Le Colonial Restaurant Review: Le Colonial is a San Francisco miracle: an airy colonial mansion tucked into an alleyway, miles from the downtown bustle just outside its doors. Le Colonial still boasts much of the grandeur of Trader Vic's, the famed restaurant that occupied the location for decades. The décor, from the long outdoor patio that leads to the cavernous dining room to the upstairs bar and veranda, evokes the exotic civility of the French colonial era, including Southeast Asian rattan furniture, large ferns, shuttered windows and languid ceiling fans. Forget the appetizers on the Vietnamese-French menu and set your sights on high-priced entrées. Sea bass layered with tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and ginger black-bean coconut sauce arrives tightly wrapped in banana leaves. Toasted coconut rice is the perfect accompaniment. Succulent lamb chops are paired with bok choy, green apple and watercress salad. Desserts arrive vibrantly colored: the coconut pudding is light; the flourless chocolate cake decadent. Upstairs, the bar scene is as hot as the spicy peanut sauce accompanying the chicken skewers on the abbreviated lounge menu, and it touts a creative and exotic cocktail menu.
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area.
