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While the name may suggest a laid-back, exurban rusticity, this uptown eatery is decidedly citified, set between the soaring steel arches of the Riverside Drive Viaduct and an elevated Amtrak line, rumbling trains included. The place is spacious, with a ground floor lounge/bar, upstairs dining room, outdoor patio, and terrace. White painted walls, walnut floors, white Corian–topped tables, and an expansive cathedral ceiling evoke a posh beach house. The seasonal menu puts seafood at center stage, from raw bar offerings to seviches, fine paella, and grilled fish. Chef/partner Ricardo Cardona, formerly of Jimmy’s Bronx Cafe and now also at Lua in Hoboken, adds Latin dishes, as well as Asian seasonings, in dishes like a unique, arresting calamari salad that tosses the tiny, petite deep-fried rings in a sweet and savory ginger dressing, amped with Thai chili peppers. The whole spicy tangle crowns a healthy heap of organic watercress, radish sprouts, peanuts, banana slices, and toasted pine nuts. While just short of sublime, Hudson River Café, which opened in May 2007, is certainly a jewel in Harlem’s culinary crown. — Michael Anstendig

Reservations are not accepted for parties over eight. Walk-ins with eight or more people will be split into different tables, and ordering the prix fixe menu is required for parties with ten or more.

Calamari salad, $10; half-roasted duck, $22; Hudson River Café paella, $34

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