egluttony

Vue Restaurant, Hudson, Ohio – Review

I wonder how often a professional reviewer visits a restaurant before writing it up. Several times would be ideal. Otherwise you might judge a restaurant on an off-day. Against that, the same face appearing often might lead to the better service accorded to a regular.

I have eaten at Vue in Hudson six times in the last two months, a combination of business and personal, lunch and dinner, as a guest and a host in parties of up to eight people. Vue has been mostly good, sometimes excellent, but not consistent. The menu is interesting and varied, and the service is attentive without being intrusive. Vue can be expensive but, especially at lunch, doesn’t have to be. The wine list is broad and has tempting selections. They had an excellent 1992 Stags’ Leap Merlot (now, unfortunately, all gone), plus a strong selection of wines by the glass – a very good Barolo and Chateau d’Yquem (at $40, one way of making a meal expensive).

The style is heavily Asian-fusion – sushi nights twice during the week – with a largely fish entrée menu. The excellent sushi/sashimi starter is a meal by itself. A lobster tasting comes in four elegant preparations, including ravioli and a small amount of bisque. A calamari appetizer comes with sauce based on dried cranberries - an improvement on the usual sweet concoctions. The entrées aren’t based on exotic ingredients. Although some work better than others, presentations are inventive. The sushi rolls are large and tend to fall apart. One evening these had been made in advance – the rice was cold and compacted. A salmon dish wrapped in fried pasta was almost too complicated to eat without small pieces of crisp noodle going everywhere. At the most recent visit my daughter’s hazelnut-crusted salmon was slightly over-cooked. My braised short rib on garlic mashed potatoes (an unadventurous choice but suitable for a wintry evening) was simple and balanced. A flounder dish came with scallops and shrimps in a garlic tomato sauce that complemented the robust fish.

The décor is adventurous and inviting, although the dining room is sometimes cold. If you sit close to the entrance you are going to get regular blasts of wintry air when anyone leaves. Did Vue engage an architect from Phoenix? Most evenings have been busy, and although the tables are close together the room is not overly loud.

Plates are elongated or square and silverware has a pleasant heft. Getting huge plates in front of the diners was sometimes a challenge. The longer ones extend like SUVs into neighboring parking slots.

Some things I would prefer to be different. The portions are too large, the endemic problem with the Midwest restaurant. An appetizer should be small and enticing, not a meal in itself. The bread was not very interesting and dry. I have a prejudice against servers introducing themselves. Other things are less a matter of opinion and more poor organization. It is jarring when you order a second bottle of wine to be told that you have just drunk the last one. If you ask for a glass of wine to go with appetizers it should be on the table before the food arrives. Several of these inconsistencies together could produce a seriously bad evening. I have heard some less enthusiastic comments. One friend who lives within walking distance said that it wasn’t worth the journey. Others have been highly enthusiastic, and Vue seems to be consistently quite busy.

Overall this is an ambitious venture that mostly succeeds in what it sets out to do, and with Downtown 140, a welcome addition to the conservative dining choices in the area.

Full disclosure: at my last and sixth visit our party was given a tray of small desserts on the house – more in fact than we could eat. Those portions sizes again.

posted by William @ 9:48 AM