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Its chef is rarely photographed flanked by Tuleh-wearing lovelies in Gotham magazine. It hasn’t had a major redo in 25 years. And it’s routinely dismissed as a place for tourists wanting a room with a view. But when was the last time you tried it? Even allowing for Mayor Bloomberg’s misguided extinguishing of the necklaces of lights spanning the East River crossings, the panorama from under the Brooklyn Bridge produces a blasé-busting, hyperventilating rush of civic pride. Dining on the comfortably lounge-lit floating barge, simply decorated to defer to the obvious visual splendor, with a pianist who cannily plinks instead of plunders, is like living in a Woody Allen movie—one of the wonderful ones, with all the Gershwin, and the specter of looming lechery replaced by the possibility of a happy ending. — Hal Rubenstein

Three-course dinner, $95; Brunch, $45

Weddings
There may not be a better indoor-outdoor space in the city. The Terrace Room at the River Café offers an abundance of greenery, a water-stream entrance, and a truly covetable view of downtown Manhattan. The intimate room can hold up to 100 guests (80 with dance floor). During the spring and summer months, the room opens up to an outdoor terrace. Catering is done in-house by the café’s acclaimed staff.

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New York Magazine Reviews

• Hal Rubenstein's Full Review (9/22/03)