I’ve been meaning to check out La Que for a while. It sits snuggled cozily next to Wild and Woolly Video where I am a regular, so I see it often, but I’ve never had a chance to go in. It just needed to be done, so I headed over there for lunch yesterday with my wife.
La Que (pronounced “la whey,” as we were informed by the menu) offers Vietnamese- and Thai-inspired food, as well as some more traditional “Asian” fare. We started with an appetizer: Chicken Satay ($4.95) is four chicken skewers marinated in coconut milk and curry, served with a creamy peanut curry sauce. While the chicken itself was a tad on the bland side, it greatly benefited from the delicious peanut curry, which was predictably nutty with just a hint of spiciness from the curry.
My entrée, Triple Delight (10.95) was a pile of shrimp, beef, scallops, and vegetables served with a side of fried rice. Bringing the food to our table, our server swirled a pat of butter onto a sizzling hot plate before pouring the meat and veggies onto the platter (I’m a sucker for such tableside displays). The vegetables included green beans, water chestnuts, baby corn, carrots and mushrooms, and were cooked to perfection: soft, but not limp. The meat was nice and tender as well, but I could have done with a few more scallops in the mix.
My wife ordered the Ga Ko Gung ($8.95; pictured above): chicken in sweet ginger sauce, served with vegetables and brown rice. Her veggie mix was the same as mine, and hers had been cooked just as well. The ginger sauce was just about perfect; sweet, as advertised, but with just the right amount of the spiciness that comes from fresh ginger.
Our tab came to a reasonable $24.85, plus tip for friendly service and plenty of water refills (which, for me, can make or break the amount a server gets tipped).
La Que is located at 1019 Bardstown Road.
Photo: Allan Day
