Restaurant Review: Boat Basin Cafe

One of the best features of New York City is that, despite the bumper-to-bumper buildings, there are plenty of green park spaces to unwind, exercise and generally escape from the streets and noise. Although Central Park has the bigger reputation, Riverside Park has always held the more important place in my heart (though this obviously biased, since I grew up less than a stone's throw away from it). If you know where too look, Riverside Park holds many delightful secrets. Since the weather was so absolutely gorgeous today (4/8/12- strong sun, cloudless sky, perfect breeze, the whole nine yards), my parents and I took a walk in the park and ended up at the 79th Street Boat Basin on the Hudson River. I had passed this cafe several times before, but never tried it. In the end, we gave into temptation.

Although the menu at the Cafe was somewhat limited, the food itself was perfectly scrumptious, and it more than made up for a small menu in location, location, location. As you can see from the image to the left, the terrace is set above and right beside the river, providing a fresh breeze (albeit a little too strong on this particular day) as well as perfect exposure to however much sun each patron desired.

The second layer of the restaurant (right) was directly behind the terrace and separated by heavy plastic screens. It contained a vast open space with a full bar, plenty of tables and, of course, big screen TVs. Despite the fact that it was Easter Sunday (when I assumed most people would be at home with their families), it was a full house with patrons shouting and cheering at whatever game was playing (although honestly it got a bit annoying after a while).

The most unique layer of the restaurant was the furthest in (left). For those not familiar with the area, 79th Street & Riverside Drive is notable for its large traffic circle leading to the Westside Highway, and the third layer of the restaurant was sunk directly into the circle (that curving path on top of the arches is what the cars drive on)! Aside from offering the most sun for any interested patrons, this third layer is a pretty cool spot.

If fancy food is not your preference, but you love outdoor seating and a casual environment, then this is place for you. Drop by on the next sunny day. http://www.boatbasincafe.com/