Le Colonial: What were we thinking?

When my fiancee and I took her parents to Le Colonial, the "what were we thinking" had more to do with "Why haven't we come here more often?" not why would we ever come back.  In this Gold Coast restaurant prices are a bit higher than what you find in the north side neighborhoods, but reasonable for the immediate area and overall, good value for money.  The atmosphere is tropical, bright and airy with white woods and ceiling fans, purportedly to evoke the colonial era. 

For our wine we had a crisp, medium-dry, delicious Gruener Veltliner (an Austrian white), that, at $38 a bottle was good value and went very well with the meal.

I ordered the  Ca nuong, which was grilled salmon with a superb lime sauce over vermicelli noodles and served with mesculin and dill.  The greens were as delicious as the salmon, which was perfectly cooked, not a hint of dryness and tasted superb with the lime sauce.  The noodles were a perfect accompanyment.   My fiancee had the ga xao cari, a curry chicken dish with mango, string beans, and cashew nuts. 

Service was superb, professional, and the atmosphere seductively beyond pleasant.   There apparently is a Le Colonial restaurant in New York as well as San Francisco, but it certainly bore no resemblance to any sort of manufactured chain.  We vowed to make this a more regular stop.

Le Colonial
937 N. Rush St.
312-255-0088

Comments

[Pursuit]

Brian,

Vietnamese food well done is very hard to beat. Le Colonial does a servicable job. I have been to the Chicago and New York spots and the food is the same at each joint. My biggest beef with the place is that it is extremely inflexible when it comes to the diner, and reflective of this attitude, the service staff is in my view amatuerish.

Before you head back to LC, allow me to recommend a much better alternative.

Pasteur on Broadway, about 5500 North is the place to go. Despite the difference in cusine (Thai vs. Vietnamese) I've often thought Pastuer was a "poor mans" Aruns. Admittedly a schoosh behind the fabled Arun's in terms of taste sophistication, Paster is also a world away price wise. Now that Arun's is not what it once was, the comparison I think favors Pasteur. Perhaps Arun's has become a profligate's Pasteur?!

But I digress.

Pasteur's menu, while not as expansive as Colonials is much better, particularly when it comes to seafood. Further, the wine list is far superior, especially if you request the reserve list. Service is friendly and professional - words that in some places are oxymorons.

Go and try it. I am quite sure you'll agree that the future in-laws, unless they are hopeless rubes, will be most impressed with your taste, refinement and local gastronomic expertise. Who knows? Pops might even decide it is worth some help in financing the ole honeymoon, now that he knows his little angel is marrying such a sophisticate!

[jeena]

Hi Your food blog looks great and you have some
lovely recipes, I will be back to visit you.

from
Jeena xx

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[ACD]

Get LC's Pho (an oxtail soup with thinly sliced tenderloin of beef). It is simply the best I've had and a great lunch for well under $10.