Rus Uz — Restaurant in Alexandria

I wanted to give my family a different culinary experience to what they're used to so this was the perfect spot. They have 2 branches (the other being in Arlington)- this one is larger in size although the Arlington one appears fancier in decor. Also their ethnic grocery store has a separate entrance in Arlington whereas here it is connected- I would have added some sort of exotic curtain or beads to separate the restaurant area more firmly from the grocery store in this Alexandria branch. The service time was slow and I don't blame them- they had a noticeable hiring sign at the entrance so clearly they've been short staffed. I loved the art work here and was tempted to ask if they'd be willing to sell me some of it as I haven't even come across some of these online. The plate display was so lively and the traditional tea pot and warmer made us reminisce about the past. On to the food... For appetizers we got the Borsch soup, Beef Chebureki and Potato Pirozhki. Disclaimer: it became very clear quite quickly that the Russians/Uzbekis love their sour cream as it came on the side of many of the dishes. The soup was basically a tomato broth with vegetables- nice way to warm the body up on a winter evening. The 2 breaded items (Chebureki and Pirozkhi) stole the evening and were the highlight of this trip- the perfect level of internal moisture and outside dryness made savoring each bite such a luscious experience. It's one of those things you definitely want to slow down and slowly chew and enjoy as different textures will reveal themselves in the process. The potato filling was pleasant and not overpowering so one got to enjoy the bread part as much if not more than the potato which I enjoyed as usually it's the other way around (as mastering dough is probably more difficult for most places). The beef filling was quite juicy and moistened up the breading it was touching (thus contributing to that perfection of layered texture above-referenced). For the main meal we ordered Kazan kabob (i.e. lamb chops), Russian roasted Salmon, Vareniki (Russian ravioli) and Lula kabob (minced beef kabobs). The lamb chops were normal, nothing negative or extra positive to say. Each dish did have a lovely proportioned combination of salad, rice and protein giving it a healthier feel. The Salmon was excellent however I did not understand what was uniquely Russian about it in flavoring- if anything tasted like any seasoning one could find in a regular American restaurant. The Vareniki was pleasant- perhaps more of an appetizer item than entre. And the Lula kabob was excellent- a great delicate balance between slight seasoning but not too much to distract from the meat flavor. However, what we enjoyed most about these dishes was the rice that came with it! It was nicely moistened with oil and I probably could have gulped it down alone without any non-veg item next to it. Think of it as an enhanced version of Chinese restaurant rice. I ordered Mors (berry flavored juice) and as is the case with any cold region's berry drinks, it was fantastic and reminded me of my trip to Finland and Estonia. We couldn't figure out which cake slice to get so ordered 3 of them! Each one of us would take a bite and rotate the plates like an alternative version of musical chairs. While all three were pleasantly European (i.e. not super heavy like American cakes), I think the sour cherry came out as #1 but that's probably because I'm a berry person. I wouldn't mind catering a whole cake order of it for a dinner party one day.

All in all, worth visiting. I wish people get back to work so restaurants like this one can speed up the process. But the delays did help digest the food in between each stage...

The service and food at this restaurant are most excellent. It’s beautifully decorated; clearly someone put a lot of time and effort into making this a great, meticulously detailed space to eat in. The china and table settings are beautiful and complement the food so well. I get so tired of boring whiteware in modern restaurants. It was refreshing to experience dining off of beautifully matched china again.

One review I read said that the prices were expensive. Don’t believe it! The prices are extremely reasonable for the food quality and level of service received. The ingredients were ultra fresh, our water glasses were never empty, and the bread was a delightful homemade meal in itself. The server prebussed and cleaned the table for each course with great attention to detail. You could go to a junky chain restaurant and spend way more for terrible food and a server that’s half asleep and smells like weed. This restaurant is worth every penny with the most attentive service I’ve received in a long time.

I ordered soup, and it was filled with large amounts of fresh vegetables and full, amazing flavor. The lamb was tasty, and the soup had almost as much meat as the plov my oldest son ordered. The salmon my youngest son ordered was perfectly cooked. The dessert was a honey cake that was rich, fresh, and delicate. They also have a fully stocked market with Russian foods, alcohol, and refrigerated and dry goods. I love supporting smaller restaurants and i gladly say “please take my money” to their restaurant. Thank you for a...

My wife and I go there every once in a while. Although, not having a term of comparison I cannot pronounce myself about the authenticity of the food, I daresay that is very good, to the level that it makes difficult to try to new items on the menu as the ones we already tried are so satisfying. As such we tend to order them over and over again. Just for the record, these are the halupkis, beef dolmas, beef stroganoff (quite different from what you would expect), radishes salad, various deserts (try the chocolate cake) and at last but not at least their really unbelievable good coffee. The service is good but the waiting staff is rather reserved which, depending on your mood, may be a plus. As excellence is revealed by competition, the other restaurants in the area blocked RusUz customers for parking in the public parking accross the street. As such you need to park in the pay parking in the same building with the restaurant (and have your ticket promptly validated when you pay your bill). All in all, a great experience. Our connundrum is that we were there to try something different but ended up doing the same over and...