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| Le Viet restaurant in Philadelphia's Italian Market area |
Le Viet in Philadelphia’s Italian Market area isn’t content with being a favorite of local diners looking for a clean, modernist atmosphere and classic Vietnamese cuisine. On Tuesday, January 7, and again on January 21, owner Bruce Cao's inventive restaurant and bar, famed for its Twin Scorpion Tails cocktail, hosts its first “Paint Nite” where you bring the creative spirit, and the venue brings the art supplies, food and drinks. This art-meets-food event is nationally known with participating restaurants and bars across the U.S.; a full list can be found at PaintNite.com.
The look of Le Viet is a work of art in itself with its all-plate glass front, black leather seating, and overlapping-stone walls. Chef Sinh Cao (Bruce Cao’s dad) and his open kitchen are the centerpiece of the restaurant, the place where culinary masterpieces such as pho noodle soup and Le Viet’s signature sliders hail.
Though fine food is certainly present, on “Paint Nite,” Le Viet’s cuisine is second to the vibe of audiences having fun with the night’s instructor while making art pieces with acrylic paint on 16” X 20” canvases they can take home after they’ve finished. “It's a challenge managing the restaurant’s day-to-day activities, but in order to sustain and increase my business, I needed to stay on top of trends,” says Bruce Cao, who stumbled upon Paint Nite on Facebook, and felt as if this party was perfect for his space, to say nothing of his background. “Majoring as a Visual Artist at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts as I did, I thought this was a great concept and wanted to embrace it while it’s hot.”
The fee to participate in “Paint Nite” is $45; the two-hour sessions start at 7 PM on January 7 and January 21. Le Viet is located at 1019 S. 11th Street in Philadelphia, PA; for more info call 215.463.1570 or visit LeVietRestaurant.com.
Photo ©Bruce Cao 2013
Posted on Tuesday, January 7, 2014
