Friday night is date night for many couples and this week my fiancée and I set off for The River Oyster Bar in search of some much needed private time. The restaurant space is open and airy and the bar features prominently when you walk in through the South Miami Avenue entrance. It was happy hour, so the space was loud, but the waiter seated us at a cozy corner table without too many distractions besides the menu. We did notice, and love, an oversized signed poster announcing Johnny Cash’s performance at the Jackie Gleason, hanging just beyond the curtain behind our table.

But enough about the décor, and on to the food. We ordered a variety of small plates and dessert rather than choosing an entrée. For starters, we opted for something heavy, the charcuterie plate with jamón serrano, olive salad, and cubes of manchego cheese, and something lighter, the tomato and Napa Valley goat cheese salad with arugula, walnut-basil pesto and balsalmic syrup. Both of these plates were winners, but the tomato and goat cheese salad was a knock-out. It won points for both presentation and an elegant balance of flavors. Round two of dinner was something of a disappointment. We ordered the grilled flatbread with pepperoni, fontina cheese and tomato, which seemed promising, but turned out to be greasy and bland. The second small plate, steamed mussels with coconut milk, chile, cilantro and lime, had the opposite problem: too much flavor for the delicate mussels. The heat from the chiles and the acidity of the lime just didn’t seem to complement the natural sweetness of the mussels. The River nevertheless redeemed itself with an excellent warm berry tart with strawberry ice cream and great service. I regret that we didn’t try any of the oyster dishes, but we will just have to come back.

The River Oyster Bar [MenuPages]
The River Oyster Bar [Official Site]