Going Downhill Fast: The Riverhead Project, Riverhead, NY

It pains me when restaurants that showed so much promise start to tank.  And tank. And tank.  The Riverhead Project brought hope toward the revitalization of the East End town that is its namesake.  TRP opened in 2010 as a hip spot with eclectic fine dining, innovative drinks and an overall sense of good style.

Food was good to start but the dining room was never too full.  There were always complaints about the service and for some reason, despite the modern aura of the place, the clientele was just old.  If a "hip restaurant" has no "hip" people, it starts to lack hipness.

But JB and I are believers so we went for a celebratory lunch.  At 1PM we were one of two tables in the place.  I inquired about their PowerLunch special which on their website offered 3 courses for $20 in under an hour.  "Oh, sorry," said the waiter, "We don't do that anymore." Huh?

We were disgruntled though trudged on anyway.  In lieu of bread at lunch, TRP offers a peppery popcorn.  This is the best thing on the menu.

In a word, our fish tacos were terrible.  The guacamole and pico de gallo were bland.  The fish itself was flavorless but the crema on top was overpowered with what tasted like fish sauce.  Yuck.  I tried to wash it down with prosecco.

There were fries on the plate though at such a high end place, they seemed like a cop out.  Fish tacos, in my mind, should have something else, like a great corn salsa or spicy cilantro salad.  The chef here is just phoning it in.

So we skipped dessert and crossed the street to the newish Blue Duck Bakery outpost.  One Key Lime Pie Square for me, one enormous apple strudel for JB and we hit our dessert quota.  We are fans  of Blue Duck Bakery, TRP - not so much.

Until our next Burger,
KLB

The Riverhead Project
300 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY
631.284.9300
www.theriverheadproject.com

Blue Duck Bakery
309 East Main Street
Riverhead, NY
631.629.4123
www.blueduckbakerycafe.com