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Status
Making the transition from full-on restaurant to a bar/lounge, Fuse offers the best of both worlds.
Formerly 227 Bistro, Fuse Lounge & Bar shed its name and eatery image in October to become a downtown Rochester hang out with reasonably-price tapas and a chic, old-school lounge feel.
“We just thought the market was missing this type of venue and rather than being one of the many restaurants in the area, we transitioned an existing venue into this,” says Jim Polyzois, who co-owns Fuse with Frank Monn. “With the economy, it was making it challenging for a restaurant.”
The two owned 227 for five years before replacing it with Fuse, which is open Monday through Sunday from 5 p.m.-2 a.m.
Gear
Other than the no hat and no sleeve-less shirts for men rule, the dress code is pretty relaxed where jeans, tees and tennis shoes are all accepted. A laidback look with a chilled out vibe go hand in hand at the space.
Mood
“It’s a place I’d expect to find in Chicago or New York but it’s here in downtown Rochester,” says 26-year-old Jonathan Hartline of Shelby Township, who hangs out at Fuse a few times a week to smoke a cigar with people from work.
Think posh lounge with a sassy sense of attitude that blends big-city nightlife offerings with its quaint suburban surroundings. Add some DJ-spun top 40 mixes, hot bartenders and smoking servers and a menu of chic food, and you’ve hit the nail on the head.
The art-filled, wood-paneled lounge offers two levels with distinct areas on each floor. The first floor houses a DJ and bar. Tiger-print carpet and exposed brick walls welcome you into the seating area complete with brown micro-suede couches and black leather benches and couches.
Upstairs, a cigar lounge with a flat-screen TV, dark wooden chair rails and inviting leather couches beckon you to sit down and smoke a fat one, while a loft-like seating area is perfect for people watching all the action down below.
“You can actually have a conversation and hear somebody,” says 28-year-old Stephanie Schachermeyer of Macomb. Plus it’s “not a bunch of 18 year olds.”
If the scene isn't enough, Fuse is also an art gallery: All the paintings dotting the wall are for sale and can go for $850 to $5,000.
Pick me up
While boasting a full bar and an impressive wine menu, creatively-named martinis are king at Fuse. Order up the Dazed & Infused (pineapple/mango infused Pearl, melon liqueur, pineapple juice and Chambord) or the Liqueur All Over (Stoli Strasberi, pineapple infused Stoli, wild strawberry liqueur and grapefruit juice). Other martinis (there are about 33 in all) include, Hot & Dirty, Purple Haze, Mighty Aphroditie and Skinny Dip.
To soak up some of those fruity cocktails, Fuse offers tasty tapas perfect for sharing. The Crispy Calamari will run you a reasonable $9 while fresh baby spinach sautéed with garlic and extra virgin olive oil is $5. Salads, steak satays, shrimp cocktails and lobster ravioli are also available for less than $15. The kitchen closes at midnight.
Entertainment
House DJ William Novah plays house as well as top 40 remixes, and while Fuse occasionally offers some in-house promotions, it’s really the kind of place where you come to entertain yourself with good conversation with new or long-time friends.
