The Lantern shines

ocated deep in the heart of Chapa Thrill, the Lantern Restaurant artfully explores the white-hot Asian fusion craze.

By keeping the number of options low, the brother and sister chef-owners Andrea and Brendan Reusing ensure quality and authenticity in each dish. This isn't the cheap Asian fast food that inundates so many of the Triangle's restaurants (no General Tso's here); instead, the chefs know about each dish and prepared to work around allergies (me) and vegetarian diets (my friend).

We took our appetizers at the bar while we waited for a table. As the sleazeball with the spray-on hair bought me drinks, I munched on the ginger chicken wings with red chilies, while my friend had the black mushroom and cabbage dumplings. The wings were tangy, but I expected them to be hotter. Instead they were pleasantly sweet, but covered in peanuts, which were not listed on the menu. A bit of a problem if you have a peanut allergy, but once I informed the very helpful staff, they were happy to correct the problem. My friend's dumplings were good overall, but the flavor of the casing overpowered the filling too much. The presentation of both dishes was excellent and well-planned.

For the entrée we moved to the dining room where I had the steak with crispy spinach and my friend had the only vegetarian entrée, which was a pleasantly spicy southern Indian stew of chick pea dumplings and saffron. Local vegetables such as summer squash, tomatoes and roasted onions added to its hardy taste.

My Japanese steakhouse-style filet mignon with onions served on skewers was delightfully different. The saltiness of the crispy spinach nicely complemented the Ponzu sauce.

Dessert diverged from the Asian theme as we ordered the hot chocolate cake and vanilla bean panna cotta. The cake had a molten center and a rich chocolate flavor. And the milk chocolate ice cream on the side cooled it off wonderfully. The panna cotta rivaled desserts at any Italian restaurant in the area, with its near melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The sweetness of the vanilla was balanced by the espresso caramel and coffee brittle.

There are little more than 10 tables in the dining room, but the design--large mirrors across one wall and windows along another--masks its size elegantly. The bar is darker and less pleasant, but the bartender was extremely friendly, despite being pressed to wait on the more than 20 people waiting for tables. Because reservations are only accepted for parties of six or more, the best advice is to go early and always be prepared to wait.

Unless, of course, you want Mr. Spray-on to buy you drinks.

Hours: 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Serves dinner.

Phone: 919.969.8846