Recommend a "nice Asian" place for me...

My best friend has asked me to choose a "nice Asian" place for her birthday dinner. Couple things:
1. She's a picky eater, so places that are exclusively sushi won't fly.
2. I understand "nice" to mean fun atmosphere/decor, a place where we wouldn't feel out of place getting a little dressed up, but not in the Arun's price range.
3. If I had to narrow down a specific Asian cuisine, her faves are Thai and Chinese, but she'd be open to Vietnamese and Japanese.
4. The restaurant will have to take reservations. We may have a group of 6-8 on a Saturday night.

I've been to the following and would prefer to try a place I haven't been:
Le Lan, Le Colonial, Opera, Red Light, Vong's Thai Kitchen, Ben Pao.
I've also been to these places, which I think may fall under the "Asian influence" umbrella: Roy's, Kevin, Aria

Would anyone recommend these: Japonais, SushiSambaRio, China Grill, Mulan? Any other ideas?

Out of the above-Japonaise by far.

I'd suggest GNR Winner TAC Quick. The food is exquisite and the decor is nice enought that being a bit dressed up won't have you feeling out of place.

The places you mentioned above (other than Mulan) are good enough, but if you want something special, I'd go TAC.

I had a great dinner at the upstairs lounge in Maria Sushi a few weeks ago. They take reservations and it's a fun atmosphere. (good music with a clubby/loungy feel without being too loud or cheesy)

I had my birthday dinner at Japonais recently, and it was pretty good. I generally shy away from fusion cuisines, but I had a party of 11 people all with varying degrees of food "adventurousness". Japonais was accomodating (we had our own dedicated waiter), service was great, food was really good, and best of all, they even got us a table downstairs in the lounge area for after dinner drinks.

It is a pretty nice place for a birthday party, especially since you don't have to drive somewhere else to grab a couple of drinks after.

I have a similar request for this weekend.
My in-laws are in town, and even though they only live an hour or so outside NYC, their area is lacking in slightly more upscale Asian eateries.

Specifically, my MIL loves Vietnamese and would love to go somewhere with a little more ambiance than the Argyle haunts can supply. However, we don't want anyplace too terribly expensive.

Any recent intel on Viet Bistro? (I've never been)

I've been to Le Colonial once, years ago and don't remember much about the food--which is probably not a good sign. But the atmosphere there seems more along the lines of what they'd enjoy--although on a Saturday night I'm sure the place is mobbed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! We tend to favor the more "down-market" Asian eateries because, well, we're pretty broke.

I went to Le Colonial last week for the first time in years and really enjoyed it. It is expensive but the food, service and atmosphere are top-notch. I think it averaged about $80 per person for 3 but that included 4 cocktails, a bottle of wine, 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, 3 coffees and 1 dessert.

You could probably get an early reservation for dinner Saturday night. They open at 5 for dinner and 4:45 in the upstairs lounge.

If her list of faves really includes Thai food(for the food's sake,) then you would probably be very happy at TAC. If her list of faves includes the places on the "somewhat Asian, but really a place to be seen" type place, then Tac might not be your best option. It's more of a restaurant than a nightclub.
(Although they do quietly pump out some bumpin tunes - last time I was gorging on a panang curry to the likes of Lauren Hill!)

Mr. X and I recently tried Viet Bistro for the first time. It is a cool, kind of funky yet zen-like space. We felt slightly underdressed in shorts and polos, but not uncomfortable. The details of the meal escape me. A shared appetizer, two entrees and a martini each. I remember liking the food, but thinking that it seemed expensive for fairly skimpy portions. I could see going back, having a drink in the lounge, but it won't be a regular destination.

Viet Bistro
1346 W. Devon
773-465-5710