Reviews & Awards

Golden Spoon Award 2003 & 2004

New Times Readers Choice 2003 & 2004

Lyn Farmer, Sun-Sentinel Fine Dining Critic.
September 2001.
"Riess' menu is neatly conceived to dazzle diners as much as the matchless view does..."

Here is his review published 9/21/01:
I love it when a plan comes together. Ever since Tim Petrillo and Peter Boulukos took over the River House (formerly Reed's River House, formerly the Chart House), diners have wondered when their influence would be felt.

The pair own the engaging Himmarshee Bar and Grill, and I for one started to wonder if they had only one rabbit in their hat. for the first year they owned River House, neither service nor food matched what they so easily accomplished a couple of blocks away.

It does now, and it's Douglas Riess who waved the magic wand. Riess, who earned his chops at Mark's Place, has staged a comeback of his own after a stint at the late and mostly unlamented South Beach Brasserie. He's in fine form now, and backed by a smoothly managed staff, an essential component at any restaurant that seats nearly 300 and serves as many parties and special events as individual diners.

City Most Romantic 2003 in the Sunshine Magazine

The River House has been voted "Most Romantic Restaurant" in 1999 and 2000 in the Sunshine Magazine readers Poll.

Voted best "Waterfront Restaurant" in 2000 in the same Readers Poll.

New Times Readers voted The River House "Most Romantic Restaurant" in 1999.

The editors of Florida Trend's Golden Spoon Awards voted us one of twenty top "Best New Restaurants" in 2000.

Judith Stark of the Sun Sentinel says "...the food is superb served up in a Savannah like setting..."

February 2001: Florida Trend ranks The River House in the top 200 restaurants in Florida. It is only one of five in Ft. Lauderdale to be so honored for the 2001 Golden Spoon awards!

Jen Karetnick of The New Times: "If any chef can make the food at The River House worthy of the place's great location, it's Doug Riess." June 2001.

2002: Sun-Sentinel: Top 100 restaurants in South florida, Top 10 in fort Lauderdale.

He does it all from an open kitchen, which opens onto the lobby instead of the myriad dining rooms scattered about the mansion's two floors. Riess' menu is neatly conceived to dazzle diners as much as the matchless view does, but he works his magic with understatement.

Seafood chowder with white beans is fired up with a bit of hot pepper; a watermelon-and-goat cheese salad with rum and vanilla is a surprising evening cooler, and a bowl of steamed clams with a pungent broth is like a trip to Cape Cod. Riess' take on ceviche uses conch as its foundation, but instead of relying on lime alone, he gives it a Thai accent with the inclusion of cilantro and coconut milk.

Dolphin with crabmeat worked nicely, as does the pairing of firm-fleshed cobia with coconut rice. Top marks at this fish-friendly restaurant go to the Chilean sea bass that Riess matches with an earthy broth of shiitake and lemon grass and mashed potatoes laced with wasabi. He brushes the fish with miso and honey before roasting it, and the interplay of flavors is complex and rewarding.

There are fewer meat dishes listed, but the selection is solid. The best of the meats is the fork-tender pork tenderloin dusted with Asian spices before roasting. The flavors are rich and smoky.

In a setting as elegant as The River House, it's a pleasure to find a wine list that offers a wide range of choices, and a number of discoveries that will likely surprise even dedicated wine lovers.

With Riess at the helm, the restaurant takes a big step forward, and even the most jaded local will want to take in this view, and make River House a home.