Hotels aren’t just for business lunches and Family Weekend.
River Bistro, which is located in Binghamton’s DoubleTree Hotel, may not be the first spot you consider for Restaurant Week. The restaurant feels upscale without being intimidating. Complete with a bar and lounge just outside the restaurant, River Bistro’s modern look adds a certain charm to your meal. While it’s a fancy restaurant in a fancy hotel, but the well-placed flowers are fake and the napkins are paper, so you won’t feel out of place in jeans.
While the hotel has been around for over 20 years, the interior of the restaurant was updated about two and a half years ago, which is made evident by the restaurant’s chic and open design. The glass windows don’t let you forget that you’re in a hotel, but hey, at least it’s good for people watching.
According to River Bistro manager Paul Daniels, most students don’t think of River Bistro when considering where to eat. This was evident by the sparsely filled dining room, which Daniels said may also be attributed to the increased number of restaurants participating in Restaurant Week this year. In addition to having a 60 percent increase in business from a regular week, Daniels views Restaurant Week as a way to connect with the locals.
“We just like being involved, and doing the whole Broome County Southern Tier team spirit thing,” Daniels said. “This is one way for us to get out there with the locals and be a part of that and draw in more of a local crowd.”
The appetizer options included a mushroom bisque and a scallop on a half shell. The bisque, which was complete with a goat cheese crostini, was definitely the better value of the two options. While the scallop and accompanying greens and bacon were delicious, it was ultimately an unsatisfying portion.
For the entrée, we chose the jerk spiced chicken and the gnocchi. The Restaurant Week menu also offers choices of fish and chips or shepherd’s pie. Both meals were delicious, but the gnocchi wasn’t anything you’ve never had before. If you like pesto and pasta, you’d do well with this big plate of food. Don’t let the “jerk” in the jerk chicken scare you. This dish was definitely on the mild side. In fact, we could have used it spicier. This comfort food came on a bed of black beans, potatoes and plantains, which complemented the chicken perfectly.
Dessert was a choice of either a minted lemon mousse cake or a tiramisu ice cream with almond biscotti. The lemon cake was extremely potent, and is the lesser of the two options unless lemon is really your thing. The tiramisu ice cream was an enjoyable and light way to round off a heavier entrée course, succeeding in both texture (yes, there were lady fingers folded in) and flavor.
Chef Robert Gedman, an import from England, changes the menu seasonally. The Restaurant Week selections are a take on the comfort food that River Bistro serves up during the colder months. They also have a large cocktail selection, and Daniels says the “Employee’s Favorite” cocktail is a crowd pleaser.
If you’ve never considered River Bistro, take a walk around the corner from the hour-long wait at the Lost Dog Cafe for a new dining experience that already feels familiar.