Dancer-turned-chef choreographs a fusion of flavors at Red Lantern
Before he came to the United States and took up cooking, China-born chef Jimmy Su was a ballet dancer with the Chinese National Dance Company. Today, he pirouettes behind a stove, bringing a mix of traditional and modern Chinese fare plus Thai, Japanese, Korean and Filipino dishes (not to mention sushi) to Red Lantern Asian Bistro in Rolling Meadows.
Su, along with Tammy Lau and her son Allen, opened Red Lantern in December 2009. The bistro boasts a well-priced menu offering items as wide ranging as avocado spring rolls, Mandarin orange chicken salad, Korean fried rice, yakisoba, Hong Kong steak and candied-walnut shrimp. Specialties of the house include hoisin duck marinated with hoisin sauce and served with onion cakes, green onions and fresh cucumber and “firecracker” fish, a fillet lightly fried and coated in sweet-spicy sauce.
The lovely room features the namesake red lantern-like light fixtures, dramatically hung from a dark ceiling, along with natural stone walls, a fireplace and wood tables (plus some straight-backed wooden booths).
Bargains include a four-course, $35 set menu for two with a shared appetizer, two soups, two entrees and a shared dessert, and weekday $7 and $9 lunch specials. An additional list of traditional Chinese dishes is available to those who can read that language, or who are better able to persuade their server to make translations than we were. Service was a bit offhand.
However, we found plenty of good things to eat, starting with crisp green beans in a light tempura batter. The long, crunchy al dente beans come with mild wasabi-laced mayonnaise for dipping. To my taste, however, the dip needs more oomph.
Regular spring rolls, slender cigars filled mainly with cabbage and a little shrimp and pork, run a bit greasy. Other starters include pan-fried scallion flatbreads, chicken or duck lettuce cups and Thai-style chicken satay.
From the classic Chinese entrees, we tried the seafood hot pot, a first-rate dish for anyone who loves fish. The brimming casserole comes loaded with chunks of white fish, shrimp, scallops and crab sticks with sliced zucchini, bok choy, water chestnuts, carrots, baby corn, broccoli, bell pepper and loads of garlic in white wine sauce.
A more unusual main dish, the beef scallion wrap, features very thinly sliced beef tenderloin, braised in a salty sauce, rolled up in flaky fried scallion flatbread with fresh cilantro, and then cut into 1-inch slices. It adds up to more than the sum of its parts, but what really makes the dish are the accompanying tempura sweet-potato fries, which are served with a sweet and zesty dipping sauce.
The pan-Asian menu offers many intriguing options, including sea scallops in a citrus reduction and cilantro beef buns, along with a variety of noodle dishes, classics such as orange chicken and Mongolian beef, Thai-style curries and a few vegetarian options.
Sushi consists mainly of elaborate maki, as exemplified by the “fantasy roll,” with bits of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, capelin roe and avocado rolled in soy paper and topped with a spicy sauce.
The shortlist of desserts features ice cream served with pocky (Japanese cookie sticks), spring rolls stuffed with cooked banana and served with ice cream and cheese cake. Taiwanese shaved-ice desserts, alas, are served only in summer. Along with regular fountain soda pop, Red Lantern serves Japanese Ramune soft drinks, several kinds of tea, juices and fruit smoothies, plus a full bar.
Although not for Asian-food purists, Red Lantern provides a pleasant mix of interesting flavors in an attractive dining room. It's worth a look.
Red Lantern Asian Bistro
<p>1655 Algonquin Road, Rolling Meadows, (847) 439-3380, redlanternbistro.com</p>
<p>Cuisine: Contemporary and classic pan-Asian cuisine</p>
<p>Setting: Spacious, attractively appointed bistro</p>
<p>Entrees: $6.95 to $16</p>
<p>Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday (bar open until midnight), noon to 9 p.m. Sunday</p>