THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Antiquities

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Antiquities Restaurant Review:

Hotel dining rooms aren't always high on locals' lists of places to eat. This one is. The atmosphere is intimate and classy, with muted lighting, rose petals scattered on the tablecloths, tableside preparation by the maître d', and de-crumbing the table between courses. There are a few lapses in what should be a first-rate show, such as excellent wines poorly served and lack of variety in food plating and garnishing, but overall, this is truly fine dining. The menu changes daily and includes seafood, beef, veal, lamb, duck and chicken. You can travel the globe in appetizers with such offerings as Hong Kong-style prawns with peppery barbecue sauce, Indian spice-rubbed duck, and cracked peppercorn tenderloin of beef with a red wine mushroom sauce. Seafood is definitely a house specialty, and the creamy crab bisque is loaded with lump crab meat. For entrées, try the Chesapeake Bay mélange, comprised of a crab cake, shrimp, scallops, fish and littleneck clams in a wine and shallot sauce. Other fish sampled, including tuna with pistachio crust, pan-seared rockfish and salmon encrusted with couscous, all were well-prepared and paired with tasty sauces and seasonal vegetables. On the meatier side, veal scaloppine with roasted red peppers and goat cheese was a nice combination of flavors, and the rack of lamb crusted with spices, Parmesan and pine nuts was a lamb-lover's treat. Desserts are not prepared in-house, but the chocolate mousse and New York cheesecake were satisfactory finishes.