Tian at the Riverbank

The view and decor were awesome The steak was nice, and it was one of the first places where I found the restaurant served dry aged steak and it was tasty. Particularly for the price.

What wasn't tasty was the experience.  As I realized, it may be that the experience was extra bad because my fiancee is black. But then again, read on and decide for yourself.

Often I would look at the host-dude and he would completely ignore me with an almost spiteful look. My fiancee had to walk over to get the menus 10 minutes after we were seated. The waiter took another long time to take my order after apologizing for the long wait, there were supposedly only two waiters. Well, ok, there were also maybe 3 tables, two waiters should be enough. After some time waiting for the order the waiter comes and asks me if I want my steak well done? Well, no, I want it medium rare. Clearly they had messed up my order so he disappears and we wait some more. The guy comes back some time later and tells me maybe I want the skirt steak because the steak I ordered isn't as good. My fiancee asks "what do you mean the steak is bad?" He says other customers ordered and didn't like it. I say no, I want the steak that I ordered. The steak was very nice and tasted well, as if it was aged. If you order blue cheese and don't know it has mold in it, it's your fault. Similarly, I knew what I was ordering. Worth saying, with desert and all we hung out more than two hours there, of which maybe 15-20 min were spent eating.

Now why did I mention my fiancee being black? (I'm a white dude in case you can't see my picture). Well, a white couple, also our age, seemed to have had a very different experience. 3 people come to them to arrange their table so they can sit. They came after we ordered and got their food before us (then again, it might be because they messed up our steak). Also, the black couple next to us also seemed to have waited a long time, and the waiter also apologized to them for being slow just like they did to us when we sat down. I don't know. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe they thought we'd be more understanding with their lack of professionalism. The chef /owner seemed to be frustrated with his staff too, maybe it wasn't their fault. Also worth saying almost all the staff we interacted with were black except for the host (about whom I have almost no doubt was quite in contempt of us after we had to get the menus from him after staring at him for 15 min) But I would comment that a quick look at other people who gave the place low-star reviews, my theory doesn't seem that unlikely.

I LOVE LOVE TIAN!

$12 Bottomless Mimosas w/ a great view of the GWB and Hudson - the food was awesome - service was kinda slow but they were accommodating by giving a complimentary Guacamole

The Eggs benedict was great the crab cake was moist and real lump crab meat
The Huevos Rancheros was yummy and both entrees are served a sweet potato ball which was quite delicious

I'll be returning for Brunch sooner than later

I knew from the moment our waiter preemptively and apologetically told us that he was hung over that brunch was going to be good.  "Does the coffee have free refills?" my friend asked, "...why not,?" says our hilarious server before bringing an entire pot of coffee to the table.

Because Tian on the Riverbank is so far off the beaten path and looks more like a recreation center than a restaurant from outside, it's somehow a place where you can get a decent brunch for very cheap with a fabulous view, which anyone who lives in Manhattan knows is just not a thing that happens. ever.

The interior decor was pretty bland, but bottom line: on Sunday at 1pm, the place did not even approach crowded, bottomless mamosas were $12, and all of the brunch entrees were in the $10-$14 range. And our server, though a little slow at times, was hilarious and charming.  Plus, bonus: delicious and complementary muffins!

I wasn't super impressed with the eggs florentine, but I secretly wanted it to be eggs benedict (which sadly, wasn't on the menu) so I think next time I'd go with something safe like pancakes or waffles but I'd definitely recommend brunch here. With a gorgeous view of the bridge and a bargain of a meal, you really can't go wrong.