The other night, my wife and I enjoyed a delightful dinner at Antoine's (http://www.antoinessarasota.com/), a restaurant which offers delicious French cuisine and terrific mussels. The owners, Olivier Georges and his wife Angela, were originally recruited from Belgium to work at Brasserie Belge, which we loved. The owner of Brasserie Belge (Belgian Brasserie) decided to close the brasserie and return to Belgium, but Olivier and Angela loved it here and decided to open their own restaurant. They first opened it on Fruitville, and then moved to the current location, in the small shopping center across from Ed Smith Stadium.
My wife and I went for a special they were offering - a three-course dinner for two, plus a bottle of wine, plus amuse-bouche for $69. All of the food was delicious, and the wine was decent.
The amuse-bouche was Gougeres - two small pastries made with dough and Swiss cheese.
My wife's appetizer was broccoli bisque, and mine was Mussels Marinières (Moules Marinières). I love mussels, and these were terrific. Antoine's serves seven types of mussels, and on Monday nights, they offer an all-you-can-eat mussels special for $22.
My wife and I had the same main dish - a pork roulade au jus stuffed with spinach and apples. The pork was served with a mix of vegetables perfectly cooked - asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and potatoes.
For dessert, we both had the Belgian chocolate mousse. It was fantastic.
After dinner, we both enjoyed a cup of very nice espresso.
The butter served with the bread was an elegant creation carved by Olivier.
The bottle of wine offered with the special was Patriarche Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. Both are from the Pays d'Oc area of France. It was decent, and I was not expecting more for the price.
Olivier is the host and server, and Angela is the chef. She makes everything from scratch. Olivier has a warm and welcoming personality. He is very attentive.
For those who like special beers, they offer 12 beers, which I believe are all Belgian.
Olivier and Angela created the decor themselves. It has resulted in a very cozy atmosphere.
They are currently only open for dinner 6 days per week, and closed on Sunday. Olivier said they might open for lunch during the winter season.
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