Downtown Fusion

Happy to report that the former Fusion restaurant on King Street--a lovely spot but elbow-jostlingly small--has moved to bigger equally attractive digs on 175 South Main Street in downtown Chambersburg.

The menu is still provisional, meaning it's still simple and they plan to make changes, but what's already on offer is a mix of what we're already familiar with, along with  fresh variations.


The drinks are still there: a sweet guava and citrusy passionfruit drink on one visit, a tart tamarind cooler on another. 

Starters include a simple fresh salad with house-made dressing (vinegar, olive oil, spices)

Then there's the pupusas--thick handmade corn tortillas, pancakes almost, stuffed with (in our case) cheese and lorocos (a Central American vine and flower), served with a tomato dip, a tangy cabbage slaw, a glass of passionfruit

And then pozole--shredded chicken hominy cumin oregano cayenne garlic in a thick hot broth

The ropa vieja--a Cuban dish meaning 'old laundry' features tasty shredded beef (skirt steak braised I'm guessing in bay leaf cumin oregano garlic) with green peppers onions green olives, served with black beans and rice

The estofado or beef stew--a family recipe or so Eldy tells me--is the tenderest beef (Chuck roast? Maybe with vinegar onion thyme garlic cloves cinnamon bay leaf?) with a cup of black beans. Not as seasoned as the ropa vieja but with a deeper beef flavor.

And then the spectacular pernil: pork shoulder marinated in (among other things) orange juice and lime, then rubbed thoroughly all over with pepper oregano crushed garlic minced cilantro, then roasted till the skin is a crackling dark brown (well I think that's the order of the steps, and ingredients; I'm guessing based on what I taste and similar recipes). Tender flesh, juicy fat, crunchy skin, served with a cup of au jus and slightly sweetened slightly crisp bananas.
 

And it's not all Latin cuisine--the folks here are proud of their honey banana crepes

In the old Fusion you could see the whole pernil sitting in a pan--a spectacular sight. No such spectacle now, alas, tho the plating is prettier. A different if less carnivorous sight awaits the diner at the display case: flans, salsas green and red, ceviches, and an amazing-looking tres leches cake.

Basically sponge cake soaked in evaporated milk, condensed milk and cream, topped with sliced fruit. 

We're served a wedge where Eldy pours a little extra condensed milk on the saucer

  And the rest is engorged satiated silence.

  
Glad to see the place back; hope it's able to put up its complete menu sometime soon, and stay for a long long time.