we now interrupt these regularly scheduled posts to sincerely congratulate chef andrea reusing, of lantern in chapel hill, on becoming the 2011 best chef in the southeast, according to the james beard foundation.  

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it’s a ridiculously high honor, reserved for ridiculously talented people.

& we are thrilled to have a winner of this accolade {& several other nominees} right here in our backyard.  although…we’ve never tasted a single bite of food from her renown kitchen.  it’s a situation we plan to remedy very, very soon.

even so, we’ve both visited lantern on many a night.

for me, it started as an undergrad, tip toeing {not too quietly} down the dark alley just off franklin street, with friends into the dimly lit, tiny, plush red bar in the back, well after midnight, to order a dark & stormy or junebug from the familiar bartender, before stumbling home for the night.

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for the two of us, it’s become the place we go to perfectly cap off any night in chapel hill, whether we had revisited the blue cups at he’s not, or taken the classier route at west end wine bar.

the cocktail menu is creative & amazing & delicious.

i can only imagine the food is, too.

& now?  she’s written a cookbook, with a year’s worth of wonderfully seasonal recipes.  i think we’re going to need it.