Cuvae

Disclaimer: I usually HATE fusion foods.

I have no idea what is up with Cuvae. It's almost always empty or very sparsely populated. I know that it's not in the most ideal location, being about block short of where the restaurant cluster begins on College. My guess is most people park about a block away and work their way north heading away from Cuvae in the search for drop-in food.

And that is a crying shame, because every single time I've eaten there, I've been extremely happy with their food. This isn't to say that every dish has been out-of-the-ballpark in every aspect (and some have been), but I've never eaten anything that wasn't delicious.

It is an Asian-American fusion restaurant. I've eaten about half the items on their menu and I love how the fusion aspect of the dishes is achieved. I've eaten at places where "fusion" means a clunky blend of incompatible flavors, but this is not the case at Cuvae. In plain words, stuff just tastes good and goes together.

We've taken several different friends there, and everyone has enjoyed their meals there. Yet, everytime we go there, it's so empty. That sucks! The owner/chef is friendly and the staff, while not polished, is really friendly and tries to do their best to make sure you are having a good meal. At least twice, when we've had the wrong number of people to share the appetizers with, they've thrown us freebies to make sure everyone gets a taste. Last night, they were also pretty flow-y with the wine and gave us all a shot of soju on the house, as we were there celebrating my friend's birthday (on the early side).

And yeah, I love a good deal as much as the next guy (if not more). Their prices are really reasonable for the quality that they serve up. I'd expect to pay anywhere from 10-30% more for comparable dishes in other, more established restaurants.

So, if you live in the Bay Area, get off your butt and head over to Cuvae for some good eats. Go! Go now! :D

I just had the leftovers (hoi sin duck breast) from last night for lunch and MAN! So tasty.