Riva: A Great Place to View Fireworks (Chicago Area Restaurant Review 18)

Recently, we decided to be tourists in our own city and visit the best restaurant on Chicago's Navy Pier, primarily to get a great view of the weekly fireworks. We were not disappointed in the fireworks, which is the best we can say for Riva. To start with, it was very loud. The room has a lot of hard surfaces, and a surprising number of people bring their children even late on a weeknight.

The meal started well enough with shrimp cocktail served on ice. The shrimp were large and very fresh, and the sauce was tangy, but not overly so. Things went downthill from there. LIsa skipped the salad, but Steve had one of the worst iceberg wedge salads he's ever tasted. The lettuce was wilted, the blue cheese dressing was overpowering, and the bacon bits tasted stale. For the main course, Lisa ordered an unremarkable (no it wasn't designated that way on the menu) 12 ounce filet mignon. The steak was cooked a proper medium rare, but just didn't have much taste. Steve had sockeye salmon, which was a mistake from the start. Somehow, Riva managed to make the fish taste like one big vegetable, and Steve hates vegetables. The salmon also had a kerotene look, which made it appear as unappetizing as it tasted. The actual vegetable we shared was asparagus. It was pretty good, in large spears with some type of grated cheese topping.

For dessert, Lisa ordered the gelato assortment because the menu promised bittersweet chocolate among the flavors. Instead, as best as she could tell, the only chocolate was a scoop of brown bland flavored gelato buried under the coconut and vanilla bean (which were not too bad). Steve ordered key lime pie, usually a favorite of his, but here it was only average at best, with the crunchy crust being by far the best part.

For wine, Lisa ordered a pinot noir. It had a dark, fruity flavor she enjoyed. Steve had a glass of Zinfandel, which is his new favorite red wine. It was also quite good.

Lisa found the women's bathroom disturbing. First, the doors to both bathrooms were propped open, and it was difficult to see the labels on the doors, making it easy for people to wander into the wrong one (which Steve almost did). Also, with the door propped open, while in the stall, Lisa could hear everyone walking and talking in the restaurnt just as if they were right outside the door. The women's room was very clean and nicely decorated with black and white tile and old fashioned sinks, and it was very clean, but she felt uncomfortable there. Steve had many of the same issues with the men's room. And the attendants in both rooms were an additional annoyance (not them personally, but that the restaurant chooses to have what strikes us as a demeaning employment role).

We did go largely for the fireworks, and on that score, if none other, we were not disappointed. The windows are very large, and it is easy to see the fireworks from almost anywhere in the restaurant.

Dinner for two at Riva, with wine by the glass, was a non-touristy $170.00, which was clearly not worth it to us, even with the great view of the fireworks. (After all, you can see them for free from the pier outside.)

Our ratings for Riva, 700 E. Grand Avenue (Navy Pier), Chicago, Illinois:

4 of 10 Steak Knives and 1.5 of 3 Bathroom Brushes