautiful views of the East River and the dim lights of Long Island City.  Take a peek at the farm and then eventually walk into the lobby of the Alexandria Center.  Take note of the restrooms located behind the security desk as they are the only restrooms located in the building.  Just a few more feet.  You're almost there.

Click to enlarge

Rows upon rows of fresh vegetables grow outside the restaurant

You finally reach the small entrance and find a gorgeous leather-filled dining room with pin lights studded everywhere.  Wall-size windows showcase the outside patio and East River views from the restaurant.  Points are given to the restaurant's design, a perfect fit for a date.  Lets just hope they clean off the chairs before they seat you, as I had to flick a piece of frisee from mine.

When presented with the menus you are given the option to order some light snacks from the bar menu as well.  A fried oyster taco sounds pleasant and entertaining, but when presented it offers a small bite of disappointment.  One piece of oyster is fried, placed between a thick tortilla shell, and garnished with slices of red onion, radish, jalapeno, and a lime wedge.  Even with a squeeze of acidity from the whole wedge, offers very little in depth of flavor.

Oyster Taco

The cheese empanadas are, however, a great snack to share.  Though the cheese sauce bares resemblance to childhood memories of velveeta, if you're a cheese lover, this is a good place to start.  Sip through your cocktail and enjoy these small beauties garnished with oregano, garlic, and pickled chilies.

Cheese Empanadas

Much like the snacks, the appetizers are hit-or-miss.  Braised baby octopus is a winner.  Tender to the touch and the spike of lime and chili oil make this appetizer much enjoyable.

Baby Octopus with Lime, Chili Oil, and Manila Clams

The same cannot be said about the hamachi starter.  Three thick slices of hamachi sit atop a half sliced avocado with a few slices of radish, micro cilantro, and the killer of the dish, chipotle puree.  In the case of this appetizer, it often makes me wonder if kitchens are actually tasting their food before it sent to tables.  The chipotle was such a negative addition, to the point of making the appetizer inedible for me.  Out of sheer courtesy, I scraped it all off, left it to the side, and finished the rest of the app.  The unripe avocado left a very unsettling bubble in my stomach for the rest of the meal.  I usually never say I hate a dish.  But I hated this dish.

Hamachi with Avocado, Pickled Onions, and Chipotle

The restaurant's dining room manager, John, is a nice older gentleman who you can tell has been in the business for a while.  Despite the disappointing food so far for the first two courses, John's service and hospitality made up for the evening, and I do have to note he went to great lengths to take care of my friend and I.  Some of this can be seen in the complimentary mid-course he sent us.  I am more than overwhelmed he did, as these next two pasta dishes were by far the best courses we had all night.

The duck confit raviolo is a flavor orgasm in a bowl.  Served with summer melon and fennel.  A bite of everything mixed with a slurp of the broth will have you wiggling in your chair.  Its hits on every flavor note on your palate.

Duck Raviolo with Summer Melon and Fennel

The orecchhiette with oxtail is not far from perfection as well.  Perfectly al-dente with so much flavor running throughout.  If you are going to eat at Riverpark, I definitely suggest starting with the pastas.

Orecchiette with Oxtail and Chilies

I wish the same type of enthusiasm was running through the entrees.  Once again, we were faced with courses that were hit-or-miss.  My duck entree was entirely confusing.  Although the duck itself was a perfect med-rare, the cook left too much fat on it by not rendering it correctly.  A slightly-crisp skin becomes moist and soggy sitting under a frisee salad (Now I know what the person sitting in this chair before me ordered).  A pool of herb puree surrounds their version of a cassoulet, a slow-cooked French-style dish.  After a few bites everything seemed muddled and offered very little to be excited about.  

Duck with Cassoulet

Too much going on

Slightly better, but not by much, my friend's entree left me wondering why I didn't decide to go with a fish entree.  Her sea bass was cooked very well, and two pieces of it sat atop green freekah and celery.  The dish was balanced and tasty, with my only complaint being the kitchen didn't take the time to crisp the skin properly, causing her to take it off and leave it to the side.  Such a shame.

Sea Bass with Freekah and Celery

The desserts left us leaving on a happier note, but the theme of hit-or-miss seems to be running through this whole meal.  A chocolate-caramel tart does a great job in satisfying your sweet tooth.  Rich, creamy, and paired with caramel ice cream and caramel popcorn.  My friend had a perfect end to her meal.

Chocolate-Caramel Tart

I went for the beignets, as anyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for restaurant donuts.  These weren't fried correctly, as you can tell from the picture, were crisped on one side, leaving the other side slightly raw.  Biting into them gave a small burst of orange flavor, but the berry sauce and powdered sugar did very little in lifting them to memorable status.

Beignets with Berry Sauce

Riverpark did succeed on one front.  This was the first time a restaurant really gave me a rollercoaster ride of emotions through its courses.  However, this ride was mainly full of loops.

Riverpark

450 East 29th Street

New York, NY 10016