Bettina: One night only: Asiate or the River Cafe for guests

I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ve perceived by now that I%26#39;m not counted as one who thinks the River Cafe is the undisputed most remarkable dining-with-a-view experience in the city.

Here%26#39;s the deal:

I%26#39;ve got guests coming again during the holidays and I%26#39;m pretty sure that having never experienced anything like it, the three-hour dinner cruise on the Bateaux would be something they would never forget.

I know we%26#39;re not talking haute cuisine here, but I put the Bateaux cruise more in the category of ';entertainment'; than ';dining'; anyway so the $100 is not so much for the food as for the show.

I remember the buzz you got from your trip to the Mandarin but am fuzzy on the details.

How do YOU rate the comparative total experience of Asiate v. The River Cafe?

Personally, I%26#39;m partial to aerial views and since these folks will in all likelihood make the trip to Grimaldi%26#39;s and back to the city across the BB, spend time on the Promenade, circle the city at night on the Bateaux, and perhaps even ride the Roosevelt Island Tram, I don%26#39;t really see the need of making a trip to Brooklyn when a heavyhitter like Asiate is virtually around the corner from their digs.

So, what do you think? One dinner. What would it be for guests who are locked into the Bateaux? Asiate or the River Cafe?

I say Asiate.

(Daniel is not an option. Their clandestine ';code'; for guests is kind of a turn-off.)

Bettina: One night only: Asiate or the River Cafe for guests

Hi Carp,

I%26#39;m not Bettina (but then who other than Bettina IS Bettina...?) But your message puzzles me. For some time now you have denigrated The River Cafe. Yet you have never been to it? That surprises me.

I think you should skip the boat which you know will probably be mediocre, and go to BOTH Asiate and River Cafe. Two completely different experiences....

The River Cafe has fine american cuisine, excellent service, with the wonderful Manhattan skyline views.

Asiate is japanese fusion with a central park view. They are completely different experiences. I have not been to Asiate yet. But it%26#39;s always packed, and friends tell me it%26#39;s wonderful.

A real apples to apples comparison would be River Cafe and your Water Cafe since both offer similar things. Would be nice to know how comparable they are.

Whatever you do, have a wonderful time!

By the way, I%26#39;m not back for long, just visiting because I need info about The Gates.

Bettina: One night only: Asiate or the River Cafe for guests

VR, nice to see you, even if it%26#39;s just a tease. I realize you don%26#39;t want to devote untold hours responding to the same requests day in and day out, still, it%26#39;d be nice if you%26#39;d just glance through now and then to see who%26#39;s looking for you -- your presence is missed. And where oh where is Whiz?

Carpenter, I did love Asiate. My dinner was a private function in a separate room, surrounded by great, fun people enjoying an all-night eating and drinking fest. I doubt a simple dinner would compare to that! Plus it was a money%26#39;s-no-object evening, and we certainly managed to hit the high ends on both food and beverage. That, plus the incredible view, made for one of the best meals I%26#39;ve ever had (the runners-up were in Paris). As VR says, it%26#39;s not a fair comparison to the River Cafe (where I%26#39;m going back to on Monday... Yay!). If your guests like sophisticated, nuanced cuisine in a sleek setting, absolutely go to Asiate. The River Cafe%26#39;s food is certainly wonderful, but not surprising or sophisticated.

I have yet to take a dinner cruise, so I can%26#39;t compare anything with the Bateaux or World Yacht. I%26#39;d love to try them both one of these days.

A couple of friends finally managed to score a dinner at Per Se last night. The report is that the food is excellent, but the entire experience is just a bit too precious, and food alone is close to $200. At this point it sounds like people are happy just to get in.

By the way, I%26#39;d pass on the Roosevelt Island tram. Maybe it%26#39;s just me, but I find Roosevelt Island such a gray place.

Hi Bettina,

I will try to pop-in on occasion. And yeah where is whiz...? I would not expect her to just leave...without saying something... Hope she is ok.

Thanks for the review.

Asiate looks simply spectacular and it gives me the ';vibe'; that it%26#39;s headed for the top of the charts with a bullet. The Kobe beef intrigues me although I shudder to think of the waiter%26#39;s face when I ask for it medium.

About the River Cafe, Voyagereuse

I don%26#39;t think I ';denigrate'; it so much as hold a guarded opinion of its bang for the buck considering the requisite carfare that has to be tacked on to the bill, the additional time it takes to trundle to Brooklyn, vis-a-vis my perhaps biased view that one can have a lovely dinner in exquisite surroundings at a venue like Nino%26#39;s Tuscany while treating themselves to discount tickets for a show like ';Slava%26#39;s Snow Show'; or ';Chambermagic'; and still have enough money left to cover tea at the St. Regis.

I always think in terms when entertaining guests of THEIR complete experience given their resources, what I know about them, and their limited time in the city during the holidays. I try to pare down the wasted time commuting to the bone.

My first and most important question is ';What can be experienced in New York during the holidays that cannot be experienced anywhere else?';

The essentials top the list: Rock Center, The NYCB%26#39;s Nutcracker, The Met Museum%26#39;s Hall of Medieval Sculpture, a few churches, and a bit of hotel hopping, Fifth Avenue, Poet%26#39;s Walk and Wollman Rink in Central Park, The Brooklyn Promenade and Bridge hike, The Concert for Peace at St. John the Divine, and perhaps the Staten Island Ferry or an afternoon concert at the Cloisters.

