Fuse

Okay, I know it’s been around for awhile and is probably past its coolness factor prime, but damn it if I don’t love Fuse. I’ve eaten there twice in the last couple of weeks—the first time with colleagues on an expense account budget, and the second time with my husband for our Valentine’s Day date (part two). Here’s what I’ve found.

Who was there?
On the Thursday, it wasn’t too crowded. We walked right in around 7:30 and were seated immediately at one of those large tables with the plush chairs by the bar. We were seated next to a table full of Neiman Marcus girls (and one very mystic-tanned fiancée) who were fresh from a Neiman’s event. Very chic, and kudos to the girl sporting the strapless dress with the collared white shirt underneath with black tights and leopard wedges. LOVED the outfit.

On the Saturday night around 8:30, it was much more crowded, although not in an off-putting way. I love the mixed crowd, which was neither predominantly young nor old. We saw attire ranging from jeans to cocktail dresses to full-on suits.

How were the drinks?
Between by two visits, I had a pomegranate martini (yummmmmmy), a very berry martini (which tasted like vodka with a raspberry floating in it, not too appealing to me), and a dirty martini (pretty straight forward, but good).

I also had a couple of bottles of good, reasonably-priced (almost surprisingly so) wine, and I would recommend the Forefathers Sauvignon Blanc they had on the menu. It was really good with the sushi and just plain tasty.

What were they eating?
Both times I ate almost exclusively sushi, because it’s my favorite food on earth (or at sea). From the appetizer menu, I also tried the Diver Scallops with Green Apple Curry Sauce and Asian Mushrooms, Braised Brisket Potstickers and the Chili-Scented Edamame.

They also have several entrees available, and a guy sitting at an adjacent table to ours raved about the Mediterranean Sea Bass.

We tried a couple of desserts on our second visit, but their list wasn’t that extensive.

How did it taste?
In a word—great. Specifically, the food is really fun and interesting and happens to taste awesome too.

I’ll start with the appetizers. I (and everyone else who tried it) adored the chili-scented Edamame. Even my husband loved it, and he’s not a big fan of traditional edamame. But this is covered in spicy goodness that is irresistible. The Diver scallops were also a big hit with us. Huge and tender and swimming in a sweet/spicy/apple-y sauce that is to die for. Compared to these two dishes, the brisket potstickers were kind of disappointing. Seems like a great idea, but they were only so-so.

Now on to the sushi. My absolute favorite was the Super-white tuna from the “five senses” menu. It was sashimi style with a citrus ponzu sauce and a jalapeños. The tuna just melted in your mouth and the sauce was a perfect compliment. As someone who loves spice, the crunch jalapeño also added a lot of punch. Yum.

Also from the “five senses” menu, the unagi was delicious. It was paired with poached pairs and caramelized foie gras. Sounds kind of pretentious, but it was surprisingly yummy.

We tried several of the rolls, including the downtown roll (mmmm, cream cheese), the spicy tuna roll (they aren’t playing around with that name—it’s freakin’ spicy), the tiger shrimp roll (only so-so), and the spider roll (crunchy and delish). The big standout for us, though, was the volcano roll, which was a California roll topped with bay scallops in a creamy, spicy sauce. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical about this, as I pretty much can’t stand mayonnaise, but it was really good. More spicy than mayo-y, and the scallops were plentiful and cooked to perfection. It is a “must try”.

For dessert, we tried the Tahitian Vanilla Bean French Toast. Once again, it’s a must-try. It’s topped with banana/ginger ice cream and caramel sauce. Need I say more? We also had a desert special of churros with cinnamon and sugar with dark chocolate dipping sauce, which was good, but not particularly note-worthy.

How much did it cost?
I’m not sure about how much the expense account meal was (and frankly, I don’t want to know), but for me and my husband to have two cocktails at the bar and a bottle of wine, plus the edamame, two appetizers, two “five senses” sushi plates, four sushi rolls and dessert, it was around $200 total with tax and tip. Obviously, this was more food than we needed, and we were totally stuffed, so you could get out of there spending much less than that. The bottom line is, though, no matter what, it’s going to be fairly pricey.

Was it worth it?
I wouldn’t (and couldn’t afford to) eat there every week or anything, but for a special night out, it’s totally worth the money. It’s not only yummy, but it’s visually and tastually (yes, I am allowed to make up words) interesting. To me, that goes a long way.

Is this place better for a date or a night out with the girls?
I’m actually struggling with this question. I did it both ways, and had a blast both times. I’d say that it’s equally good, though maybe leaning slightly toward night out with the girls.

Would you go there again?
I went there twice in two weeks. What do you think?