Carrie R.
Yelp
I've been to Nue twice in the last 30 days. It has a lot of positives and one big area of correction, IMO.
We became intrigued to try Nue, after eating next door at the sister restaurant, Chasin' Tails (which I should also write a review about - it's really good and a unique experience!). Anyway, I'm not that familiar with Vietnamese food, and every single server and bartender at Nue knows the menu inside and out... They are all engaging, charming, and well versed in the ingredients, the allergens, the flavors, the edibility of the garnishments. They are quick to make great recommendations and patiently and cheerfully explain all the nuances. I don't know how they are trained, but the service and education of every staff member is phenomenal. The vibe is sexy, and slightly bougie. The decor is gorgeous, the flower arrangements at the bar are lovely, I just love being in the place. I even love the music they play. Great for date night, or if you just want to feel like you are indulging yourself.
The food is terrific. I've had almost all the appetizers on the starter menu and everything is perfection. I've only had two main dishes... The chicken and rice and the seared ribeye. I almost didn't order the chicken and rice because chicken and rice sounds so boring and we eat chicken and rice at a number of the area Peruvian restaurants. This is next level +10. I told the bartender it's one of my favorite meals that I've eaten in the last six months... The chicken is prepared sous vide style so it is very moist and tender. The skin is crisped, Chicharron style, and somehow put back on the chicken. The creamy coleslaw is not your grandma's coleslaw... It has all of these flavor fusions that I can't even describe. And it's all served next to the most gorgeous, delicious turmeric rice that I've ever had... the friend I was with took a bite of the rice and chicken and simply closed her eyes, lifted her head to the sky, and breathed slowly for like three minutes because it was so good. The food is expensive, but I don't care because it's so good.
The challenge they have is the bar. Both times we've asked to be seated at the bar, because the bar is so pretty. The cocktails are gorgeous and delicious and presented with unique details. Every drink is different. I overheard one of the bartenders last night training someone on how to "make the drink look prettier". You can tell they take a lot of pride in presentation. They also take a lot of time in presentation... You'd think you would be able to get faster bar service at the bar...... I arrived before my friends and ordered my drink; it took about 20 minutes before it arrived. My two friends arrived about 10 minutes after I did and it took them 30 minutes to get a drink and they had to ask for status updates twice. We were there early... 5 Ish. The last time I was at Nue was Christmas Eve and we also sat at the bar; it took a long time to get drinks then too. I chalked it up to being Christmas Eve but there was absolutely no reason for the drinks to take that long last night... There were three or four bartenders behind the bar... I don't know whether they're making drinks for the restaurant next-door or what but they've got to speed it up. No issue with the quality or the taste or the presentation... But waiting 30 minutes for drinks is not acceptable. The food comes out fairly quickly so that's not the issue. Either find more bar support, or figure out a way to streamline the drink making process! That being said, all of the bartenders were adorable, charming, and engaging... I have not ever been seated in the restaurant area, so I'm curious as to what that experience would look like if I ordered cocktails there. I'm afraid to try!
Overall, I'm so glad that Nue has arrived to Falls Church. I will keep going back and if they can't get the bar act together, I'll start being more vocal about it! Thanks, Nue for bringing something different, charming, and interesting to the area.