Non-Uptown Vietnamese (was Re: Le Colonial - Recommendation

Someone wrote:

>Le Colonial, in West Hollywood and Manhattan
>as well as on Rush Street, is indisputably a
>good-looking room with a pretty clientele.
>The problem is, basically, that the food kind
>of sucks...

Sez you.

Every time I've been there, the food has been excellent.

Maybe it's not authentic, but it's well-prepared and delicious. And yes, atmosphere DOES count.  Otherwise, you might as well order carryout and eat at home.

Karen (Opera Buffa)

What I know about opera is laughable.
Send e-mail to bikrbabe @ aol.com

I wrote:

> > If you don't want to pay Rush Street prices for food
> > that's little different from your basic storefront on
> > Broadway & Argyle....

Michael M. wrote:

> For some of us, a dining experience is more than measuring food quality
> against price, and instead encompasses decor, service, atmosphere,
> people-watching, and that certain something that can make a dining
> experience memorable.

Indubitably.  I don't disagree at all.  Please note the word "food" above.  Those who enjoy Rush Street ambiance and nicely decorated surroundings are welcome to Le Colonial.  Those for whom food is the main consideration will enjoy Nam Viet; my post was meant merely as pointer for those who like Vietnamese food and, while not requiring the excitement of Rush Street, prefer also to avoid the quite different but still adrenaline-hiking excitement one sometimes encounters in Uptown.

> IMHO, the food is truly much better that at the neighborhood low cost
> places.  The recipes are about the same, but, for example, in
> neighborhood places the shrimp usually have as much taste as cardboard
> whereas at LC they actually have the tangy, briney taste of fresh
> shrimp.

Well, here I'd disagree.  But you may have been dining in different neighborhood places than I have.  I found Le Colonial's food to be more prettily presented, but not better tasting.

And I rather doubt that Le Colonial's shrimp are any fresher than at anywhere else in Chicago.  ("Most shrimp sold in the United States have been frozen, so unless you live near the Gulf Coast or in other areas where there are local shrimp, you're probably not going to find fresh shrimp."  James Peterson, "Fish & Shellfish," William Morrow, 1996.)

> But to say that there is "little difference" between the two
> kinds of restaurants misses the whole point of fine dining.

I didn't say there was little difference between the restaurants.  I said there was little difference between the food served, while pointing out the difference in decor and milieu.  You won't get martinis at Nam Viet. (A very nice limeade, though.)

There is room for all kinds of restaurants, from fine dining to dives.  I recommended one in between, a comfortable neighborhood spot with good food and friendly service.  I tend to save my fine-dining excursions for places where the food, and the service, and the surroundings are exemplary; I do not find Le Colonial's to be.  Your mileage is free to vary.

LAZ