Fresh, local ingredients add to the upscale, fine-dining experience at this Lambertville favorite.
By: Kate and Tom O’Neill
The old Swan Hotel occupies an unusual niche in Lambertville’s
restaurant environment. On one side of the building, the bustling, comfortably
upscale Swan Bar offers a grill menu, while Anton’s, on the other side, features
a fine-dining menu. The cuisine at Anton’s is based on fresh, local ingredients
and is prepared with finesse by Chef Chris Connors, who also cooks for the bar.
The service is friendly, the staff well-informed, and the wine list impressive.
A nine-year veteran of Anton’s kitchen, Chef Connors has presided at Anton’s since
purchasing the business from Anton Dodel in 2001.
|
Anton’s at the Swan |
The entrance to Anton’s is through a small lobby bar where guests can wait comfortably if the restaurant is crowded. In the dining room, a carved wood and mirrored barback lines one wall. Light from hurricane lamps splashes off the white tablecloths, shedding a soft glow. At one table for four, two diners could sit on a cozy-looking couch while companions sit across from them on chairs. A converted gas chandelier hangs from the center of the ceiling. Above the dark wainscoting, the walls are covered with an eclectic collection of art, mostly Lambertville scenes. Next to our corner table, prints and paintings depicted a Gibson girl with a Princeton pennant and a football crowd from times gone by. One large painting shows this very room in its previous incarnation, as a bar, with a happy crowd gathered around candle-lit tables reflected in the barback mirror. (The bartender in the painting now works in the adjacent Swan Bar.)
The wine list is particularly strong on California reds and whites. It includes 15 wines by the glass ($6-$8.50) and offers 36 choices of full bottles at $40 or less, as well as 17 half bottles ($17-$32). The Wild Horse Pinot Noir from California’s central coast ($21/half bottle), soft and ripe with the flavor of berries and cherries, proved an ideal accompaniment for both of our entrées.
A basket of warm multigrain rolls arrived immediately, accompanied by a pot of unsalted butter. As we made our dinner choices we enjoyed a complimentary sip of light butternut squash soup served in an espresso cup. The menu is brief but captivating, making the selection process a pleasant challenge. Our server, Gareth, who deftly covered the entire room, knew the preparation of each dish we inquired about and proved to be a fine culinary tour guide for the evening.
On the regular menu are four appetizers, four salads and six entrées. These were supplemented, on the night we visited, by two specials, an appetizer and an entrée. The special appetizer was sweet and sour sautéed foie gras served atop a slice of grilled pineapple drizzled with red wine. Also available were a half dozen Wellfleet oysters on the half shell ($12) and a butternut squash risotto with chanterelles ($10). Passing over these temptations, we chose the grilled shrimp ($13) and the crabcake ($13). The grilled shrimp were plump, juicy and accompanied by jasmine rice, subtly flavored with coconut, and chocolate-brown peanut sauce that packed gentle heat. Sprigs of chopped cilantro added a fresh, contrasting note and color. The generous crabcake was packed with sweet, lump crabmeat, bound by a dab of tarragon-flavored filling and served on chopped red cabbage with caper-enhanced tartar sauce.
The entrée special was a chili-rubbed Berkshire pork chop ($26), one of our favorite cuts of meat. In close competition were other tempting choices: a filet of beef, Griggstown chicken, a buffalo rib eye and sautéed halibut all simply prepared. We selected instead two more complex items that reflect chef/owner Connors’ interest in Asian cuisine and culinary fusion.
The delectable, tender rack of Colorado lamb ($32) contrasted beautifully with the earthy taste of the creamy, lentil-based daal. Chef Connors had another winner in sautéed cod ($28). The fresh fish was cooked until flaky and moist and gained interest from a mild risotto into which sweet rock shrimp had been folded just before serving. Arugula in the risotto provided color and texture but surprisingly little flavor. Both entrées came with steamed carrots and broccoli florets that were welcome and cooked al dente, but seemed trite by contrast with the main event.
Desserts (all $8) are made on site by the chef, and offer enough variety to satisfy most diners in search of a fitting finale. They include pumpkin cheesecake, cherry brioche bread pudding, tarte Tatin with cinnamon ice cream, flourless chocolate cake with caramel ice cream and butterscotch pot de crème. From these, we narrowed our choice to the chocolate cake and pot de crème. The rich, deep flavor of the light-textured, still-warm cake harmonized charmingly with caramel ice cream, so smooth it might well have come from an old hand-cranked ice cream machine. The pot de crème was served in a little vase-like pot, topped with frothy whipped cream that enriched the subtle brown sugar-vanilla flavors at the heart of the dessert.
Our good, fresh-brewed espressos ($3.50) were served after the meal, as requested, and we departed, planning to submit to Anton’s temptations again soon.

