Trata On The River
W ith the glorious Hudson River at its doorstep, I’ve often wondered why Piermont didn’t have better waterfront dining.
Stunning views? Check. Day trippers and locals ready to spend? Check. A marina? Check. Enter Trata On The River, an opulently ambitious Mediterranean restaurant located at 701 Piermont Avenue (next to the Tappan Zee Marina) with 350 seats, an all-season heated outdoor patio, a boat ramp and, best of all, high quality food.
With blond woods, white walls, organic textures and a ceiling festooned with climbing white bougainvillaea, Trata transports from the moment one enters. It’s lively, loud and welcoming with a sprawling layout, elegant bar, and on weekends, a DJ well positioned to keep things bumping.
To the food. Normally, I am a champion of appetizers. That’s where chefs are often most daring, but some of Trata’s starters are overly sweet and unnecessarily fussy. The Crispy Brussel Sprouts ($16) with roasted sweet potato, dried apricots and balsamic glaze is one sweet too many, and the Corn Fritters are sugary as breakfast cereal ($18). Crispy Keftedes (Greek style meatballs, $18) are spicy and dense, but a yogurt sauce, briny olives and crunchy radish make for a savory bite. The Roasted Baby Pork Ribs ($20) are tender, but weirdly flavorless save a cloying honey lemon glaze that even a side of tangy slaw can’t cut through. The Tuna Tartare ($24), on the other hand, is a nicely balanced melange of cubed tuna with avocado, cucumber, tahini and a touch of jalapeno covered by a thin LP-sized rice cracker. I would not say no to flaked sea salt on the side, but it was intensely satisfying. So too was Trata Piato ($18), thinly sliced eggplant and zucchini lightly battered, fried and nestled next to a mound of Tzatziki. Crispy on the outside, not mushy on the inside. Yum.
While the appetizers are generous enough to be a full meal for a moderate eater, the stars of Trata’s menu are the shellfish and whole fish displayed like luxury goods on a bed of crushed ice. Freshly shucked oysters are plump and glistening ($17 for six East Coast, $21 for six West Coast) and the Lavraki (European Sea Bass, $40) is brilliant. Grilled whole, filleted and simply presented with lemon, olive oil and a little bowl of lemony sauteed swiss chard, this is fish at its best. Paired with a glass of icy cold Santorini Assyrtiko, it’s a cheap trip to a Greek island.
I’m not a big dessert person, but the greek yogurt with honey, cherry compote and edible flowers was a spectac- ular finish.
Trata On The River is flashier than it needs to be (a trend in upscale suburban dining), and the chef sometimes tries too hard to impress, but if you’re looking for a glitzy night out, Piermont finally has a glam spot where you can dine well, and raise a glass to the mighty Hudson as the bridge gleams in the distance.