When Eater first checked in at Nue, the upcoming restaurant on Capitol Hill's Auto Row, owner Chris Cvetkovich had just signed the lease and was jumping into the process of starting his first restaurant. The new eatery next to the upcoming Omega Ouzeri in REO Flats will serve street food inspired by dishes Cvetkovich first tasted during visits to South America, Asia, and the Mediterranean.
Cvetkovich has had his hands full in the past two months. The first-time restauranteur was bracing for the worst, hearing story after story about how city paperwork that's required to start a new project can take time. Turns out Nue's building permit came in a month ahead of schedule. So far, Cvetkovich says he's been "shocked" at how smoothly the process has gone, "with every department and every step of the way, not only with how efficiently my paperwork has been handled."
Also, Cvetkovich has hired executive chef Benjamin Godwin (ex-Salish Lodge, London's Fat Duck.) "I'm personally stoked that he's so versed in Modernist techniques," Cvetkovich says. Godwin is planning to finalize food offerings by the middle of October, then host a series of soft opening dinners. Cvetkovich says Nue's "very optimistic" opening date will be in early November.
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