Friday night was date night for Ganny and I. We made a reservation at L'Antibes, poured cocktails into our traveler cups, and walked on down. Neither of us had ever been there before but we've been intending to go for quite some time. We're not huge fans of classical French fare but not appalled by it either.
We weren't crazy about any of the appetizer choices so we intended to go for some pomme frites and salad. Our server told us about a short rib and risotto appetizer special that changed our minds though, but we still wanted to try the fries.
I ordered the roasted lamb loin (Sorry our pictures kind of suck. We didn't want to use the flash in the restaurant.) and Ganny went with the sweet breads. We paired this with a 2007 Reninger from wild and wonderful Walla Walla Washington.
The Food:
The obvious place to start when describing the food is with the truffle oil. I think we each ingested about an ounce of the stuff. It was in the risotto, it was on the fries, it was on the lamb, it was on the cow glands, it was everywhere. By the end of the meal it seemed like it was in our wine. I had to look in my pockets afterward to make sure the coat-check girl didn't slip some in while we were dining.
I like truffle oil, don't get me wrong. But I think it should be banned from the planet. No one seems to be able to use it in the minuscule quantity that it requires. And that was certainly the case at L'Antibes. Honestly I think you could put truffle oil on a lump of canned dog food and it would taste the same as on an exquisitely prepared sweet bread or lamb loin.
That being said, I thought the lamb was quite good. If it had 1/10th the truffle oil it would likely have been perfect. The same for the fries. The risotto was fantastic and the short rib was, well, not actually short rib but pretty good nonetheless.
I was not displeased with our service. I found our server to be professional and knowledgeable if not necessarily sunny. The style of service was very reminiscent of what I've experienced in France. To many it would be a turn off but I'm not looking for the "can I get ya' some of our awesome poppers or a bloomin' bag of fried mutton wings" type of be-my-new-best-friend service. It was slow and deliberate with time to enjoy the wine and each course. Since I'm not the one who had any service issues I'll leave that to Ganny to write.
Enter Ganny: I too appreciate non-invasive but attentive only when necessary service. My issues with the service started with the table in the back of the restaurant, leaving me feeling less important than one should feel when entering an establishment where they will spend the next 2-3 hours. See the empty bread and butter plate and clean butter knife to our left? That plate stayed empty for the duration of our meal, and I LOVE bread. Maybe not as much as the Sotted Critic, but if it were offered to me, I would have enthusiastically partaken. There were four other tables in that restaurant with bread on their tables, and I am certain that each table didn't ask for bread. Strike two. Apparently we were not breadworthy. We were not amuse-bouche worthy, either, as two of the four tables were presented with tiny cups of cream of celery soup from the chef. It was as if the hostess / coat check girl's job is to determine a guest's class upon their arrival, and stamps "Haut Monde" or "Pleb" in the reservation book.
The Atmosphere:
Aside from the aforementioned truffle transgression, the atmosphere and ambiance is what most troubled me about L'Antibes. The decor is Spartan but acceptable, the lights were too bright and quite harsh, and the music was the right type, jazz, but way too soft. Add to that the carpet and linen tablecloths and the sound level is very low. As a result, everyone in the restaurant can clearly hear everyone else's conversations quite clearly. It was, too say the least, uncomfortable. To add to our level of discomfort, we were seated in the very back table against the back wall where conversations were amplified even more. I joked as we were seated about getting the finest table. Don't they know who I am?! Seriously though, the place was only 40% full on a Friday night and the window tables were left empty. We were clearly the hottest people in the joint. They should have showcased us up front.
The Conclusion:
L'Antibes did not give us any reason to go back. The truffle oil was a crime against food that defeated the primary purpose of our visit. The service was less than a thrill, which I'm fine with but still not a reason to return. The atmosphere was flat out uncomfortable. And all this for only $180. I feel that if you're going to charge the super-premium price in your restaurant, you have to hit all these notes right. You have to create an experience that makes your guests want to come back. I wanted to be blown away but it was a disappointment.
Side note:
Screw you Hubbard Grille bartender who ignored me for five minutes at the bar until we decided to leave for friendlier shores.
By the way, the service at The Rossi was wonderful.
And the wonder-pups enjoyed dry kibble (without truffle oil).
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