I hate having to pay for over-priced food at restaurants, and if you’re like me, going to a “nice” place only happens never…unless you snag a deal! The bf headed to Ohio yesterday and decided he wanted to take me out on a date before saying bye.
I hate being alone on the weekends! 😦 Anyways…
Le Colonial is a French-Vietnamese restaurant downtown Chicago that has a Wednesday “date night” deal, where 2 people can order an appetizer to share, an entrée each, and a dessert to share for $20 per person! (Sounds like a lot, but normally, 1 entrée here is $20+ by itself)
Problem is, the selection on the menu is very limited. They only give you 1 choice of appetizer and 2 choices of entrees. Problem 2, the restaurant doesn’t advertise their date night menu so you can’t even find a potential menu list online! Luckily, the bf called ahead to ask what was on the menu and since tuna tartar always sounds amazing to me, we decided to go on a date!
We found out when we got there that the tuna tartar was no longer being served. BOO. However, in replacement of that was…
Ca Bam XUC Banh Trang
wok-seared monkfish with chili, lemongrass, peanuts, & toasted sesame crackers
Regularly priced at $11, this feisty dish was a flavorful start to the dinner. Nick took a bite and said, “this tastes like lobster!”. I personally thought it tasted like a famous Cantonese crab dish made with ginger, scallions, garlic, and chili. The monkfish was diced really small, but very flavorful. The crackers themselves were a little stale, but edible.
Tom Xao Sate
sautéed jumbo shrimp & asparagus, in a light sauce of sate spice, chili, & garlic
Regularly priced at $24, this shrimp entree was incredibly spicy and incredibly yummy. The sautéed shrimp were breaded and appeared lightly fried. This was a really flavorful, fresh dish that I had to eat with a lot of rice, and I am someone who can take a TON of heat. Haha.
Bun Thit Nuong
barbecued pork over angel-hair noodles with mesclun greens & lime garlic sauce
Regularly priced at $19, Nick got this flavorful bbq pork dish that was served over thin rice noodles. Unfortunately, the noodles seemed like they had been sitting out in the kitchen for a while, so they had solidified into one big glob. However the bbq pork was smoky, sliced really thin, had just the right amount of fat, and was super tasty. Mmmmm yum.
Dessert was 2 scoops of sorbet from Ciao Bella, a brand that I’ve been dying to try! (Good thing I tried it before buying a pint)
We got a scoop of mango and a scoop of raspberry, both very very sweet for sorbet. I really enjoy my sorbets a little more tart, so I probably won’t be going out to buy me some CB anytime soon.
RATING:
Taste: 3.5/5 (Yummy, but all the dishes were definitely on the greasy side)
Originality: 3/5
Plating: 2.5/5 (I really think they could have done better for the price they regularly charge)
Value: 2.5/5 (This food was yummy, but not worth the regular prices! At all!)
Service: 4/5 (Attentive, friendly server who hung around our table a little too close, too much)
Last words of wisdom? Come here on date night if you like Vietnamese/Thai/Chinese food. I don’t think the dishes are worth it for the prices they charge!
Lucky Taste Buds! 
I hate over-paying for not so good food!!! The good thing about your dinner is that you didn’t go there when they charge the regular price. At least now you know they don’t worth spend extra $$.
French-vietnamese fusion? That’s a weird one anyway.
Oh wow, what a treat!! And don’t you just love random date nights? The sorbet looks so pretty, too pretty to eat! Of course, that wouldn’t stop me.
Mmm everything looks great, but for those prices?! EEKKK!
❤ jess
Sounds amazing, don’t be tooo sad this weekend!! Good to know about the ciao bella too- i’m saving my money 😀
Haha and I was dying about your comment- people totally call me “Car”, luv it!
I hate paying a lot for food that is just mediocre. I’m a huge ethnic food fan though, so I think all that food looks bomb! And the ice cream you photographed is so pretty 🙂
Overpriced food is such a bummer. But , the sorbet looks lovely…kinda makes me want to make my own!
Michelle, you eat out a so many awesome places! This place looks interesting, I have never heard of French/Vietneamese fusion food. I don’t like limited menus, though. I like options!
Your comments on my last post were funny…what is it about Spam and Cantonese people?! Hehe. Thanks for the tip on the fried rice.
Oh and YAY for a steamer! Can’t wait to see how creative you get with it. Definitely if I am ever in Chicago, we are getting together and just eating the whole time 😉
i’m with you on sorbet – i prefer (and expect!) it to be a little tart! too bad it was so sweet, it looks so darn tasty 🙂
Sounds like a fun date night, even if everything was a bit greasy. I also hate overpriced restaurants, especially when I’m not sure exactly what’s in the menu items, and I could make the same thing at home much more inexpensively. 🙂 Probably why I don’t eat out too often, hehee.
I just got your coupons in the mail!! Thanks SO SO much! I’m expecially excited about the peanut butter coupons because I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try that brand!
I adore French Vietnamese food!!! We have a great place here in Seattle 🙂
Sorry to hear that the food wasn’t worth the price, but it sounds like you and the boy had a fund date night =)
Yeah, I’m not a fan of overly sweet sorbet at all either. Slightly tart is the yummy kind!
GREAT review!!
I hate overpriced menus! Ugh, I just wrote on this yesterday. I feel like more and more restaraunts are moving towards this and anymore, you feel like the only place you can really get your money’s worth is at a greasy all you can eat buffet. So sad our country lives like this. 😦
But glad you got to spend a great night with your man. I’m sure that made up less than stellar food.
woo that restaurant is tres gourmet! and i’m pretty sure i could not pronounce one thing on that menu 🙂
I went there to do the date night deal too! Mine was pretty good, but I agree that the options were very limited. Thanks for the review!
I love deals like that one! It’s a shame that the food wasn’t as amazing as you were expecting for a special dinner out, but I’m glad that there were parts you really enjoyed. That BBQ pork looks like something I would love. YUM!!