Riva — Restaurant in Longboat Key

We were really looking forward to a fabulous experience, but unfortunately it was very disappointing.

Six of us came for lunch. Surprisingly the restaurant was not very busy. There were only 2 other tables occupied in the dining room. The Hostess sat us beside a table of 10 people, 6 children and 4 adults and our table was in the corner beside the door to the patio so was very busy with staff going in and out.

It took over 30 minutes to get the bottle of wine that we had ordered and 2 cocktails. We know it's a new restaurant, but the wait seemed very long for such an exclusive restaurant. Sadly the meals seemed to take even longer. Again growing pains of a new restaurant however no communication from our server.

The thing that was really hard was we were a table of 6 adults that were sat beside a table with 6 children that were completely unsupervised by the adults at the table. They were chasing each other around the table, throwing paper airplanes throughout the restaurant and playing basketball with scrunched up paper, all while the parents were on phone calls on their speaker phone. We honestly felt like we were dining at "Chucky Cheese's".

The disappointing part is the staff did nothing to help with the situation --- ask the parents to keep their children seated in their chairs would be a good start or asking us if we'd like to move tables. We all have grown children and understand kids are kids but this was a scene from the "gong show". If this is the type of environment you are trying to create we definitely won't be back.

On a positive note -- the food was excellent, our server did his best, the grounds are spectacular and we enjoyed our drinks down at the Monkey Bar afterwards -- trust me, after that experience, we...

We were looking forward to an exquisite Christmas dinner experience. I ordered the chicken entree, my partner ordered the beef brisket. The chicken was served at room temperature and appeared to be swimming in a pool of what looked like watery baked beans. First bite of chicken was like sinking my teeth into a vat of pure fat. The skin was greasy and soggy and the chicken itself lacked flavor and was undercooked. I didn’t even touch the beans as I couldn’t get past the fact that they were somehow supporting the buoyancy of a very miserable looking chicken. My partners beef brisket wasn’t any better. It also was served at room temperature and appeared overcooked to the point of almost breaking a tooth while chewing through the leathery texture and chunks of fat in between. For dessert I had the bread pudding which in other restaurants has been my all time favorite dessert. Not this time, my spoon practically ricochet from the crust when I was about to take my first bite. Bread pudding is supposed to be moist and full of flavor, nope! When you make a reservation in a hotel such as the St Regis your expectations are already set high and you are expecting a hefty price tag to boot. However, when you are met with a tragic dining experience and only offered 25% off for the misery and time spent there that you will never get back is shocking to say the least....

I recently visited Riva at the new St. Regis Resort, and I was really looking forward to a wonderful dining experience. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

First, the outdoor ambiance is absolutely stunning, with beautiful views of the pool area. However, due to some windy conditions, we opted to sit inside. Unfortunately, we were placed near a door that led to the outdoor tables, which turned out to be quite distracting. It felt like we were in a busy hallway, with servers darting in and out constantly. It was quite annoying and made it hard to truly relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Now, about the food. After a long wait for our appetizers and main courses, we were disappointed to find that the dishes were served at room temperature. I had high hopes for the flavors and presentation, but the lack of warmth really detracted from the overall experience. It felt like the food had been sitting out for too long before it reached our table.

Service was another letdown. Our server seemed absent, and when they noticed we hadn’t touched much of our food, they didn’t check in to see if everything was okay. A little attentiveness would have made a big difference, especially considering the restaurant’s prices.

Overall, while I truly wanted to enjoy my meal at Riva, but...