For NYC Winter Restaurant Week 2010 we decided to check out Indochine for dinner.
Even though it’s close to us, it was completely off our radar. Years ago we would go dancing in their downstair’s basement, and we once stopped in for a cocktail before seeing the “Blue Man Group” (still next door), but we have never eaten here…
Indochine serves up French-Vietnamese cuisine, and it’s one of the first restaurants to do fusion. It’s celebrating it’s 25th year, and it’s still going strong.
The interior reminds me of being on South Beach. I loved all the tropical plants and how it was so dimly lit, very romantic and intimate, but unfortunately not great for photos or video. We got a lovely corner table, Branden was very pleased.
Our Cocktail:
The Indochine Martini
Vodka infused with Pineapple, Ginger and fresh Lime.
This drink was amazing! I think this will become our summer cocktail! I’ll be making it with all fresh organic ingredients and Square One Vodka which is organic too. yum!
My Appetizer:
Asian Lump Crab Cakes
with a watercress-ginger sauce
These were perfection. Crispy, and pure crab inside, no filler. The little salad was inside a leaf wrapped into a cone. A+ for presentation. I’ll be using this idea sometime soon, when my garden comes back to life…
Branden’s Appetizer:
Spicy Beef Salad
Thinly sliced beef with basil, mint, lemongrass and spicy oil-free Vietnamese dressing.
It was bursting with the spicy flavor you want and expect from a dish like this. But Branden wished that there was less beef and more salad in this dish. It was more like an entree than an appetizer.
We are not used to portions this size any more.
Entree:
Grilled Salmon with sautéed spring vegetable and lily bulbs in a bonito lemongrass broth.
We both got this, and we were glad we did. The flavors were wonderful and I especially enjoyed the broth. The Salmon was grilled and you could taste the smokey charred grilled-ness, I’m not sure I was loving that flavor, it kind of overwhelmed the other more delicate flavors… but the Salmon was pretty rare on the inside, which I did enjoy. I also appreciated all the nice spring vegetables on top (but they could have been cooked a little less, and been more crispy… but that’s just me). And the lily bulbs were a real treat, they seemed like a very mild onion.
Side:
Sticky Rice with dried baby shrimp, shiitakes, and Vietnamese sausage.
This was a very nice sticky rice, I didn’t detect any sausage, which for me was a good thing.
I think I started to go into a “food coma’ right about here. Even looking at this photo brings the feeling back.
Dessert #1:
Classic French Lemon Tart
very nice and tart, with a light crispy crust, but I already had way too much food, and couldn’t really enjoy this.
Dessert #2:
Coconut & Raspberry Sorbet
Branden said this was very good.
We also got a coffee each. Decaf for me.
A dinner at Indochine was a really nice night out.
The Restaurant Week dinner with it’s prix fix menu for $35… offers a great opportunity to sample several things on the menu… and in real portions… it’s a true value. But for me, it’s more food than I could eat. So, I think I’ll stick to the lunch menus since the portions are smaller.
FYI, which I didn’t know before…
Indochine offers a pre-theatre, prix-fix menu from 5:30 to 7pm… Sunday and Monday all night!
Duration : 0:4:30
[youtube r1KIYwl6hRg]