Then there%26#39;s the entertainment. What%26#39;s unique to New York at Christmas?

Certainly a few shows like ';Fiddler';, ';Le Cage';, ';Slava%26#39;s Snow Show';, and world-class cabaret like Michael Feinstein%26#39;s ';Holiday Heart Songs'; at the Regency.

Last there is the dining. What%26#39;s consumately big time New York that%26#39;s doable. At the top of the list I would put Upstairs at 21 because of the venue%26#39;s history.

I might toss in Erminia after that because of the candlelight and intimacy and perhaps even Cafe Artistes for it%26#39;s decor.

Neither I or any of my guests are blessed with the ability to taste something and say ';My God! Is that mint in the Oxtail Sauce? How could something be so assertive without be overbearing?';

I can only go by my instincts and how I believe my guests will respond to certain experiences. I will say that about four or five years ago I had the privilege of attending a 40th Anniversary party on a private yacht that circled the city at night. I recalled being pleasantly surprised by the artistry of the young chef but completely mesmerized by not the ';VIEW'; from the vessel but the ';VIEWS';. One minute we were gliding under the Brooklyn Bridge and the next we were so close to Lady Liberty you felt you could almost touch her. A few minutes later there was another sight as spectacular as those befor it.

From what I hear--and have read--the Bateaux operates under a somewhat differant paradigm than the competition. Some of the cities finest chefs have been brought on board--no pun intended--to create a menu that at least has some semblance of fine food rahter than that you would find at a wedding or Bar Mitzva.

Asiate has had its critics but so has the River Cafe.

Hell, some people even thought ';Dr. Zhivago'; has been overrated.

Carpenter, you%26#39;re starting to worry me. You%26#39;re a fan of Michael Feinstein%26#39;s???!? Well, probably better than Josh Groban.

I got further info on my friends%26#39; Per Se dinner last night. Mind you, not one person remembered what they had to eat, besides... the duck, the lamb, the rabbit, the grouper. They said the dessert was good by couldn%26#39;t remember more than that. Apparently they were all enjoying the wines too much. And the bill came to $600 per person. Here%26#39;s the best part -- not one person would go there again! There you go!

By the way, I%26#39;m also not a big fan of Cafe des Artistes. I%26#39;d much rather go to Erminia (plus, I live on that block!).

Actually I%26#39;m a big fan of Christmas, Cole Porter, Gerswhin, Henry Mancini, Irving Berlin, cabaret, and music history. It%26#39;s just so darn hard to get them altogether in one place at the same time for less than $100.

Did you know, for instance, that the lyrics to ';Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,'; were so gloomy that Judy Garland refused to sing them in ';Meet Me in St. Louis'; until her co-star Tom Drake not intervened and demanded a revision?

You%26#39;re forgiven then!

Interesting side note about Judy Garland and one of my favorites... ';Meet Me In St. Louis.';

Bettina---Thank you for posting on Per Se. A couple of months ago, The Washington Post had a big article about it and I was curious as to what it was really like after reading it. Amazing!---they only take reservations 2 months in advance, not a day earlier or later and you have to keep calling because it doesn%26#39;t have many tables!

This is the review of the Bateaux that intirgued me:

From New York Magazine (?)

World Yacht and Spirit Cruises had a monopoly on floating restaurants until this year%26#39;s arrival of Bateaux New York (Pier 61; 352-2022), a 208-footer built in Virginia and intended to evoke memories of those sultry bateau-mouche rides down the Seine. The ship departs from its berth at Chelsea Piers for a three-hour cruise around lower Manhattan and tries to distinguish itself from the competition by paying attention to the food, surmising (correctly) that its passengers do, too, no matter how spectacular the scenery. To that end, the company enlisted chef Scott Bryan, riding the crest of his recent success at Veritas, to consult on the menu; sommelier John Gilman (who just left Gotham Bar %26amp; Grill for Picholine) put together the wine list.

You can%26#39;t actually reserve a seat by the window, but -- chronic complainers be advised -- there honestly is no bad seat in the house: The glass walls curve into a glass ceiling, which permits unobstructed views of even the loftiest skyscrapers, not to mention the looming underbellies of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Between courses (or between songs, performed by vivacious cabaret singer India Galyean), couples wander out to the deck to sneak a few private moments, swept up by the romance of the sparkling city lights, the cool sea breeze, and India%26#39;s spirited interpretations of such chestnuts as ';Bewitched'; and ';New York State of Mind.';

Considering that it was cooked in a galley, the meal is surprisingly good: a flavorful goat-cheese terrine with sprightly watercress, wild-mushroom strudel in a truffle-accented cream sauce, salmon with avocado and black beans, and a zesty pork loin with basmati rice in a tamarind-ginger sauce taste, happily, like real restaurant food, and cost as much. (A boat ride and three-course prix fixe runs $100 Sunday through Thursday and $115 on Fridays and Saturdays, drinks excluded; brunch is $60.)

That does sound good. Much better, in fact that Paris%26#39; Bateaux cruises! And what a pedigree -- Veritas is such an extraordinary restaurant.

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