river cafe or bust?

Been reading these posts for a few weeks now, my husband and I are getting very excited about coming to New York in April (first time)! It%26#39;s his 30th whilst we%26#39;re there and I%26#39;ve read so much about the River Cafe. I want to make the whole day fabulous, rounding off with a restaurant where the view is so stunning that it smacks you in the face! The River Cafe seems perfect in this respect but I%26#39;m a bit concerned that I won%26#39;t have much choice (veggie) and that hubby won%26#39;t have much food (it looks like presentation over volume!). Also, he%26#39;s not really the suit-and-tie type as he has to do all that for work. The money isn%26#39;t an issue, it%26#39;s a special occasion - but I want to get his birthday right. Can I do something with a fab view of Manhattan sunset / night that%26#39;s a bit less formal? Cheers.

river cafe or bust?

The only thing I can think of that would less formal is maybe taking a Circle Line cruise at sunset without food. I think they do that. There%26#39;s also a restaurant right near the River Cafe called Pete%26#39;s Downtown that casual Italian. It supposedly has the same view as River Cafe. I%26#39;ve never been. That might solve the problem as you could have pasta.

river cafe or bust?

http://petesdowntown.citysearch.com/

Pete%26#39;s might be a good choice, but the River Cafe is sooo special! I%26#39;ve found that any nice restaurant accommodates vegetarians happily. Anyway, you can take a look at their menu on www.rivercafe.com and see if it appeals to you. I can tell you their portions won%26#39;t leave you hungry! Another option is to go for cocktails at the River Cafe (though the dining room is much nicer than the cocktail area), and then eat dinner at Pete%26#39;s. Or--Grimaldi%26#39;s Pizza is just a block or two away.

sydzap, we%26#39;re going to the river cafe on our wedding day but another restaurant we looked at is the waters edge which looks less formal. http://www.watersedgenyc.com/

the journey there is sounds fun as they throw in a complimentary water taxi!

You might consider Arthur%26#39;s Landing which is the brainchild of trucking magnate, Arthur Imperio,

It%26#39;s a quick Ferry wide across the Hudson to Weehawken (seven minutes or so from 38th Street to Port Imperio). And as most New Yorkers know, the view of the Manhattan Skyline from N.J. can be just as stunning as from Broklyn.

After You hop off the ferry at a dock, you walk through a beautiful little park to the restaurant (glass-walled like The River Cafe). Come April you should be able to already be able to inhale the fragrences of the seasonal flowers. While relatively unknown to New Yorker%26#39;s, Arthur%26#39;s Landing is one of Jersey%26#39;s ';Shhh!-Let%26#39;s-not-tell-anyone-about-it'; most-romantic spaces, and not unlike the River Cafe, it keeps people coming back for its spectacular views of the skyline.

It is most definately not as formal as the River Cafe and one can even just revel in the views from the bar over a plate of Calamari.

You really get a big bang for your buck at this place.

Here%26#39;s a link to a commercial the restaurant ran. (You might need to download some software to see it, but it%26#39;s a simple, quick task.

http://www.arthurslanding.com/tv_spot.gif

This link is to the website:

http://www.arthurslanding.com/home.html

Here%26#39;s the dinner menu which, as you can see, is quite a bit more expansive than those offered as similar restaurants:

Dinner Menu

Sunday - Thursday: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Friday %26amp; Saturday: 5:00 pm - 10:30 pm

