Arlington, VA 22201
(202) 468-8472
We were amazed how crowded RusUz was after being open for only a
month and no advertising that we know of, only word of mouth. We
definitely recommend trying this tiny new restaurant in Ballston.
Be forewarned – they still haven’t received their liquor
license, and they will be the first ones to suggest that the 7/11, about a
minute-walk from them, will gladly sell you a few bottles of wine, with no
corking fee charged.
In a nutshell, the food is terrific, but the service…
well… they’re still getting the hang of it, so I am certain that it will
improve with time. The waiters, all very nice and friendly, were clearly
rushing around, so it’s possible that the kitchen could not keep up with the
crowd. Every table was taken and some people had to wait to be seated, so
business was definitely booming. And this was on an early Sunday evening!
In other words, be prepared for a longer dinner time!
RusUz is owned and operated by a family from Uzbekistan,
who has lived in Alexandria for several years. They catered food to the
local community for about 3 years and after being convinced by their regular
clientele to start a business, have decided to open RusUz. We have used
them as caterers before and were thrilled to find out that they have opened a
restaurant.
The menu selection in RusUz is a combination of two
cuisines – Russian (rather Slavic), such as the all-familiar Borscht,
Blinchiki, Pirozhki, Chicken Kiev, and Pelmeni (hope you like dill, as it is
used ubiquitously in almost every Russian dish), and Uzbek (rather Central
Asian), such as Plov, Manti, Dolma, and Lagman. We came to RusUz with a fun
group of 7 friends. Between all of us, we tried virtually everything on
the menu, including the shashlyk, and all was delicious. Our friends who
had never had this food before and those who were somewhat familiar with it,
all liked it, and even said they would come back. As for me, I know this
cuisine very well and can certainly attest that the food is good!
One of my all-time favorite foods is plov, a typical
Central Asian staple meal to be shared with friends for dinner, which is always
topped off with tea to help digest the heavy meal. Plov is a rice-based
dish, traditionally made with lamb, usually cooked slowly in a cast iron
cauldron, with carrots and raisins and flavorful (not hot) spices. For
those of you familiar with Indian food, it is close to a biryiani, close, but
not the same. Plov is usually served with a tomato-onion side salad,
which brings out the richness of the rice. To try plov is to fall in love
with it! I have traveled to Central Asia many times and can attest that
plov in RusUz is as authentic as it can get (although the tomato salad includes
cucumbers, which is a local addition). In the U.S. lamb is not nearly as
popular as in Central Asia, so if you call a few days in advance, you can
pre-order plov with either beef or chicken, but be prepared to order at least 5
portions, otherwise the busy kitchen will be unable to accommodate your request.
Our hope is that RusUz can find the right formula to stay
in business. Several Russian restaurants have come and gone in the
Washington DC metro area over the years, some stayed longer, some shorter, but
all disappeared with the exception of the landmark Russia House, which is not
our cup of chai (pardon the pun). A relatively new Café Assorti that also serves a mix of
Russian and Central Asian food, has not risen to popularity in this area (we
have never even been there, but maybe one day we will try it). RusUz is
definitely worth a go, and who knows, next stop for you may be somewhere along
the Silk Road, like Samarkand or Bukhara!
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