I’ve been eating all over this city since the day I decided to call New York my home. Gotham is a funny place, and restaurants all seem to have an incredibly short half life here. A fantastic eatery could open one fall and by April it’s over and done with… the crowd has moved on to anywhere and everywhere else. That’s not the case of Le Colonial though. Le Colonial has been feeding well-styled New Yorkers for what seems like an eternity in the hospitality world. It was hot & hip for a while, then a preferred hangout of midtown men in suits (honestly my fave), and now it’s creeping back into the younger, cooler social set. The younger, cooler social set with a few bucks to spare, because this Vietnamese restaurant is by no means “cheap eats” for the typical 20-something New Yorker. Imagine a distinctly French scene from top to bottom, only with a dash of that vacation feeling from the lush tropical scenery.
Lunch at Le Colonial is a trip. If you’re anything like Ashley and myself, 20-something girls that love a late 30’s man in a well-tailored suit, this place is for you. The dining room fills to about half capacity at lunch, which is good enough to feel like you’re part of a scene and quiet enough to actually enjoy your company. The menu is a fantastic array of traditional-meets-nouveau Vietnamese fare that’s sure to please. On a recent visit, Ashley and myself swooned over the fresh pomelo salad. Pomelos are more mellow cousin in the grapefruit family that in this case were chopped coarsely, and combined with apples, mint, cashews, and various other ingredients to create just about the freshest tasting salad I’ve had in ages. Another menu knockout is the Ca Bam, or wok seared monkfish with peanuts, chili, and basil- chopped and served with
toasted sesame rice crackers.
If scene and food aren’t enough, you’ll be pleased to find Chef Xuan actually interacting with patrons. When Chef Xuan, a surprisingly pretty and feminine woman in a sea of tough NY man-chefs, approached our table to talk about her methodology we were impressed to find that she emphasizes healthy ingredients that actually aid digestion. We wound down our seafood feast with French pressed pots of fresh ginger and mint tea and a homemade apple tarte.
Verdict? The Luxury Spot crew will be spotted on 57th Street more often.
Le Colonial
149 E 57th St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 752-0808
This sounds delicious!