Antibes Bistro - Lower East Side
112 Suffolk Street, New York, NY 10002
How can a restaurant have so much charm and still fall flat?
Walking into Antibes Bistro is like walking into a quaint left bank cafe in Paris. We sat at a worn wooden table by a large window, listening to jazzy tunes that livened the mood. Details such as the tiny vase of wildflowers or the bottle-nosed glass carafe of water gave a happy rustic feeling to the restaurant. My only complaint with the atmosphere was that it was a bit too dim--we read the menus by candlelight. Otherwise, it was charming.
Yet the meal started with a mediocre baguette and only fell further from expectations thereafter. No Parisian patron would have been satisfied with this bread, which consisted of a tough white stuffing and softer (dare I saw chewy?) brown exterior--precisely the opposite of a fresh French baguette.
For the main dish the waitress talked me into the special: red snapper. Priced higher than the other entries, I was first disappointed with the taste then annoyed by the bill. Though presented well, the snapper lacked flavor and creativity. Served as the whole fish, I was able to separate the two fillets to de-bone in one piece, only to be left with little meat and a number of pin bones. My mashed potatoes and side of greens were the best part of the meal.
Given that this was the special (and recommended over other dishes when asked), I should have been blown away. My friends' dishes--in appearance only--did not suggest I would have been much better off with another selection.
We passed on dessert. What a shame; the restaurant just looks so adorable.
112 Suffolk Street, New York, NY 10002
How can a restaurant have so much charm and still fall flat?
Walking into Antibes Bistro is like walking into a quaint left bank cafe in Paris. We sat at a worn wooden table by a large window, listening to jazzy tunes that livened the mood. Details such as the tiny vase of wildflowers or the bottle-nosed glass carafe of water gave a happy rustic feeling to the restaurant. My only complaint with the atmosphere was that it was a bit too dim--we read the menus by candlelight. Otherwise, it was charming.
Yet the meal started with a mediocre baguette and only fell further from expectations thereafter. No Parisian patron would have been satisfied with this bread, which consisted of a tough white stuffing and softer (dare I saw chewy?) brown exterior--precisely the opposite of a fresh French baguette.
For the main dish the waitress talked me into the special: red snapper. Priced higher than the other entries, I was first disappointed with the taste then annoyed by the bill. Though presented well, the snapper lacked flavor and creativity. Served as the whole fish, I was able to separate the two fillets to de-bone in one piece, only to be left with little meat and a number of pin bones. My mashed potatoes and side of greens were the best part of the meal.
Given that this was the special (and recommended over other dishes when asked), I should have been blown away. My friends' dishes--in appearance only--did not suggest I would have been much better off with another selection.
We passed on dessert. What a shame; the restaurant just looks so adorable.
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