Fuzia; New Morgan Hill Restaurant is Just OK.

It has been one of those weeks, you know the kind. What would make the memories of a tough week go away faster than a great meal? A great meal with awesome wine! Fortunately an OK meal was enough to take the edge off. It was probably the wine.

Fuzia, from what I understand, is a fairly new place and in the two months it’s been opened they seem to have gathered quite a following. We arrived at 5pm and the dining room promptly filled up to reservation only capacity.

The decor is modern and obviously new and the sparse decoration created an atmosphere that was a bit cold. The dark wood tables and woven chairs were just not enough to warm up the blank walls.

The service was very attentive; even at the busiest times and the server was instrumental at describing the specials and recommending wine that pairs well with the courses that we had chosen.

We decided to share the Baked Brie for Two, described on the menu as; smoked and grilled vegetables, curried meats, garlic, caper berries, grilled bread. Unfortunately, if I had to describe this appetizer in one word, that word would be tragic. Elements of this dish were fine but overall it was a mess. To start with the baked brie was undercooked and was a greasy doughy mound. The grilled bread, while pretty on the plate seemed to have been pre-grilled and already cold. Actually the grilled vegetables while tasty were also cold. The curried meats was clearly a typo as there was four thin slices of cured salami on the plate and no curry to be found. The absence of caper berries was seemingly replaced with a pile of marinated grape tomato slices. There was a bulb of roasted garlic on the plate. It was cold, but again tasty.

For our entrée selection I chose the Braised Lamb Shank. It was served atop creamy white polenta with the braising liquid and vegetables. The polenta was a perfect match for the tender braised lamb, and the lamb was perfectly cooked. It was fork tender and fell cleanly from the bone. My only gripe was that the lamb itself was slightly under seasoned, but that was easily corrected using the salt and pepper shakers. The Perrone cabernet that the server had recommended was a perfect match as the tones of oak, cherry and black pepper mirrored the flavors of the meal.

My dining companion ordered the Prime Rib Special as recommended by our server. It was served au jus with celery root mashed potato and steamed broccolini. This dish was presented beautifully but immediately became a disappointment. In retrospect I should have taken a picture because it was really a superbly plated meal. Unfortunately, the beef was quite tough and the mashed potato was stone cold. I was rather disgusted to learn that this twelve ounce prime rib entrée was $31. The 12oz prime rib dinner at Outback Steakhouse was much better quality and will cost you eleven dollars less.

Our server offered us some coffee and dessert. I inquired as to whether the desserts were house made or brought in; he assured us that they were made in house. We decided to try the Apple Crisp with Vanilla Gelato, it was on par with the rest of the meal. The granola topping seemed a bit stale and the apple bits may have been tossed in sugar and cinnamon before being placed in the bowl. The apples were softened, perhaps even baked but not served warm. Apple crisp as I remember it is sticky and gooey and warms your soul.

Over all the food was tasty but had its issues. The service was friendly, attentive, and really on point. The quality of the food was not a good value at the current prices, but if they can work out the bugs in the kitchen it will be alright. These things have a way of working themselves out. I might go back someday.