Editor’s Note:
Our regular lunch reviewer, Wes Hennings, is taking a few weeks of paternity leave. While we assume he is still eating something, somewhere, he won’t be writing about it while he’s off duty. Meanwhile, ABD editor, Gary Kauffman will pinch-hit with the reviews of his lunches with a colleague, as a way to advise our business community on the good, the bad, and the tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let the restaurant know where he is going; his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review.”
Food Quality: 5
Service: 5
Business Meeting: 4
Value: 5
Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5
Sometimes, it’s just more convenient to do a business dinner instead of lunch. Such was the case one day recently when a colleague and I entertained two clients. Lunch was nixed as an option for two reasons: not being able to coordinate work schedules and because we wanted it to be something a little more special than a one-hour dine-and-dash meeting.
So we chose to head to Aiken for a dinner at Fuse. Augustans may find the name familiar, for good reason – Fuse used to be located on Broad Street in downtown Augusta, but about five years ago, they moved to The Alley in downtown Aiken.
When we arrived, The Alley was rocking. On certain nights, The Alley features a live band. People sat at outdoor tables eating, while others already had their dancing shoes on. We chose the indoor dining option where the noise level was subdued.
Even indoors, the noise level and sitting at a table in an open dining room would have made things a bit difficult to conduct an actual business meeting. But for a nice dinner after a long day of business or to show appreciation for clients or employees, it was fine.
Our waitress was attentive without being intrusive and our appetizers and meals came at a reasonable pace to give us plenty of time for relaxed conversation.
The food itself is worthy of a trip to Fuse, especially if you enjoy novel cuisine. We started with sea island red pea hummus with Moroccan spice oil and fried pita strips. We agreed that it was probably the best hummus we’d ever had.
Then, we placed our orders. My colleague and one of our clients chose the more traditional filet mignon, one with asparagus and the other with snap peas, and a mushroom and pear risotto for the sides. Of course, even traditional fare in an upscale restaurant comes with fancy descriptions like “confit tomato butter” and “red wine redux.”
Our other colleague chose the champagne chicken with snow peas and “buttery ‘taters” (apparently they wanted us to remember we are in the South).
I decided to be more adventurous and ordered the chocolate chili strip, a New York strip steak in a chocolate mole sauce, roasted corn, Fresno chili, red onion, and sweet potatoes with heirloom tomato Pico. I’d never thought to put chocolate on my steak, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
As could be expected from a high-end restaurant, the food was amazing. The client who’d ordered the filet mignon rated it as “FABULOUS in all caps!” My filet-loving colleague seconded that rating. The client with the champagne chicken said, “I’d get it again. It was fantastic!”
That left me with my spicy chocolate steak and I have to say, it was a sensational combination. The chocolate was not too sweet and the chili not too spicy, but with just enough of each to infuse the taste into every bite. And the portion size was much larger than expected – I can put away a good amount of food, but it took a bit of forcing to finish the final two bites (OK, not too much forcing because it was really good).
As expected for a dinner at an upscale restaurant, the pricing was higher than a business lunch. Still, it was only $217 for four people, which included four meals, an appetizer, and some adult beverages. When you consider the quality of the food and the upscale but relaxed atmosphere, it felt like a good value.
So if you want to step it up a notch for clients or employees with food a bit out of the ordinary, I would recommend Fuse – especially if you go on a night with the outdoor festivities in The Alley.
