Who knew how good beer-battered and deep-fried avocado could be? I sure didn’t until we ordered it as an appetizer at Merchant River House. A perfect place to enjoy a sunset over the Hudson.

We sat outside at this restaurant along the Hudson River Esplanade enjoying the view and this decadent appetizer ($14) drizzled with wasabi aioli drizzle. I highly recommend.

Our salad of kale and roasted beets ($16) wasn’t as interesting. We did enjoy the
red and golden beets, caramelized pecans and crispy shallots leaving most of the fibrous kale.
Once we noticed the chicken parmesan pizza served to the adjacent table, we switched our selection to that ($16). It’s not a pizza per se as there’s no crust. Instead, it’s chicken pounded, breaded and formed into a round, then topped with tomato sauce and cheese like real pizza. It’s also topped with parmesan and served with chili oil ($21).

When the server placed the pizza and grilled asparagus ($8) on our table, he neglected to remove any of our other dirty dishes. Luckily the pizza stood above the mess on its stand.

I’d recommend going even with the lack of service.  I’d hope that by then, they’d have more and better-trained staff.

Merchant River House
Hudson River Esplanade (between Liberty and Albany Streets)
375 South End Avenue
New York, NY 10280
212-432-1451