Fodor's Expert Review Le Bistro

This Antiguan institution's peach, periwinkle, and pistachio accents subtly match the tile work, jade chairs, mint china, and painted lighting fixtures. Trellises divide the large space into intimate sections. Chef Patrick Gauducheau delights in blending classic regional fare with indigenous ingredients, displaying an especially deft hand with delicate sauces. The kitchen now runs smoothly after bouts of inconsistency. Opt for daily specials, such as smoked marlin carpaccio with pink peppercorns, prawns in a gossamer ginger white wine sauce laced with leeks, lobster medallions in roasted red bell pepper–lime sauce flamed with grappa, and almost anything swaddled in puff pastry. The fine wine list hits all the right spots, geographically and varietally, without outrageous markups. Co-owner Phillipa Esposito doubles as hostess and pastry chef; her passion-fruit mousse and chocolate confections are sublime.