Small Bites

I’m not usually one to go to a restaurant on the first Saturday it’s open, but friends of mine live in Irvington, and they have young kids, so can’t venture too far when the babysitter’s there. That is how I found myself at the bar at Red Hat on the River at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.

While I was very excited about the propsect of a new restaurant opening on the waterfront, I was a little nervous about the Red Hat’s move. I’ve always thought half the charm of the old restaurant was the room — comfortable, cozy and casual, but sophisticated enough so you know you’re out to dinner somewhere special. When I heard the new space would accommodate twice as many diners, I have to admit… I thought, well? Is that a good thing?

It is. Because the dining rooms are separated — upstairs and downstairs — and there is a separate area for the bar and lounge, the restaurant has retained its cozy feel. Quite an accomplishment, and kudos to Jim and Marybeth Parker for pulling it off.

Check out some of the decor. (Sorry. It was dark — photos are a little blurry.)

The main dining room:

The view of it from upstairs:

The bar:

(Ben is great bartender, BTW.)

In the stairwell, they kept the little micro-tile like in the old restaurant. You’ll notice all sorts of details like that.

The upstairs dining room:

For me, the food at Red Hat has been hit or miss, and Saturday night, it was mostly hits. I was really impressed with the mushroom salad (but then again, it comes with an egg, which I’m always a sucker for). I don’t want to give a full-fledged review — being as they’ve only been open a week. But here are some (very hard to see) photos of the food. (It’s very, very dark in there.) If you’ve been to the Red Hat in its old location, you already know most of the menu.

The pate:

Tuna tartare:

Trout salad (a new item. very good):

The wild mushroom salad. Yes, the egg yolk oozed out when I cut it:

For our mains. The duck confit risotto (an app portion):

The burger. (A fine example of burger goodness):

The scallops.

I had the cod, which was good but now jaw-dropping. I did quite like the acid and punch the dish got from the lemon and the roasted red peppers. But the photo was too dark to even see a thing, so I’m not posting that.

I’m really excited about the Red Hat on the River, especially when the rooftop deck opens next spring! Marybeth explained to me she’d just be doing drinks and small plates up there, and that it would be adults only. (I said, “Oh, sips and snacks?” She said, “Yes… hey, that’s good! I’m writing that down!”

So have you been? What do you think?

Red Hat on the River, 1 Bridge St., Irvington. 914-591-5888. www.redhatbistro.com.

Photo Caption: img_2178.jpg