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A New Light on Franklin Street
Lantern is a shining addition to The Triangle dining scene

BY KELLY FERGUSON

Lantern is Franklin St.'s latest addition to the small and innovative restaurants that have become a Chapel Hill trademark. Asian in theme, the restaurant has been open three months, creating a rapid buzz around the Triangle. Lantern is chef-owned and operated by Andrea and Brendan Reusing and Silvia Pahola, whose resumes read like a who's who of Triangle restaurants, including Vin, Crook's, Nana's and 411 West. Word was the new restaurant was packed on the weekends (there are only 16 tables), so I went in on a weekday night to avoid hassles.

I walked in and was enthusiastically and immediately greeted by the host. (She was also very pleasant on the phone when she explained that Lantern only takes reservations for six or more.) The atmosphere immediately felt artistic but not pretentious. The front room feels Japanese in style with jade-colored walls, ebony chairs and cream-colored paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The room is uncluttered, the effect simple and comfortable. The feel is casual, with diners comfortably dressed, befitting a college-town restaurant. This felt like a refreshing change of pace from my hometown of Durham, with its steady fare of starched shirts, tablecloths and pepper grinders.

I sat down to attend to the first order of business, the wine list, which is very interesting and eclectic. If you're dead set on a bottle of Kendall-Jackson chardonnay, you'll just have to wash down that bloomin' onion at Outback. In fact, you won't find a California white on the list. You will find a delectable assortment of whites and reds, including Alsatian, Italian, German, New Zealand and, interestingly enough, Austrian wines. It was wonderful to see a wine list obviously tailored to suit the food, not consumer trends nor residents of north Raleigh. My waiter was well versed on the wines and helped me select what turned out to be a very drinkable pinot d'Alsace. There is also a selection of beers and chilled sakes. On the nonalcoholic side, you will find an intriguing assortment of teas, including lemongrass fruit and sweet rice green.

The dinner menu had 10 appetizer options ($5 to $8) and seven entrees ($13 to $17), set up in the Western format of courses, although I think ordering Asian-style and sharing would be a great way to go. There was a wide range of selections, from vegetarian hot pot to barbecue pork. The menu spans the Asian continent, leaning toward China, Korea and Japan, with a nice dose of American spontaneity.

For appetizers, my dinner partner and I had crackling calamari salad with lime vinaigrette ($7) and salmon and sake tea-cured salmon handrolls ($8). Citysearch pollsters had raved about the calamari, and this time the masses were right about something besides opium. Crispy, hot and tender with a light coating, the calamari was right on time. The dressing was delicious, all limey and tangy. A liberal coating of toasted black sesame seeds added a nice visual and textural element. The salmon handrolls were playfully served in a bento, a Japanese lunchbox with a little treat in each black box. This was served roll-it-yourself style. The portion of salmon was ample and delectable, and the condiments were good fun.

Feeling light, we ordered tea and spice smoked chicken ($16) and the steamed halibut with seared ginger ($17). While the smoked chicken teetered on a culinary precipice of being "the chicken," it was reeled back in by the condiments and the attention to detail. The halibut was firm and fresh, served on a silver serving tray in a light broth. Perhaps of the five tastes of the tongue discovered in the fifth dynasty, this one lingered a bit on salty, but a few minutes into dinner, the flavors incorporated a bit more smoothly, and the rice helped absorb the sodium.

Asian cuisine often relies on contra- puntal tastes to create a tensile strength between delicate flavors. Lantern creates a similar dynamic with its atmosphere by having the dining room and the bar feel like different restaurants. The back bar is connected to the front dining room by a hallway, which feels like a portal. The bright, cool feel of the main dining room is countered by the dark bordello bar with textured walls and red lanterns hanging from the ceiling like sexy Christmas.

My second journey to Lantern, I went yang and dined at the bar. Feeling dark and red, I ate braised Korean-style beef short ribs with a crispy noodle cake and kimchi ($17), with a glass of Janesse Cotes du Rhéne. Whatever vegetarian aspirations I had ever had were hopelessly dashed as savory ginger beef melted on my chopsticks. The in-house kimchi was a treat -- spicy and flavorful. Afterward I perused the sweets. While sinfully delicious Western-style concoctions are offered, Asians usually just end their meal with fruit. I followed suit by finishing with a pink grapefruit champagne sorbet ($5), which felt perfect on my palate and my tummy.

Overall, the word that kept coming to mind was care. I sensed that care had gone into the preparation of each element of the dish -- care from the house-pickled ginger with the handrolls to a hand-typed fortune with dessert. Also, prices were very reasonable, with dining at the bar encouraged. After eating there twice, I found myself wanting to go back and try what I hadn't yet. Service was affable and friendly, although if you want pomp and circumstance, this is not your environment. The restaurant is new and still getting its sea legs, but after two visits, I find myself hoping I'll be able to pop in for years to come.

Open Monday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. (bar until 2 a.m.).