First Course

SKEWERED BEEF SATAY

teriyaki glaze, daikon radish salad - 13

HOUSE CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

red onion and yellow tomato salad, meyer lemon cream - 11

TUNA TARTARE

crispy crab salad, spicy siracha sauce - 15

DUET OF EAST AND WEST COAST OYSTERS

sherry mignionette - 12

PAN SEARED HUDSON VALLEY FOIE GRAS

saut锟斤拷ed peaches, vanilla coconut rum sauce - 15

COCONUT PRAWNS

blueberry plum sauce - 14

CHILLED JUMBO SHRIMP

cocktail sauce, brandy aioli - 12

SEARED SAMBAL CRUSTED TUNA

jicama slaw, guava glaze - 14

LOBSTER RAVIOLI

sherry cream - 15

MIXED SEAFOOD COCKTAIL

calamari, lobster, shrimp, crawfish, scallops, cilantro vinaigrette - 16

Soup %26amp; Salads

ROASTED CORN CHOWDER

truffle oil - 7

MIXED BABY GREEN SALAD

red onion, carrots, grape tomatoes, champagne vinaigrette - 7

ARTHUR锟斤拷锟絊 CAESAR SALAD

creamy caeser dressing, warm polenta croutons - 8

BABY SPINACH AND MARINATED MUSHROOM SALAD

calamata olives, crispy pancetta - 9

CHILLED LOBSTER SALAD

jumbo lump crabmeat, baby mache, horseradish cream, lobster oil - 21

Main Course

PAN SEARED PORK CHOP

bourbon sweet potatoes, dried cranberries, chipotle demi-glaze - 22

GRILLED BEEF TENDERLION

broccoli rabe, fingerling potatoes, merlot reduction - 32

GRILLED DRY AGED STRIP STEAK

lyonnaise potatoes, watercress, port wine reduction - 35

ROASTED HALF CHICKEN

crispy onion mashed potatoes, roasted roma tomato, shallot jus - 19

CRISPY DOUBLE DUCK

braised baby bok choy, toasted sesame seeds, red peppers, hoisin demi glace - 26

GRILLED VEAL PORTERHOUSE

wilted swiss chard, wild mushrooms, bordelaise sauce - 35

SURF AND TURF

filet of beef with 6 oz. lobster tail, julienne vegetables, drawn butter, cabernet sauce - 49

LOBSTER RAVIOLI

sherry shallot cream - 24

GRILLED WHOLE FISH OF THE DAY

baby vegetables, garlic infused olive oil - 29

NUT CRUSTED ATLANTIC SALMON

parsnip puree, raspberry beurre blanc - 25

ARTHUR锟斤拷锟絊 CRAB CAKES

warm tomato confit, artichoke remoulade - 29

ALMOND CRUSTED DOVER SOLE

baby vegetables, wild mushrooms, lemon beurre blanc - 27

PHYLLO WRAPPED MAINE DIVER SCALLOPS

baby vegetables, champagne chervil sauce - 27

PAN SEARED CHILEAN SEA BASS

roasted fall mushrooms, baby spinach, lemon honey truffle sauce - 28

BLACKENED AHI TUNA

nicoise salad, aged sherry vinaigrette - 28

MIXED SEAFOOD GRILL

lobster, bass, salmon, calamari, shrimp, baby mixed greens, extra virgin olive oil - 32

A LA CARTE SIDES - $ 5

Baby carrots

Grilled asparagus

Crispy onions whipped potato

Wild mushrooms

Green beans almondine

Macaroni %26amp; cheese

Good luck.

Sorry. Wrong link to the T.V. commercial. This should work.

http://www.arthurslanding.com/tv_spot.html

I%26#39;ve gotta bookmark that place!!

Bettina,

You might be interested in looking at the website of the parent company, Drydock Restaurants. The also own Sprito Grill--another space on the waterfront with great views but which is essentially Italien.

The link below is a photo that pretty much tells you what this company is about.

www.drydockrestaurants.com/banner_dining.jpg

http://www.drydockrestaurants.com/

Bettina:

Check out the three course ';Taste of Twilight'; option for $19.95 at Spirito Grill.

I really don%26#39;t think there%26#39;s a place in the five boroughs where you could view the skyline at that price.

Pete%26#39;s Downtown isn%26#39;t even that affordable.

View from Spirito Grill

http://www.spiritogrill.com/npic4.jpg