Still beloved: Antiquity remains one of the best places in town for a special night out

Every ship, even a metaphorical one, has a captain, and at Antiquity, the long-time restaurant in Old Town, the job belongs to co-owner Steve Salazar.

Salazar is the first person you see upon entering the place. Situated between the dining room and the tile-framed grill where tongues of flame leap upward, he greets diners, directs traffic and checks the dishes going out to the dining room.

Even after 20-plus years in business, Salazar and his wife Amy run Restaurant Antiquity like a scrappy upstart. It’s a big reason why the place is one of the city’s most beloved restaurants.

Still beloved: Antiquity remains one of the best places in town for a special night out

If you doubt it, try booking a table on short notice. You’ll quickly find you need to plan ahead, as we did when we made a reservation for three by phone several weeks in advance.

It was a Saturday night, and we parked in the paid lot next to the Albuquerque Museum. The plaza was buzzing. Teenagers dressed up for some event posed for pictures under strings of lights in front of the bandstand, while drivers in low-riders rumbled slowly past.

Restaurant Antiquity sits behind a brick sidewalk on a quiet side street just off the southwest side of the plaza. There’s a dining room adjacent to the entryway and another one a couple of steps up in the back. Thick, undulating walls and heavy wooden vigas frame the space. The booths around the perimeter of the room are partially walled off for privacy.

Antiquity is open for dinner five nights a week. Entree prices reside in the upper echelon for Albuquerque, but the wine list has a lot of affordable options. Several glasses check in below $10 and half bottles land in the $25 to $35 range.

The menu’s French influence is evident in dishes like Escargot and Chateaubriand for Two. Appetizers cost between $10 and $22 and include classic steakhouse options like Shrimp Cocktail and Crab Cakes.

The soup du jour is free with entrees. A la carte, it costs $9 for a cup, $12 for a bowl. On this night, it was Green Chile Corn Chowder. The fresh corn, diced carrots and green chile filled a sweet, creamy base that hummed with an undercurrent of heat. My gluten-free dining companions were envious.

The house salad, a pile of greens framed with sliced mushrooms and cucumbers in a snappy vinaigrette, is another option available with entrees. I decided to pay a slight upcharge for the Special Salad and was glad I did. The salad was colorful and tasty, the pile of greens topped with candied pecans, apples, strawberries and raspberries. Off to the side, a block of brie wrapped in puff pastry provided a tangy counterweight to all the sweetness.

Entrees, priced mostly in the $32 to $48 range, include chicken, seafood and pork chops, but beef takes center stage. Top billing goes to the Henry IV ($45), a bacon-wrapped filet served under an artichoke heart with bearnaise sauce. It’s named for a French king of the Renaissance who supposedly loved artichokes.

Sounded tempting, but we opted for the Chateaubriand for Two ($90). The 16-ounce tenderloin roast came out on a wooden board, its peppery crust blackened from the grill. The server carved it at the tableside into four slices and then plated it along with the salty juice and a pile of sauteed mushrooms. A bowl of bearnaise, the classic French sauce that tastes of wine and herbs, accompanied it. The meat was juicy, tender and cooked to the desired degree of doneness. After several recent experiences with underheated sides at other restaurants, I’m relieved to report that the mashed potatoes and vegetables here were hot.

Fresh seafood is a point of pride at Antiquity. Choices include shrimp, salmon, scallops and a jumbo cold water lobster tail baked and finished on the grill. The lobster tail I saw a nearby diner tucking into was a prodigious serving that arched from the plate like the tentacle of a sea monster. I was tempted to order it, but it carried the dreaded Market Price appellation on the menu, and that price turned out to be a whopping $98. Maybe next time I’ll pay the $14 plate-splitting fee and share it with someone.

I settled for one of the nightly specials, pan-fried Barramundi ($32), also known as Asian sea bass. I’ve cooked previously frozen versions of this at home a couple of times and found it to be quite fishy, but Antiquity’s version was fresh, and the difference showed. Under a crisp golden shell, the fish was moist, buttery and sweet. The toasted breadcrumbs on top of a side of calabacitas was a nice touch. The vegetables were broccolini, hot but a bit undercooked, and carrots.

Several items on the dessert menu sounded tempting, so we ordered a Sampler Plate ($15) comprised of Chocolate Mousse, Key Lime Pie and Crème Brûlée. All three were stellar. I liked the way they played off each other, the intense mousse and the assertively tart pie balanced with the rich vanilla custard of the crème brûlée.

We also tried the Three Cream Crêpe, one of the choices that was not in the sampler. The crêpe was wrapped like a burrito around a mix of sour cream and cream cheese and topped with whipped cream and warm cherries. Tart, sour and sweet, it was terrific and in a portion size easy for two to share.

Our server, a veteran of the restaurant, was a true professional. Another staffer kept our waters filled throughout the meal. Waits for food were brief.

Old restaurants often feel tired. Not Antiquity. Thanks to the dedication of the Salazars and their staff, it remains one of the best places in town for a special night out.