Meal with a view at Riva restaurant on Chicago’s Navy Pier

We loved visiting Chicago’s Navy Pier, but walking the length of the pier several times on a hot and humid day, along with getting drenched during our Seadog Extreme Speedboat ride, left us longing for a cool and quiet place to go for a late lunch.

A week of convention food and mostly fast or casual food fare also left me wanting to have at least one real sit-down dinner this last day before we left Chicago to go home to Detroit.

We spotted a couple of ground-level casual cafés along Navy Pier, but when the hostess at the Riva asked us if we wanted to eat in the outdoor café or in the inside dining room above the café, we opted to go upstairs to enjoy the air conditioning and a better view of the Chicago skyline.

We climbed the stairs to find an elegant white-tablecloth restaurant and initially worried about schlepping in with our jeans, T-shirts and wind-blown hair barely dried from its drenching. This wasn’t a casual burger and beer place by any stretch of the imagination.

But we really were in the mood for a nice meal, and the restaurant was nearly empty because we arrived right in the middle of the afternoon.

Our greeter led us to a prime window table with a beautiful view, and our server quickly appeared to take our drink orders.

A Blue Moon beer before me, I checked out the menu. This isn’t budget-priced dining, even at lunchtime, but with a menu of seafood and Italian specialties it was just what Tim and I wanted for our “fancy” meal in Chicago.

The Riva is one of about a dozen Phil Stefani restaurants, banquet halls and other food-related businesses in and around Chicago.

The company Web site says the restaurants range from casual dining to fine dining spots. Established shortly after Navy Pier’s 1995 renovation, the Riva seems to embody both with its ground-level café and upper floor dining room. The casual Beer Garden component of the Riva is open from May through October, while the upper floor offers more formal dining and banquet options.

Reading through online reviews of the restaurant offers a somewhat mixed picture of the place with people either having a great experience, while other express disappointment with the price and/or service.

I can honestly say we had a great experience the afternoon we visited. Our server was attentive and friendly and we enjoyed our (admittedly pricey) lunch.

Tim opted for one of the house pasta specialties, Fettuccine Stagione, with heirloom tomatoes and seared sea scallops. I ordered a special-of-the-day prix fixe meal of grilled lobster with a salad and soup.

My lobster meal was a truly beautiful plate dressed with a cheesecloth-wrapped lemon and melted butter in a small cup for dipping. My lobster tail was grilled, taken out of the shell, cut into bite-sized pieces and replaced into the shell—making for easy and mess-free dining.

Tim enjoyed his pasta, making quick work of it, while we both watched the Seadog boats return to their dock and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Bottom line? A bit on the pricey side, but going mid-afternoon eating from the lunch menu was a good way to have a nice meal without entirely breaking the bank. Plus, you can’t beat the view!

My only regret? I’m a big “Top Chef” fan, and we missed seeing Season 5 contestant Fabio’s appearance at the Riva by only a couple of days!

© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved

Comments

[Cate]

This meal does look good and it was probably made better because of the location. Very simple but nice looking lobster dish. Yum!

[Dominique]

Cate-Yup, I had to do it! This was a little different than how I've had lobster in the past--it's usually our Christmas Eve meal where I go to the local fish market and order lobsters to be steamed, then we pick them up Christmas Eve afternoon, chill them and eat them cold later that evening.
Great view with the meal really enhanced the experience for us :)