DINING out has been compared to going to the theater — with the diner as both audience and actor in a three-act play of appetizer, entrée and dessert.

   At Anton’s at the Swan, Chef/Owner Chris Connors is enjoying an eight-year run. Here diners find themselves on the set of a charming, old-fashioned room, reminiscent perhaps of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Candles flicker in hurricane lamps, spindle-backed chairs and antiques reflect the era of the brick 1870s hotel in which the restaurant is located, and paintings — many of local scenes — crowd the walls.

   Some diners are cosseted in the camel-backed sofa below a magnificent mirror that commands the room. The sounds of jazz, conversation and clinking glasses drift in from the adjacent Swan Bar, giving a companionable background hum. (The bar, among the most pleasant in our region, offers a good, light menu from the same kitchen as Anton’s. A drink in the bar makes a fine curtain-raiser for an evening here or an encore afterward.)

   The relatively brief menu shows off Mr. Connors’ style, which emphasizes the character of the ingredients and looks for natural opportunities for fusion. Changing with the seasons — or even more frequently — the menu offers six appetizers that strike a balance among complementary ingredients. Five-spice baby back ribs are served with Asian cole slaw. Sweet corn risotto melds a characteristic Jersey summer treat with Parmesan cheese. Grilled shrimp take on an Asian flair with coconut rice and spicy peanut sauce. Three salads are currently on offer, as well as six entrées, including grilled lamb with curried lentil daal and sautéed red snapper with brown butter, lemon and capers. Except for the lamb, all the entrées are $30 or less.

   To accompany these choices, the wine list offers 17 wines by the glass ($6 to $10) and about 35 bottles of red wines (15 or so at $40 or less) and about 20 white wines (most $40 or less). A feature of the list is a selection of “organic and biodynamic” wines, produced from grapes grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizer. And the list thoughtfully includes about 20 half bottles, evenly divided between red and white. Half bottles make it convenient — and prudent — for a couple to match wines to each course of the meal. From this category, we enjoyed the Grgich Hills Napa fumé blanc (24/half bottle) as an apéritif and as an accompaniment to the meal. It is a graceful, refreshing wine with peach overtones, balanced with a mineral edge, and a long, satisfying finish.

   Our meal began with complimentary curried pumpkin soup served in an espresso cup. It was scorchingly hot, but once it cooled a bit the autumnal tones came through. More curry would have made its earthy flavor more memorable. Along with this soupçon of soup came warm, crunchy-crusted rolls lightly flecked with caraway seeds, accompanied by a pot of sweet butter.

   Our appetizers suggest the range encompassed by the short menu. The sautéed crab cake ($13), a menu standby, contained very little filling — just lots of rich meat with a light and pleasant seafood flavor. Supporting players were assertive, piquant red cabbage and a house-made tartar sauce that bears no resemblance to the commercial product. Here it is a delicate, citron-laced white sauce flavored with mayonnaise, lemon juice and capers. The evening’s special risotto appetizer ($10) featured asparagus, its flavor enhanced by the overtones of roasting. A topping of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese heightened the grassy flavor of the dish in which each grain of risotto remained distinct.

   The entrées were served on pretty, non-matching plates. The deeply flavorful braised lamb shank ($27) was about the size and shape of a small boxing glove but meltingly tender. It was served with creamy mashed potatoes and the bright steamed broccoli florets and carrots that accompany most entrées. Medium rare, rounds of roast venison ($28) were served on a plate painted with sprigs of herbs around the rim. Less gamy than the lamb, the meat was delicate, juicy and fork-tender.

   For the final act of the meal, we moved to the Swan Bar, the other half of the set. The lighting was low, a fireplace flickered on the cool evening, and the sunken lounge area featured a huge window looking out on a vine-covered wall and a few outdoor tables. The interior walls displayed framed etchings of U.S. presidents, bric-a-brac and a black and white photograph of Winston Churchill stumping down the deck of a battleship. The room has character. Here we shared a dessert of Venetian carrot cake ($8) and cups of decaffeinated espresso.

   The lush-but-light cake was served with crème anglaise, a mildly sweet accompaniment that works better than the heavy icing so often slathered on this popular dessert. The nicely prepared espressos were marked by a foamy crema and came with lemon peels curled into the handles of the cups. Twisted into the espresso the lemon accented the nut and lemon flavors of the cake. We also enjoyed the chocolate truffles, creamy, sweet with a bitter accent, that end most meals here.