 | | | Photo Andy Scheck
| | | | | | Fuz (fuse) offers a unique and sophisticated dining experience near the heart of downtown Lafayette. Owner Stephen Dill combines the hipness of a modern bar with the elegant feel of a sushi restaurant. This dichotomy of space reflects both the design of his menu and the restaurant.
To enjoy your experience at Fuz, dig into the menu. The deeper you go the more exciting and diverse the rewards become. Be bold, the payoff will be rich and complicated flavors that blend together beautifully.
Less adventuresome patrons will find several hearty meat dishes serving as the foundation for a constantly changing selection of fish. Fish lovers are pleased to learn that deliveries arrive daily. "(A sushi bar) is the only restaurant where diners want to know how fresh the food is," Dill explains, "but you never hear that at a steak house."
From the Korean style short ribs marinated in 7up to the pork chops with blue cheese gravy, there is no lack of confidence in the statement Chef Dill is trying to make. He is here to make memories and every facet of his menu has been carefully thought out and executed.
The sushi selection is large and the portions generous. For a moment, you may want to compare Fuz to other sushi bars that compensate for weaknesses by offering huge portions. That's a mistake. Rice so well prepared and miso soup with flavors so deep usually allude to something else. In this case, it is Dill's 14 years of culinary experience, including two in Japan, that provide the answers.
Even the dessert selections are unique. Not content with green tea ice cream, Dill offers options that include a deep fried cheesecake and a chocolate lava cake.
Look carefully; Fuz's subdued exterior gives no hint to the creative energies inside. A fully stocked bar gives way to a variety of sake and mixed-sake drinks. The Asian-influenced dĒcor allow clear views of flat screen TV's that show Chef Dill creating his next sushi masterpiece. "The young kids love watching, and when they have fun parents enjoy the experience," explains Dill.
To add to this, Dill offers each child a free Japanese Soda because he remembers the thrill of getting one in a restaurant as a kid and wants everyone to have the opportunity for that kind of memory.
Fuz is located at
3707 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette, phone 299-9930.
|
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA