Antonio's Restaurant

Antonio's, at the corner of North Front Street and Coggeshall Street, is a longstanding New Bedford establishment, with an excellent reputation and deservedly so. With an atmosphere of understated elegance, it manages to be, simultaneously, a neighborhood hangout, a serious restaurant specializing in fine Portuguese cuisine, and an inviting spot for a romantic rendezvous.
The selection of draft, while not remarkable, is certainly serviceable, and Mr. Draft opted for an IPA from Long Trail, a Vermont-based brewery. It was the perfect accompaniment to the pair of stuffed quahogs ordered. The quahogs themselves were subtly sweet and adequately spicy, the taste only slightly impaired by a slight scorching (too long under a broiler?) Mr. Mix, at the bartender's suggestion, had a Batida de Maracuja, made with a Madeira Island-made passion fruit liqueur. As Mr. Mix generally likes to order drinks that throb with sexual innuendo, the drink's name probably translated from the Portuguese as something like Nibble My Trouser Snake. Mr. Mix described it as "liquid sweet tarts." Mr. Draft would return to Antonio's in a heartbeat...good food, pleasant staff, and a sophisticated interior without a hint of pretentiousness. Mr. Draft gives it a 9. (If the quahogs hadn't been mildly burnt, it coulda been a contender...it might have received a 10!) (Roll Call: Mr. Draft, Mr. Mix, Mr. Merlot)