  Texorama Member Username: Texorama Post Number: 110 Registered: 12-2006 |
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll /article?AID=/20071206/COL20/7 12060328/1041 Boy, this doesn't look good. It took them so long to open. And now the two main chefs have quit. Fusia was well reviewed, and maybe it needed time to catch on, but I'm betting the money wasn't there after all the delays. My impression is that the lunch counters are doing OK, but the planning on this whole project has been questionable. | ||
Sirrealone Member Username: Sirrealone Post Number: 50 Registered: 01-2007 |
I never understood it being so 'high end' and why they thought that was a good business decision. I used to work at the RenCen when they announced this, and thought Asian Village sounded like a cool idea, especially with the riverwalk. Wouldn't you think it would make more sense to plan the restaurant around the demographic of 'office worker' and 'person visiting the Riverwalk'? I mean, if I go downtown to spend some time walking along the river, chances are that's not going to tie in too well with dropping high dollar on a meal. If it was something more reasonably priced, absolutely. They seem to now be going in that direction, but I still think the prices seem high for my tastes from what I read in the article. Maybe they saw other higher priced eateries, such as Andiamo, Coach, and Seldom Blues, in the same spot, and assumed they could tap into that demographic or piggyback off those other names, but I think that might have been biting off more than they could chew. Andiamo has been established, Coach had the Matt Prentice name, and Seldom Blues had some pretty big names behind it. I think choosing to go 'high price' was a bad bad move. Hopefully they can recover but not a good start. | ||
Rax Member Username: Rax Post Number: 37 Registered: 11-2007 |
I agree. I'm all for having nice restaurants downtown, but Fusia didn't make you feel like you got your moneys worth. My one visit consisted of two small slices of duck, a few pieces of garnish, and some soy beans. 32 bucks for lunch. No rice, no soup. The food was good, but for the entire experience, a rip off. | ||
Zephyrprocess Member Username: Zephyrprocess Post Number: 556 Registered: 08-2006 |
I blame Forumer Oldgerman! https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/91697/112494.html | ||
401don Member Username: 401don Post Number: 133 Registered: 11-2007 |
I think they should close temporarily, like 10 yrs., and reopen when there's riverfront housing. | ||
Mbr Member Username: Mbr Post Number: 265 Registered: 03-2005 |
I had sushi there and it was pretty good. The prices for sushi are typical of most mid-range sushi restaurants and seemed to be a much better option than what was on the Fusia menu. Also, across the street there is a concrete barrier that obscures your view of the river. From the ground level you can see boats go by but not the actual water. I'm not sure what is going on across Atwater, parking or future Riverwalk expansion, but eliminating that wall would be a good improvement. They need better signage on Jefferson. The visibility in that location is so limited that you really need to advertise your location. Also, this brings up the old idea of reconfiguring and/or eliminating the last stretch of I-375 and turning it into more of a boulevard that stretches to the river. | ||
Dbc Member Username: Dbc Post Number: 91 Registered: 09-2006 |
I hope the change in chefs and menu is just a sign of growing pains, because I would hate to see Asian Village struggle after all the hype and because I think it's a great asset to Detroit. I took my wife there the day after Thanksgiving, and although I agree with the need for better signage, we really enjoyed the experience. I wanted to eat at the Marketplace, but we ended up at Fusia, sitting near the bar along the windows facing the river. (When we arrived, the Marketplace was closed, with plastic wrap in the windows, and they were removing furniture. This being Detroit, I of course thought the worst. It turns out they had just had a large party there and were removing rented furniture and cleaning up.) Anyway, we both thought Fusia was very nicely done: modern, sleek decor; a great bar; floor-to-ceiling windows along the river; and really nice restrooms - call me nutty, but I always appreciate clean facilities. As for the food, we eat a lot of sushi and found it quite good at Fusia - especially the yellowtail nigiri. We also thought the miso ramen soup was excellent, and the iced tea was green tea, which I thought was a nice touch. Overall, it ran me $65 for 16 pieces of sushi, the soup, a glass of nice Shiraz, iced tea, and tip. Compared to DC prices, I thought that was just fine given the quality of food, decor, and view. That all said, I hope this place works out any kinks it may have because it's very nice. | ||
Granmontrules Member Username: Granmontrules Post Number: 267 Registered: 01-2007 |
My experience there was positive as well. | ||
Mike Member Username: Mike Post Number: 1163 Registered: 11-2003 |
my girlfriend and i enjoyed it as well. downtown needs restaurants like that. the problem is that metro detroit appreciate them. the prices were decent. | ||
Lifeinmontage Member Username: Lifeinmontage Post Number: 47 Registered: 10-2007 |
It's good to hear about chef Shawn Mac again. He was the head chef at Boocoo in Royal Oak for a number of years. Boocoo was Hour Detroit's restaurant of the year during Mac's tenure (also while I worked there, but I had little to do with the award). After both he and I left (unrelated reasons) the restaurant struggled for a couple years before going out of business. Best of luck with Fusia! |
