Be sure you leave home hungry when you're driving to Riptide on the River, and feast your eyes on the bucolic scenery of horses grazing in the pasture offered along Old Richmond Road. Riptide is located about 15 miles south of downtown Lexington and, if nature in all its majesty just isn't your thing, you can hop on Interstate 75 South to shave a few minutes off your travel time. I wouldn't advise it though.
Docked between Ky-2328's one lane wrought iron bridge and the hulking behemoth of the I-75 Clay's Ferry Bridge, Riptide is anchored on the Fayette County side of the Kentucky River.
For any landlubber looking for a taste of the beachcomber's life, Riptide is by far the nearest destination and it's ripe with coastal novelties. There's a sprawling Tiki Bar (open during warmer months) wedged between a large wooden deck overlooking the river and a volleyball sandpit. There's also a large wooden stage that beckons weekend revelers, and I got the lurking sensation that this venue has seen its fair share of drunken bare feet flinging sand in the air.
Closer to the road, in the restaurant proper, there's a massive dining hall, bar, and yet another deck perched above the entire riparian complex, which is where our waitress, decked out in a flowery cabana shirt, seated me and my dinner guest. If Jimmy Buffet makes you lose your appetite, bring earplugs or a companion with the gift of gab, because Papa Parrothead rocks the outdoor speakers louder than the crash of the surf. But after a few boat drinks, even I was singing along to all the songs I unintentionally knew by heart, much to the horror of my guest and neighboring tables.
If you hadn't already guessed, the menu at Riptide is built around creatures of the sea, save for a few items: sandwiches, chicken wings, steaks and, of course, chicken tenders. Aside from the standard fried or chargrilled seafood dinners (scallop, shrimp, oyster, mahi mahi, tuna, tilapia and salmon), the kitchen offers a few other incarnations: PoBoy sandwiches (shrimp, catfish or oyster) and pastas (crab and shrimp). You can also order heaping portions of Alaskan Snow, Dungeness and King Crab legs.
Rules of the sea say you should always try a restaurant's raw oysters on the half shell, whether it's landlocked or coastal, and we gladly abided with an order of a dozen. It's of no use comparing fresh-out-the-sea oysters to those mollusks which have spent some time on the road, but as far as your options for regional oysters are concerned, Riptide's salty snacks are right on par.
For dinner, I ordered the Southern Fried Fisherman's Feast - a mound of battered and fried seafood goodness (oysters, tilapia, shrimp, scallops and clams) with a side salad, hush puppies and new potatoes. The chef didn't disappoint; each item was lightly breaded and didn't overpower the seafood taste. My guest ordered the Chargrilled Seafood Feast, which is basically the same thing only the items are broiled instead of deep fried and comes with a bowl of drawn butter. My guest was glad she got this order, because, as she said, "Anything served with a large bowl of butter is better."
Our bill, prior to tipping, came to $63, which included the oyster appetizer, two entrees and a couple of boat drinks, which is a good price for a little coastal escapism in the Bluegrass.