Indochine

In a city where fusion restaurants are about as exciting as vanilla ice cream, the staff at Indochine remain pretentious, despite their incompetence. French-Vietnamese cuisine was a novelty in 1984 when Indochine opened its doors but it has since become one of many fusion restaurants of every color and flavor imaginable. Indochine is a beautiful restaurant with large palm trees inside the room and bare white walls. It feels like a special place. But if I returned I would serve the staff a slice of humble pie. What do I know though? The restaurant was packed on a Saturday evening at 8:30, so packed that we had to wait 15 minutes after our reservation time, for our table to be ready. I guess a lot of people sacrifice friendly service for good food.

I was there for a friend’s birthday so I sampled a lot from the menu. We started with a spicy beef salad special as well as tender and delicately spiced lamb loin, served atop shrimp crisps. Another standout for me was the filet mignon carpaccio with ginger scallion oil, one of the best I’ve had. A steamed Chilean sea bass marinated in black bean chili paste had just enough ginger broth to make the fish slick and flavorful, without drowning it. Unfortunately the sweet rice and sticky rice were a gloppy mess, lacking any elegance of seasoning or texture. Stick with the steamed jasmine rice, a safer bet. Their extensive menu of specialty cocktails fared well: a friend had some kind of Maker’s Mark tangy berry concoction and I had a cucumber infused gin martini, both well-made.

Though the food was generally good it does not make up for the snub hostess or our bumbling waiter who forgot dishes without apology, all the while maintaining a thick attitude. Some might choose food over service but I’m not one of them, especially when the meal isn’t cheap.

Indochine: 430 Lafayette Street (between 4th and Astor Place)
Cuisine: French-Vietnamese
Average Entree Price: $18-$23
Food: Good
Service: Poor
Value: Poor
You Gonna Finish That? Not even worth a doggy bag.