I had passed New River Pizza & Grill in Fort Lauderdale many times – on my way to the airport, on the way to 17th Street Causeway and had always wanted to try it out. Last Tuesday, I finally had the opportunity. They recently moved their business across the street from its original location and added in-house dining. It is a very attractive establishment, with minimalist black and white décor and several televisions which were playing Adult Alternative music the night I dined there. The location has a completely separate area for takeout orders, so you don’t have to dodge a line of people waiting for their orders when you come in to dine.
I had passed New River Pizza & Grill in Fort Lauderdale many times – on my way to the airport, on the way to 17th Street Causeway and had always wanted to try it out. Last Tuesday, I finally had the opportunity. They recently moved their business across the street from its original location and added in-house dining. It is a very attractive establishment, with minimalist black and white décor and several televisions which were playing Adult Alternative music the night I dined there. The location has a completely separate area for takeout orders, so you don’t have to dodge a line of people waiting for their orders when you come in to dine.
I went with my favorite dining (and life) companion, John. We were seated in a booth and ordered ice teas, which came with a slice of orange. We started with an order of Mozzarella Caprese ($8.95) which was fresh tomato and mozzarella slices topped with fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The mozzarella was very mellow and subtle in flavor and the appetizer as a whole was very fresh and a great way to get our taste buds ready for more.
Our helpful server, Alyssa, recommended that we try their Chicken Picatta ($14.95). She didn’t have to say it twice – Chicken Picatta is one of my ultimate favorite dishes. My father used to make it for me for my birthday every year. New River’s Chicken Picatta is famous—it’s been featured on WSVN as one of the picks for Bite with Belky’s. The dish was presented in a deep plate with our choice of pasta – penne. The large serving of tender chicken was sautéed with a lemon butter caper sauce. The dish was delicious and I definitely will be back to order it again! It reminded me a lot of my father’s and that’s saying a lot since he was an amazing cook and did it professionally for many years. We got complimentary garlic rolls with our meal and we couldn’t help dipping them in the lemon butter sauce.
Of course, we had to try one of their pizzas! New River offers New York Style Pizza, Extra Thick Sicilian, Stromboli and Calzone. We kept it basic and ordered a small New York Style with meatballs ($7.95). The pizza was very satisfying. We especially liked the sauce, which had a slight sweetness to it. The meatballs were sliced very thin, pepperoni-style.
What I really like about New River Grill & Pizza is its diverse menu. It was definitely a hard decision to choose what we wanted for dinner on our visit, with so many delicious options. They had a large selection of salads, including a Thai Chicken Salad ($8.95) that I will be back for. Their Maci’s Favorite Salad ($8.50) also sounded enticing. It features mixed greens, mandarin oranges, gorgonzola, cucumber diced celery, tomato wedges, alfalfa sprouts, diced green apples, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, with red wine vinaigrette or raspberry walnut vinaigrette and homemade croutons.
They also offer hot and cold subs, chicken wings, burgers and paninis. If you are looking for something heartier, they also have a large selection of entrees and Italian favorites including seafood dishes, ribs, chicken and veal dishes and much more.
With the reasonable prices, comfy attractive décor, friendly service and– most importantly– tasty dishes, New River Grill & Pizza is the type of place where you can easily become a regular. I, for one, wish I had stopped by sooner.
New River Grill & Pizza
706 South Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale
