Do you have a kid with an adventurous palate who likes hanging out in spaces filled with colorful knickknacks? Or who wants to eat ice cream as often as possible? If so, it’s time to add Nue to your family’s must-try list. The global street food-inspired restaurant opened in January on Capitol Hill’s Auto Row.
It’s the first project for owner Chris Cvetkovich, a former 3-D animator for clients in the food science industry and a voracious eater who has visited more than 50 countries. Cvetkovich’s background using cool kitchen gadgets like rotary evaporators and refrigerated centrifuges translates into an imaginative menu led by chefs Joe Swain and Glynn Ward — including homemade ice cream in rotating flavors like Yemeni lime, poppy and Vietnamese coffee.
Nue makes the dessert with liquid nitrogen, an extremely cold, liquefied gas. “Because of its extreme cold (-320° F), it freezes our ice cream ridiculously fast,” Cvetkovich says. “It also looks really cool when we make it.” Nue’s menu includes flavors from countries in Asia, Latin America and the Mediterranean. While parents might be more prone than kids to order Portuguese caldo verde soup with kale and housemade chorizo, Cvetkovich says young diners can opt for Indian pakora, served with a triptych of mint, tamarind and coconut peanut dipping sauces, Hungarian chicken wings and Barbados pig tails.
“These can best be eaten with your hands and come with a super flavorful, sweet jerk sauce,” Cvetkovich says. Cvetkovich says that Nue has already welcomed quite a few families for lunch and dinner service: “Kids seem to really like not only our food, but all the unusual items we have in the space. I’m more than happy to answer questions about both our food and the items we have in the space to any curious kid.” Nue also is a date-night pick for parents eating without kids in tow. “People in general, and Seattleites specifically, are looking for more unique dining options these days, and have really taken to our concept, as we hoped,” Cvetkovich says. nueseattle.com
