The River House, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County, Florida

Nancy and I have been going to Singer Island for years, and we’ve always heard great things about the River House (they use the lower case “the”). We’ve never gone, however, and I was delighted finally to go there when Liza and I (Nancy preferred to look after the wee ones) joined our good friends, Scott and Julie Hammonds, on a boat ride and dinner outing. The boat ride turned out to be with Scott’s former colleagues, Tom, Lauren, and Debby, and the boat took us to the River House.

It’s a beautiful building.

There’s plenty of dining on the broad verandas and a tiki outside, as well as a very roomy interior featuring a bar area,

and large interior dining area. The River House decor is sleek and attractive, not the sort of place you hop up and wander around a large table taking photos of everything. At first glance, River House seems to have the potential to be a bit stuffy. Once you sit down, however, things change. I let a very large and flavorful Caesar salad that was shared around the table slip by, but Liza and Julie were sitting next to me, and I did snap their plates. By then, though, the evening was too much fun to worry about pictures.

Liza ordered the grouper and chose nicely charred Brussels sprouts as her side.

I also ordered the grouper, but with a side of sautéed spinach. The grouper is pan-sautéed and graced with a champagne beurre blanc, which comes on the side. The grouper came with a fine outside sear and with the interior cooked just through in both of our cases. There wasn’t a hint of dryness, and the fish was very fresh. The beurre blanc wasn’t really necessary, but added that, well, buttery richness.

Both of us enjoyed the vegetables. Brussels sprouts really want that char, and my spinach was lightly sautéed and had a lovely flavor.

Julie ordered steak frites.

As you can see, the steak was cooked medium rare, as ordered (sorry about the lighting) and topped with herb butter. I managed a taste of the steak and found the flavor impressively meaty. The fries — or should I say frites — had both crispness without and creaminess within, just as you want. There also were containers of Dijon mustard and ketchup. I for one dearly love a quality Dijon mustard on fries.

The rest of the table was well pleased with their respective choices, and comments about food and flavor dotted the conversation, which was lively. The noise level is low enough for conversation, and the atmosphere encourages it. The overall effect of the River House is very relaxed and cheerful. Our server was a delight, and her combined professionalism and dry wit enhanced the mood and experience.

If you’re in the mood for fine dining in Palm Beach County, you’ll find just what you want at the River House.

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