The River House

I really wanted to like this place and am sorry that I can only give it two stars. Like the previous review, there were certain items on the menu that my friends were looking forward to but the staff neglected to mention they were out of. Maybe at the start of the shift, the staff could be briefed on what is not available, so that the customers are not disappointed and can plan accordingly.
First up was a so-​so salad with BOTTLED dressing. Very disappointing for a place that presents itself as upscale. Even Smitty’s, a little seafood shack in Kenner, makes homemade salad dressing. This gave me the perception that they are cutting corners and set the tone for the rest of the meal.
I had the 14 ounce ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. The steak was cooked PERFECTLY. However, it was not seasoned very well and I had to doctor it up with salt and pepper. No steak sauce was offered (which I don’t usually use but would have appreciated it this time given the blandness of the meat).
Garlic mashed potatoes had a good flavor but were dry and lumpy… needed a little bit more moisture. Green beans were tough and flavorless. I think I would have preferred canned beans, at least they would have been tender.
Crabcake was filled with crabmeat but was cold and had big chunks of watery, semi-​raw vegetables in them. The creole mustard sauce was good but would be better served on the side. I actually scraped mine off and ate it with my garlic mashed potatoes, it was terrific that way!
I was really looking forward to dessert because I heard they had homemade cannoli. This was a letdown. The filling was sour and had an off flavor like they had been stored in the refrigerator too long. Those of us who ordered it couldn’t even finish it. What a waste!
Service was strange. Personally, I had no problems and was mostly oblivious to the problems my party was having. Two of the ladies were looking forward to the coconut pie, and didn’t order an appetizer so that they would have room for dessert. They were very bummed out. Then, the waiter brought another young lady in our party a complimentary dessert, in front of everyone else at our table. That would have been a nice gesture, but I think he should have also offered something to the ladies who were disappointed about not getting their pie. I think when they saw us gagging on sour cannolis, they were glad they didn’t get anything.
This would have been a good deal for the price — if the food had been a little bit better.

This is one of those reviews where I’m really, really struggling to give it an appropriate star rating. First and foremost, the service was fantastic. With several large parties for lunch, including ours, I’m sure they were overwhelmed — but didn’t show it. Drinks were refilled in a timely manner, they checked in on us periodically, and were exceptionally helpful/​friendly.
The food was where we had a few issues.
When we made our reservation, apparently we were assured that a certain soup would be on the menu. It wasn’t. We wanted to order the Brie as an appetizer. They didn’t have any. Several of us ordered the Tomato Vinegarette with our side salad. Rather than informing us that they also ran out of that dressing, they substituted it with Italian and just served it to us that way. Many of us had salad that looked brown/​wilted around the edges. The «grilled duck breast» that a co-​worker ordered was fried. Most entrees were served with asparagus, which was either from a can or ridiculously overcooked — it was mushy. I was looking forward to the asparagus too. Really, I don’t think anyone in our party touched it.
On the good side, I hear the mashed potatoes and crab cakes were delicious. Also, their spinach and artichoke dip is excellent.
Given the good service, I’m tempted to return during a less busy time and give it a second chance. I just wish the food was a better experience, since I had high hopes.