Le Lan

Wow, talk about A+ service! My husband and I went there for our 4th Anniversary and were blown away by the attentive and thoughful service. Our menus were personalized and we were given a number of complimentary tastings.

For an appetizer, we ordered sashimi over an avocado puree complemented by bl**d oranges and wakame. I tried my best not to lick the plate. For an entree, my husband had the NY Strip Steak, drizzled with curry butter or something. Don't quote me on that. It was served with sauteed greens and a red coconut rice of sorts. Honestly, my husband wasn't very excited about the steak - gave it a so-so review:( He really, really wanted to like it. But, he loved everything else.

I, on the other hand, had the bouillabaise which consisted of 10 different types of seafood. The broth was very tasty and light. I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed eating all of my husbands sides. Oh, and I had the coconut polenta cakes over habanero peppers. That was pretty tasty as well. It would have been better if I had some type of sauce drizzled over it.

And for dessert, we had gingerbread with spiced pear puree and ice cream and probably a few more goodies that I can't remember. The flavor was rich, but the bread was too dense for my taste. I still ate it all. They did give us an anniversary Creme Brulee - which was divine.

Overall, I loved the service. I thought the value was great because of all of the extras. Otherwise, it may have been just slightly overpriced - just a tad. And I can't guarantee if you'll get all the extras. The food was good for the most part. I didn't want to stop eating:)

We went to Le Lan to celebrate our anniversary, and I had called a month in advance for reservations, letting them know we were celebrating. I also asked about veg food options before making a reservation and they assured me that they did vegetarian all the time and had plenty of options. When we arrived, we had to wait 15 minutes for our table. Then they gave us a table in the corner (they have a cool round table on one end, that of course, they didnt give to us). Although the food was good, I was disappointed that they actually only have a couple dishes that were veg, and only 1 entree option. So although the decor and atmosphere was nice, I would not recommend this place esp if you are vegetarian. There are plenty of other options in Chicago with better service and great food.

Although this restaurant has a romantic ambience, it is nice, but not too fancy. The food is great (mahi mahi was excellent) and the martini's are unique. The waitstaff made sure that we were enjoying our meal, and the chef even came out to season our soups. Overall, great ambience for a special dinner, great food, and excellent service. The prix fix menu is a good deal during the weekdays without being too expensive. Definitely a place to try!!

My husband and I went to Le Lan for our anniversary and we received the most top notch customer service we have had from a downtown restaurant in a long time . We were greeted with anniversary well wishes from the host to the coat checker, the waiters as well as the bus boys . We were seated right away . Our dinning experience began with 2 glasses of complimentary champagne . The heading on our menus was Happy Anniversary , which was just a lovely surprise. They informed us they do special headings on the menu depending on the occasion you are celebrating. We started with the delicious Young Thai Coconut Soup and the Mushroom Dumplings . For dinner we had the Sizzling Short Ribs and the Lobster special . Both dishes were flavorful and cooked to perfection . We finished our meal with the Chocolate Moelleux with star anise caramel and the Ice cream collection which were decadent with exceptional flavor. We had a truly romantic and satisfying anniversary celebration thanks to the staff and chef at Le Lan .

FYI, they've changed chefs and the menu here. That is undoubtedly the reason for the diversity in reviews.