Best Restaurants for Creative Cuisine in East Elmhurst

Outstanding dining experience shared with out of town family who were guests for the holiday season. The River Cafe did not disappoint. The menu offered a dazzling array of options for each course and given the large selection, we were a bit concerned about their ability to deliver… we were extremely happy and quite frankly blown away by each course. The food was of the best quality, presented beautifully and tasted absolutely DELICIOUS. Our only disappointment was the water service - it seems so silly but we had to ask NUMEROUS times for water and wait and wait for our glasses to be refilled. This seems like a minor detail but a major annoyance that can be readily corrected. One other troubling detail that surprised us was the lack of toilet tissue in the Ladies Room- it appeared that no staff attended to the bathroom during our three hour meal. We raise these two points in support of The River Cafe’s commitment to excellence. A warm thanks to the Chef and their team for a wonderful meal and lovey dining experience.

When we walked in we were greeted like welcome guests. We specifically came to NYC to eat at great restaurant and DaRaffaele lived up to our expectations. We have eaten there many times before and we’ve never been disappointed. My friend and I had the pappardelle which was firm but not stiff and the sauce was magical. Another friend had the scallops capesante and she loved them. I was so full that I couldn’t finish my pistachio dessert but my friend finished mine and had her own chocolate mousse. We had amaretto sours as our cocktail and I don’t know how they do it but the cherry flavor in it is delicious. We had sambuccas for our after dinner drinks and they were so smooth and warm that it almost made me forget the winter weather. The waiter was attentive but not overbearing. I wish all restaurants were like DaRaffaele.

It was good quality sushi, but it was too salty and spicy even when we requested less spice. Also, the restaurant is in a former diner, which makes the ambience attractive because it’s been remodeled, but it’s stuck in that configuration.

This was our first time at the new location, and it was stunning! The food was as delicious as always, and our server was fantastic. But unfortunately, she had to leave as we were finishing dinner. We would have loved to meet the server who would be taking over since we were done with our dessert and waiting for someone to come over. Romina helped us with our coats as we left, and I took a moment to ask about the space upstairs. She was so kind and gave us a quick tour. Even though we had a great time, Armani will still be one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.

Love the food here! We always enjoy our meals here and the drinks as well. Can be just a tad too loud in the back of the restaurant.