Seattle’s New International Restaurant, Nue

Among his many travels around the world, Seattleite Chris Cvetkovich was most impressed with the atmosphere at a tiny café in Portugal. Cvetkovich noticed people of all ages and backgrounds — construction workers and men in suits — rubbing elbows as they ate lunch or took a mid-day break for a beer or glass of wine. He knew he wanted to bring that concept to Seattle.

But Seattle isn’t typically thought of as a friendly place, so would a restaurant of communal tables that forced diners to sit next to strangers work?

Cvetkovich opened Nue as an experiment — and as an homage to his travel experiences eating street food around the world, in countries as diverse as Korea, South Africa, Chile, Romania and Trinidad. By offering dishes found nowhere else in the city, Cvetkovich indeed brought Seattleites together. He’s noticed them sharing bites from each other’s plates, opening bottles of wine and even exchanging phone numbers as they bond over the unique experience of eating these one-of-a-kind dishes.

Another unique aspect of Nue is that Cvetkovich takes suggestions from diners who want to see a new menu item. Perhaps they’ve traveled somewhere and fell in love with a dish that they can’t find in the United States, or maybe they want to relive a favorite dish from their home country. Cvetkovich takes suggestions through Nue’s website, and he’s received tons of viable ideas.

And the food? It’s simply spectacular. Dishes are nuanced and addicting on their own merits; the fact that the menu changes frequently keeps it interesting. Each visit to Nue is guaranteed to be unique.

NUE

1519 14^TH Ave

Seattle, Wash. 98122

206 257 0312