Dining Out:
River City Grill & The Tavern at River City

Punta Gorda’s anchor downtown restaurant serves up an eclectic mix of comfort food, fusion dishes and everyone’s all-American favorites.

Every small town needs an anchor downtown restaurant where you can count on a friendly staff, full-service bar, reliable variety of food and a hometown atmosphere. Regardless of what anyone says, downtown Punta Gorda is, and historically always has been, our county seat and the “city” Charlotte County residents should embrace as their center of hometown dining and nightlife.

Doug Amaral and Charles Wallace recognized that need years ago when they ventured up from Naples to open River City Grill on Marion Avenue. Their Mangrove Café, located at the corner of US Highway 41 and Fifth Avenue in Downtown Naples, started as a biker bar in the 80’s before downtown Naples became the center of a world renowned travel destination and it evolved with the rest of Fifth Avenue development. Living through that growth gave them the confidence to try and reproduce their success in “pre- Charley” Punta Gorda, where the dining scene was nearly stagnant and the downtown district had little to entice outsiders to cross the bridge.

From day one, River City Grill opened and was packed with diners eager for variety and a place to take visitors and meet friends. Soon afterward, the first of many sister restaurants, Riva, an Italian bistro, opened in the adjacent building. Over the years, Riva turned to Redfish Chophouse and then Zen Asian Bistro. Eventually, Zen turned into The Tavern at River City.

When Hurricane Charley wiped out most of the local competition, River City’s owners and staff took to the street, emptied their freezers and food stores on portable grills and served up free food for recovery workers. This was the embodiment of that “downtown anchor” spirit that the owners sought to foster and have maintained ever since those dark days.

Amaral and Wallace have always kept the menu at River City eclectic. Although creative specials are provided daily, the regular menu consists of a comfort food base combined with some Asian fusion, all-American favorites and a generous grill menu. Maintaining this variety without sacrificing quality has always been the goal.

They also saw the need to fill a void where a specialty cuisine was not completely represented in our area. Wallace feels the menu at The Tavern best reflects what his dining public craves most, regional favorites from all corners of the U.S. New England fish and chips, St. Louis ribs, Chicago hot dogs…you get the idea. You’ll just have to go in and see if one of your regional favorites is on the menu.

Our night of sampling the menu really highlighted just how versatile Executive Chef Steve Iadevaia has been in creating and maintaining the menu. Most chefs that attempt to provide this diverse of a menu fall short somewhere, but not Iadevaia. All four entrees we tasted were delectable as were all the appetizers. The fresh Key West shrimp used in The Tavern’s fried shrimp are sweeter and more tender than the typical frozen variety. The rickshaw cool lettuce wraps with spiced chicken, water chestnuts and cellophane noodles had a great far-eastern flavor as did the Asian-marinated beef satay in orange peanut sauce.

Nicole from the bar provided us with several creative cocktails to accompany our appetizers: a pomegranate martini, the Hurricane Charley, the Marion Avenue martini and a Blue Ginger. I can’t even begin to list all the ingredients in these delightful concoctions, but if you enjoy exploring cocktail menus, bring a designated driver and take a tour of the drink menu with Nicole or any of the other smiling bartenders.

When it came to the entrees, my family couldn’t agree on which one we liked best because they all offered their own unique textures and flavors. The Tavern’s 2 a.m. burger was served on an English muffin with a fried egg and Neuske’s thick sliced bacon. It would go great with a Bloody Mary. The Florida Cracker steak, a holdout from the old Chophouse menu, is a cast iron-seared Delmonico served with horseradish sauce and fresh whipped potatoes. It has always been a favorite of mine. The tuna has been a staple on the menu as well, dusted with Togarashi seasoning, grilled and erved
with a delicious combination of Asian slaw, chili coulis, parsley oil and whipped potatoes. If you’ve never tried grilled tuna, try it at River City.

Two specialties served to us were the pancetta-wrapped cod and a maple glazed prime rib of pork. The cod melted in our mouths, the pancetta adding fullness to the flavor without a trace of heavy oil taste. The roasted tomato coulis and baby arugula salad accent made for a truly memorable entrée. The wild mushroom risotto served with the sweet tender pork should be made a permanent side dish on the menu. An apple slaw and au jus complemented the meat as well. Any of these dishes could have been the centerpiece of a menu at any chophouse or fusion restaurant in a big city and are great examples of why you don’t have to leave Charlotte County for a meal worth eating.

Dessert at River City and The Tavern shouldn’t be missed. In fact, they could stand on their own as another reason for a special trip downtown. The carrot cake is a half-foot thick, tender and slathered in cream cheese frosting. This, along with the “Death by Chocolate” are meant for two people or two nights of dessert. “Fraps” are made at the Tavern with blended ice cream, coffee and a choice of flavors, leaving a rich cream moustache on your upper lip. The list of other sweets is long and can be enjoyed alongside a specialty coffee drink.

Downtown Punta Gorda is growing like nowhere else on our coast, and River City Grill will continue to be the dining anchor of that development for years to come. The competition for our dining dollar is growing as well, but it breeds the versatility, consistency and friendly service I’ve come to appreciate from Amaral, Wallace and their staff at River City.

River City Grill and The Tavern are located at 131 and 127 West Marion Ave. in Punta Gorda. Hours of operation at River City Grill are Monday–Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and Sunday–Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 10 p.m. for dinner. The Tavern is open Saturday and Sunday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner is served Wednesday–Saturday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday evenings, The Tavern’s lounge stays open until 2 a.m., providing an eclectic mix of dance music all night long. For more information, call River City Grill at (941) 639-9080 and The Tavern at (941) 639-9755.

HARBOR STYLE would like to thank Doug Amaral, Charles Wallace, Chef Iadevaia and their entire staff for providing our reviewer with such a delightful evening in downtown Punta Gorda.