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The Antlers
Dryden Rd (aka Route 366),
halfway between Varna and Etna
Price: Dinners $9.95-$17
Posted on: 02/15/00
When we lived, briefly, in the peaceful country quiet, with only the birds and the rabbits and the deer, who in concert ravaged our garbage weekly, dragging maggoty debris all around the vast yard, we frequently passed the Antlers restaurant when driving to and from civilization.
We often remarked upon the busy parking lot, and how popular the Antlers seemed -- yet nobody in our esteemed circle ever gave it much mention. Curiosity piqued, you'd think we would have stopped in at least once in the hundreds of times we sped by. Nope. Not until recently, whereupon we noticed again how nice it seemed out there in the country quiet.
This time, the Antlers had the upper hand. Approaching smugly, as if to say "we finally deign to try you, and only because the roads are too icy to drive further tonight", we were stopped in our egoistic tracks by the greeting "Do you have a reservation?".
Let the groveling begin. Admittedly, this was Valentine's Eve, and what more to re-ignite the spark between couples than a decorative homage to beheadings and a plate full of flesh? Still, the Bison head on the wall was something impressive! In the hands of Fate, a reserved couple failed to show (perhaps Cupid took his leave from them), and we unashamedly took their place at the dining table.
The Antlers is known for its marketing campaign of "10 entrees for under $10", that appears in nearly every issue of every local publication. Each weeknight also sports a particular speciality; for instance, roast duckling on Tuesdays, filet mignon on Mondays, at prices reduced $4-$5.
On this packed Monday night, we skipped the temptation for the $13.95 filet mignon, and went instead of the $15 whole lobster and $10 pork tenderloin in medeira sauce. In fact, a standout of the evening was the seafood cocktail sauce that accompanied a shrimp appetizer. One of the best we've had anywhere, enough so that we insisted on some more for the lobster, shunning the traditional butter dip. (On weekend previous we had embarked on our own homemade cocktail sauce, mostly successful, but shamed in the face of The Antlers').
Condiments aside, the pork tenderloin was thoroughly enjoyed by its host, exceeding expectations. Our lobster eater is embarrassingly inexperienced in the king of shellfish, and wrestling with it at a public table was not an exercise in dignity. Fortunately, it was an exercise in pleasure, and, except for the mushy brainy part, wholly satisfying.
The Antlers is no
place for a vegetarian, but it also was less redneck than we had feared.
Another try at one of their weeknight specials is in good order.
