My cousin and I went to the River Room for lunch in my new-found quest to score Open Table points. This is the kind of restaurant that young professionals are never spotted at, like there’s some kind of line in the sands of coolness that’s just not to be breached.
It’s a pet peeve of mine when the menu on the website is out of sync with the one at the restaurant. After all, what’s the point of having the menu on the website? To psych me out? However, I was in luck and the menu at the restaurant was a bit more interesting than the copy on the web. There was a pappardelle with pork ragout that promised the delights of fresh-made pasta, or as the waiter referred to it: home made noodles.
My cousin ordered the chicken sandwich, an over-engineered monstrosity complete with a remoulade that was unabashedly curry-infused. These were not shy flavors. I get the impression that, as with most lunch menus, this one tries to color-by-numbers. Give people what they want. Give them a burger, a chicken sandwich, some beef and a pasta dish, with plenty of salads for the conspicuously diet-conscious.
I ordered the papardelle. What the heck? Fresh pasta is good pasta, no? It was decent. It was a culinary performance directly inspired by food economics, demographics and possibly Chef Boyardee, but it was good and reflected the effort that went into it. Next time that the Ladies Card Club of Marietta wants to do a luncheon that looks fancy while they sip white zinfandels and diet cokes, I’ll take them here.
I’m exaggerating. The food was good, but as usual with my complaints, passionless and uninspired. Food for people that don’t know what they really want to eat.
My cousin’s fried chicken sandwich though, was something I’d love to see at pubs around Atlanta. A solid rendition of the venerable southern tradition of the pickled chicken sandwich with garlic fries that come perilously close to stealing the show.
I’d go again, but for dinner. I’ve actually been there for dinner and was very happily surprised with the duck. In fact, the dinner was good enough that it begs the question: why do a half-hearted lunch? Do we just need to grab a few bucks while dinner service is being prepped?
