April 2002
Mystery
Muncher: River City Café
River
City Café
559 Emory Ave
609-394-2900
Okay,
so I had not been to River City in some time and I was wondering
if anything was different or was it going to be the same old 'ting.
I got there after the city sweeper on Tuesday, so there was plenty
of parking right out front. Since I was by myself, I sat at the
bar.
They have a wonderful looking setup, and just as I was starting
to enjoy the details like the piano bar, Blair asked me if I needed
a beverage. I said I was there for lunch and she insisted I would
be more comfortable in the dining room.
"Come on in here, trust me, you will like the atmosphere
and enjoy yourself more," she said. Well, this was very friendly
and different already. I sat down at a nice table in their freshly
redecorated dining room and got very comfortable.
Out of nowhere Erica asked me if I would like a beverage, which
Blair was already getting-the house Merlot. Erica handed me a
menu. She rattled off the specials and I nestled in for a good
meal.
Regular readers know I like my soups (The Muncher's spouse is
the best soup-maker I know) so with the choice of pasta fagiole
or soup of the day, I choose a cup of the spinach and chicken
soup laced with a few carrots and freshly ground pepper ($1.95;
bowl $2.50). It was an excellent start, and I must say here that
you can usually tell what kind of establishment you are frequenting
by the soup and how it arrives. It was hot, delicious, with great
bread (butter was a little cold), well presented and combined
with wonderful manners. It's nice to find an establishment with
a wait staff that knows the plural of you is not "yous."
Next on the agenda was an appetizer. Here I switched to the house
chianti; good nose on this wine, with a fine finish. I had a choice
of artichoke Francaise ($5.95), calamari (two ways), clams casino,
scallops wrapped in bacon and even New Zealand mussels, to pick
just a few. All were moderately priced from $4.95 to $7.95. I
thought I was getting a small appetizer of barbecued shrimp with
bacon ($6.95). What I received were five very large shrimp in
a barbecue sauce that had a hint of brown sugar that was almost
too sweet. I made it through this course, making sure it was what
I expected by dipping the French bread it was served on in the
sauce, my goodness where am I going to put those crab cakes I
ordered?
The crab cakes need to have the name changed; maybe River City
Crab Clusters. There was no cake or bread involved. It was, unless
this Maryland native was completely fooled, solid crab, all backfin
if I say so myself. It was prepared the way they do it in St.
Michael's. Gently dipped in egg to hold it together and sautéed
in a wine and lemon butter sauce, it was beautifully surrounded
by artichokes, mushrooms, and tomatoes; it is normally served
with a potato that I declined. And thank you for not overcooking
the crab.
It was a wonderful meal and I was completely filled, I thought.
Then, again out of nowhere popped Erica to ask me if I would like
an espresso ($2.50). What a great idea. With the size of this
meal I needed to make sure I didn't go to sleep after a great
lunch.
I realize now how Erica set me up for…the dessert tray! Holy
cow. Choices of classic New York Cheesecake with graham cracker
crust or tiramisu tempted me until I saw the imperial cake with
hazelnut crust and crème topping. Smooth as silk and deliciously
wonderful. I cannot remember much after that. I had just overdosed
on an exquisite meal of gastronomic delight-great house wine and,
I have got to mention this again, the wonderful manners of the
staff. Thank you…I highly recommend River City Café
for lunch…now if I can just get the Trenton Downtowner
to send me out for some dinners…
