|
Fuse Pulls It Together
By Michael Anderson and Anthony Lowenberg
Remember when fusion cuisine meant assembling your McDLT before the cold part got warm and the hot part got cold? Now, the world is getting smaller and everything is coming together, often with mixed results: the video i-pod, the camera cell phone, the resurgence of the station wagon (or, “crossover SUV” for those of you who bought one but would never admit you just paid for the 21st century version of the Family Truckster), and, of course, fusion cuisine. In the post-McDLT world, fusion cuisine around these parts used to mean jalape?os on pizza. Now, though, we have Fuse.
Fuse bills itself as serving TexAsian cuisine, which, according to its website, infuses “Texas and Asian foods and spices in a hip, urban atmosphere.” Thus, we have come full circle from our last review, of the Tahitian Noni Caf?, whose website should read, “Infuses bland food with exotic-sounding names and $3.60 shots of noni juice that taste like horse sweat. Please visit our gift shop.”
Indeed, Fuse’s interior does look hip, with lots of brushed steel, dark wood, and opaque curtains everywhere. Fuse’s patio is a curious mix of decadent furniture mixed with minimalist surroundings; we counted four beds on the patio! The patio, which is heated in the colder months, also surrounds the pool of the adjacent apartment building. So, if you are reading this and you live in the Power & Light building: please, shave your back, this ain’t the Sandals on South Padre Island (you know who you are). Other modernist influences were a little more confusing, such as the unisex bathroom with a secret urinal area around the corner (shh, don't tell!) and zen-rock-garden sinks. And we're not quite sure what to make of the complimentary dog biscuits offered in what normally would be the mint bowl near the reservation desk. They were kinda tasty but lacked the “mintiness” of most restaurant dog biscuits.
To the Food Mobile! The sushi menu is not as varied as a sushi-oriented restaurant’s, but someone looking for a sushi fix will leave happy. In addition to a few of the standards such as spicy tuna, eel, and rainbow rolls, there are a number of specialty rolls. We tried the house roll, the Fuse Roll (dungeness crab, salmon, asparagus, smelt egg and carrot, wrapped in cucumber), and despite the fact it’s nearly impossible to use chopsticks to pick up a roll wrapped in moist cucumber, we were not disappointed. The asparagus was crisp and all of the ingredients were fresh, making for a delicious appetizer (We still, however, have yet to find a sushi restaurant in Dallas that serves real wasabi, made from actual wasabi plant. Did you know that the wasabi plant is a rhizome? And a peanut is a legume, not a nut? Wow!). The other appetizers we sampled included the brisket pot stickers, which were pot stickers stuffed with brisket. Rounding out the starters were the miso soup with jalape?os and heirloom pumpkin soup with “five spice marshmallow and Texas pecans.” The miso soup was simple and tasty with just a few floating jalape?os added to it to give it a little zip and the requisite TexAsianness.
The lunch entrees at Fuse are consistently good, with a few standouts. “Balanced Plates” include a choice of protein (meat, chicken, tofu, shrimp) with miso soup, rice, and salad, and are some of the more economical choices on the lunch menu ($8-$11). Other standouts included a Chili Grilled Chicken Wrap ($7), which puts other ordinary lunch sandwiches to shame, and Tex-Asian Sliders ($9). As sickening as White Castle sliders are, after sampling Fuse’s tasty sliders, with their caramelized onions, aged cheddar and cilantro aioli, you'll forget all about those nasty steamed things. The Kobe Roast Beef Sandwich scored 50 points, but had only three assists and no rebounds and isn't leading its team to the playoffs anytime soon (Oh yeah, a Kobe joke. Edgy!).
We had heard gripes about the service, but lunchtime service on our two visits was perfectly fine, and the servers showed immense patience with our chronic indecision. They are also adept at recommending appetizers for large groups, and even threw in extra portions of appetizers gratis (an extra pot sticker to an order that includes five for our group of six) and free chocolate dessert pot stickers after the meal. We're not saying our reviews can be bought, but, well, actually we are saying that, and hopefully all you new restaurants out there are listening! Hello? Finally, we should point out that the dinner menu is completely different from the lunch menu we tried (it gets a little blue!). Still, if you're looking for a place to take your client, your significant other or especially your dog (see dog biscuit reference, supra), Fuse is the place for you.
WHEREFORE, premises considered, and pursuant to the Local Reviewers Reviewing Rule of Reviewing Reviews, The Law Reviewers pray that Fuse be instilled with a four out of five gavel rating, and for other such relief, both in equity and at law, to which it may be entitled, with liberty and justice for all, by the dawn’s early light, and starting at center, in his 10th year from Mississippi State, number 25, Erick Damm-pieeer!
|
