Review: Resto L’Antoinette offers traditional French cuisine in Milton

In many ways, Resto L’Antoinette is a throwback, from its focus on French cuisine to its romantic atmosphere. Owners Leonardo Moura and Jaime Adams said they wanted the restaurant to be a place diners can relax and linger.

The bistro is a pivot from the New Orleans-themed Lagarde, their original plan for the space in the Crabapple Market development. Adams and Moura chose to go in a new direction to differentiate their restaurant from others in the area.

Resto L’Antoinette succeeds in many important ways, even as it struggles to get attention from the neighborhood. But Executive Chef Jeffrey Gomez has experience at neighborhood dining; he spent 17 years in the kitchen at Anis Bistro in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights area, Moura said. Also, his wealth of French cooking experience is apparent in some of the dishes.

Credit: Resto L'Antoinette

Credit: Resto L'Antoinette

The best dish on the menu may be the sole façon colbert. The delicately fried Dover sole showcased the chef’s technique, with an old-school deboning that left the spine curling artfully out of the tender white filet.

The kitchen’s deft touch with seafood continued with a special of perfectly seared scallops over a vanilla bean corn pudding. While the vanilla flavor might have been a touch overdone, the plump scallops were beyond reproach. And there were four shellfish on the plate, an amount actually suitable for an entree.

However, despite its impressive technique, it sometimes felt like the kitchen was in too much of a rush. Moura said it was important to their team that they serve diners soon after they have ordered, but the pace can affect service negatively.

On one visit, our server offered to take our full dinner order and course it out for our table of two. Along with our individual entrees, my wife and I shared a half-dozen raw oysters, a wonderful tomato salad and the house specialty, an onion consommé.

Credit: Resto L'Antoinette

Credit: Resto L'Antoinette

With proper coursing, the cold hors d’oeuvres should have been served first, followed by the steaming-hot soup (which is poured tableside), and then the entrees. Instead, all three appetizers came out startlingly fast, crowding our small table and transforming the soup into a distraction. The richly flavored consommé, poured over gruyere and brioche toast, was splattered clumsily and left to cool as we worked on the oysters and salad.

Our other service issue came at the end of our meals. On each of our visits (with different servers) we were brought an incorrect dessert item. The servers do not take notes when they record your order, and the same mistake was made twice.

Otherwise, the servers were well-trained on the menu and wine list and able to make good recommendations. They also kept our water glasses filled.

Credit: Courtesy of Rest L'Antoinette

Credit: Courtesy of Rest L'Antoinette

Ultimately, Resto L’Antoinette is a bit unfinished and needs the support of its community if it’s going to succeed. Some of its rough patches likely would be smoothed out if more diners were patronizing the restaurant, providing the servers with additional experience and the kitchen with a steadier stream of orders.

Is there a market in Milton for a quiet, traditionally French date-night spot? The team at Resto L’Antoinette is trying hard to make it work.

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