Le Lan

There really aren't many restaurants that do the French Asian cuisine. There's Viet places, but I mean the more elegant French Asian fusion, for which Le Colonial has a fine reputation. Here's what Le Colonial doesn't have: a chef named Chad Starling. He's really doing some fine things in Le Lan's kitchen. I can't wait to go back for more. I went on a Friday night, somewhat concerned that I was underdressed and that the place would be too crowded. It was nice-but-casual, and not too crowded -- just right. I was alone, so I sat at the bar. The house Riesling is delicious. Chef Chad sent out an amuse bouche, which was a melt-in-your-mouth piece of sashimi (I think it was yellowtail) with something frizzy on it, like radish shaving, and a flavored oil, I think. Don't know what the hell it was, but it sure amused my bouche. The entrees looked great, but I was in the mood for appetizers. I started with the Young Thai coconut soup, which was one of the best soups I have ever tasted. I cook a little myself, and I do soups, and this one made me envious. I also sampled some duck dumplings, which I wanted more of. I don't mean the order was small; I mean I wanted seconds. The homemade spring rolls are light for fried food, and the filling once again reflected the chef's knack for marrying flavors. I can't wait to have some of these entrees and will review again when I do. The night I went, the bartender was also waiting tables, and the wait staff sometimes tended their own drinks. They just do it this way. Maybe it fosters helpfulness on the part of the staff, but I don't care for it. It makes the place look harried and short-staffed, even though it's not.

I had an amazing time at Le Lan. Everything that needed to go right that night went right. From the amazingly courteous staff (hostess, waiters, sommelier) to the delicious food (we had quail foie gras (sp???) and the venison and it was delicious). I had arranged for the desert before hand and they were very receptive and helpful in assisting me with the surprise. I highly recommend this place for anyone wishing to have a friendly and romantic experience.

I was excited to try Le Lan for the first day the other night, unfortunately the food was terrible. My soup had far too much salt and tasted as though someone had made some serious mistakes measuring. Even worse, my fish entree was severely undercooked and I had to send it back immediately. Later that night confirmation came in the form of severe food po isoning (won't get in the specifics here but let's just say it wasn't pretty). All in all I would say this was not a good dining experience: the staff was ambivalent, prices were super high and the food was literally sickening.

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.