475216 Tue Jan 01 21:10:05 -0800 2008 7 2 Los Angeles Area 0 3252516 Hello, and happy new year! My mom is in town so I would like to treat her to a post-holiday dinner at a nice, somewhat upscale Vietnamese restaurant, preferably in Little Saigon/Garden Grove/Westminster area. I have already tried Quan Hy, and was suitably impressed. Just wondered if there were any other upscale places worth visiting in the Little Saigon neighborhood? Places specializing in seafood dishes are especially appreciated. Tue Jan 01 21:10:05 -0800 2008 124476 FoodieKat 1 3252547 Chauteau Brodard, but having stated that, I have not eaten at this location and have read that they charge more than their other location for the same food. Love the spring rolls! Tue Jan 01 21:32:10 -0800 2008 3252516 77080 justagthing 2 3252636 The menu is not the same at the Chateau as at the other Brodard. Some favorites got carried over but it's a more upscale menu, as you'd expect in the fancier digs. The other upscale Viet place I'd suggest is S Vietnamese Fine Dining on the outskirts of the Westminster Mall. They have an escargot appetizer in a green curry that's just fantastic. It's only on the dinner menu, although they've accomodated us when we've gone for a late lunch. Tue Jan 01 23:19:16 -0800 2008 3252547 10023 Professor Salt 2 3252674 On one of our all-too-rare forays into Orange County (PayOrPlay Jr. wanted to see the mummy show at the Bowers Museum!), we ended up having dinner at Chateau Brodard this past Saturday and we enjoyed it quite a bit. It certainly qualifies for what the OP is looking for. The food is perhaps a little bit over-refined in some ways, with more attention to presentation and service than taste--but overall the food tasted pretty good too. They have an extensive variety of spring rolls; we had the softshell crab rolls (a special) and liked them a lot. PoP Jr's pho and the seafood rice pot were fine, chicken with mushrooms (a more French-style dish on the specials menu) was very very good. It wasn't spectacular but I certainly wasn't disappointed with Brodard Chateau and would have no hesitation to return. 9100 Trask Avenue Garden Grove / California 92844 Monday – Thursday 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM Friday – Sunday 10:30 AM – 9:30 PM Telephone 714.899.8273 http://www.brodard.net/chateau/menu.html Haven't tried S Vietnamese (it was also on our short list for dinner), it sounds great. Wed Jan 02 00:18:28 -0800 2008 3252547 10621 PayOrPlay 3 3252704 I've been to S Vietnamese and enjoyed it some time ago. But found it a bit overpriced as well and when I want Vietnamese food, it's usually more comfort style that I am hankering for. Anyways, having read about the soft shell crab hand rolls, well...I just wish they were open right now. I love soft shell crab! Thanks, I will be visiting the Chateau very soon. Wed Jan 02 01:35:50 -0800 2008 3252674 77080 justagthing 1 3252608 the closest you're going to get to an upscale dining experience (that I know of) is Favori on First st near Fairview. Pretty good service, decent decor. Lots of families though so it can get quite loud... Tue Jan 01 22:42:32 -0800 2008 3252516 91179 ns1 1 3254190 My vote goes to S. Sea bass in black bean is very good. There's also Le Jardin, but the space is not as nice as at S. Wed Jan 02 13:03:06 -0800 2008 3252516 74905 jaykayen 2 3254699 Le Jardin closed last year, and in its place is a new restaurant called L'Vie, which I haven't had a chance to try yet. IMHO though, the "upscale" Vietnamese restaurant is a strange creature. You're obviously not going to get the same prices and food because the owners have placed a priority on service, decor and, well, being upscale. It's like asking for carne asada tacos as good as from the taco truck or sidewalk stand, but in a setting like Providence or Lucques, for the same $1/taco? Having said that, when my wife and I were dating we would have enjoyed the upscale nature of S Vietnamese Fine Dining, Brodard Chateau, Favori, as mentioned before. Also, Au Lac has a nice interior and specialized in Vegetarian and Vegan offerings (no meat at all in this restaurant) and is located at Brookhurst/Heil. Since we're both Vietnamese though, we often had our special occasion dates at Newport Seafood. It's loud, dirty, and can have a long wait at times, but for fresh lobster, diced filet mignon and other goodies this place is worth going for the food. It's located at First and Newhope. Wed Jan 02 15:17:29 -0800 2008 3254190 31764 kingkong5