First Impression: Hué Restaurant & Lounge
After several delays, the long-awaited Hué Restaurant & Lounge (2691 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., 414-294-0483) finally opened its doors in May. The new restaurant has already managed to all but corner the market on Milwaukee-area Vietnamese cuisine, but is that just because of a lack of competition? The A.V. Club decided to find out.
The space: Expecting a large dining area jam-packed with patrons eager to sample Bay View’s newest ethnic eatery, we were surprised to find the smallish, 30-capacity room mostly empty. Maybe the discomforting specter of the building's little-loved prior tenant Magic Dann's Jazz And Blues Restaurant was still scaring prospective diners away. At any rate, Hué makes the most of its quaint quarters, with a small but surprisingly well-stocked bar meeting customers at the doorway. About a dozen tables line the opposite wall, along with Eastern-influenced paintings. The brightness of the beige interior is countered by dark, hardwood-slat flooring.
The service: Our cheerful server seemed genuinely upbeat as opposed to annoyingly upbeat, which is always a plus. She was both helpful and patient as we struggled to pronounce the strange combinations of consonants and accented vowels that compose Hué’s menu items. If she was amused by our cluelessness, at least she had the decency to laugh at us behind our backs.
The A.V. Club’s food: We started off with a delicious pairing of Tsingtao, a Chinese beer, and a Chá Giò egg roll. The latter came in the form of three respectably sized rolls with a lightly fried rice paper shell. The filling appetizers were generously stuffed with ground pork, carrots, onion, cabbage, and vermicelli noodles, and were served with a side of thick and delicious sweet and sour sauce. The light lager—one of numerous Eastern imports—yielded to the delectable starter. (There's also plenty of domestic, local craft, and popular import brews on hand, along with a varied liquor and wine list.)
At our server’s recommendation, we followed with Bò Luc Lac (or “Shaking Beef”), a heap of tenderloin pieces spread atop a watercress salad complete with roasted onions, green peppers, and cherry tomatoes. At under $10, the Shaking Beef offered a worthwhile combination of steak, salad, and starch. The meat was a little on the tough side, but the garlic seasoning made the extra chewing pleasant enough. With dishes incorporating chicken, fish, shrimp, vegetable, and tofu options, there looks to be ample menu items to suit both bold and unadventurous customers.
The verdict: Hué would get points from us for being a local Vietnamese restaurant not located in a creepy strip-mall, which is a real rarity in these parts. But the atmosphere and food are good enough to warrant another visit.
