After over a decade of running her acclaimed Chapel Hill, NC restaurant Lantern, James Beard Award winner Andrea Reusing has added some new concepts to her portfolio. Just last week, Reusing opened her highly anticipated full-service restaurant, rooftop bar venue, and coffee shop at the boutique Durham Hotel, and today Eater takes a look around.
LA-based design firm Commune kept the lobby and ground-floor restaurant in step with the classic mid-century exterior of the building, a late 1960s gem known as the Home Savings Bank Building. Bold graphic carpets and saturated primary colors in the dining room evoke a mod feel, complemented by impressive lighting fixtures and huge windows. Up on the roof, the vibe is a bit more casual, expressed best by the checkered bar floor and the comfy couches with expansive views of the city.
Earlier this year, Reusing told Eater that her restaurant would not be "a Lantern in Durham." Instead of Asian-inflected dishes, Reusing is offering more classic fare like steaks, a roasted-to-order chicken, a house burger, and bone-in country pork ribs. Known for her commitment to North Carolina foodways, keep an eye out for local specialties like Durham mushrooms in a mushroom soup, North Carolina trout roe with sour cream from Durham, or an eggplant parm with mozzarella from Chapel Hill. Go, take a look through the menu below and have a sneak peek of the space above.
