JLB review: Unhurried Fusion 212 brings Venezuelan cuisine to Estero outlet mall

Who would have thought?

Sandwiched between a Bath & Body Works, an Eddie Bauer and a New Balance store is a tiny restaurant whose owners are proudly serving the food of their home country — crisp arepas, steaming empanadas and thick-crusted tequeños filled with stretchy, white cheese.

There are few, true Venezuelan restaurants in Southwest Florida. Even fewer, if any, in the village of Estero. But now there's at least one among the outlet shops of Miromar Outlets.

I never would have thought.

Fusion 212 is a quiet little place. Shoppers stroll by with bags from the nearby Bloomingdale's and H&M. Inside, there's always the same waiter serving many of the same Spanish-speaking families I've seen there more than once. He's happy to tell me he's a native of Caracas (where the area code is 212) and he's eager to ask, "How was it?" after I've taken a sip of the mojito pepelón, a refreshingly sweet drink of brown cane sugar, lime and mint.

"It's great," I say, and then he leaves with a satisfied smile.

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Fusion 212 opened last month in suite 18 at the outdoor outlet mall. There are still echoes of the French restaurant that came before it — the framed, black-and-white sketch of the Notre-Dame de Paris, the chalkboard menu of Nutella and strawberry crêpes.

Perhaps most bizarre are the many, many framed photographs lining the scarlet-colored walls of classic American actors and actresses. There's Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot and John Wayne. Was that Cary Grant?

"What are these doing in a Venezuelan restaurant?" I want to ask, but then I sip more of the mojito pepelón, and everything's alright.

Venezuelan cuisine is influenced by European, African and Native American traditions, and some of those come through on Fusion 212's hodgepodge menu.

Like in the Carpaccio beef. The traditional Italian dish of whisper thin shavings of beef — clean and cold to the bite — rest underneath a bed of spring mix and nutty Parmesan shavings, with a drizzle of pesto-like asparagus dressing to swirl my fork around in. 

There's creamy risotto on the menu, too, slow cooked with mushrooms and white wine, and beef lasagna with Bolognese and béchamel sauce. Coq au vin is a tried-and-true French meal of slow-cooked chicken with vegetables and red wine.

But beyond the European influences, Fusion 212 tries to please every palate. And it shouldn't have to.

I suspect these items are for the passing shoppers who pop in to scan the tri-fold menu, looking for something familiar and non-Spanish. A Caesar salad, perhaps? Dino chicken nuggets for the kids? Or maybe a roast beef sandwich or the "American" breakfast with pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon?

It'd be a shame to order Key lime pie when there are things on the dessert menu like spongy tres leches cake and quesillo, a Venezuelan flan doused in decadent caramel sauce and a trio of plump blueberries on top.

Because at its heart — what Fusion 212 does best — is no-nonsense Venezuelan food.

I marveled in the tequeños (the fried cheese stick of Venezuela), which were wrapped diagonally in a thick, pastry-like shell and fried until crisp, crackled perfection. Inside, salty queso blanco stretched and pulled. The sticks were served alongside a syrupy-sweet cane sugar sauce the color of molasses. I watched as the kids at a neighboring table submerged the tequeños in the sauce, then popped them into their mouths without fear of burning their tongues.

They must have known what they were doing, I thought, so I did the same (burning my own tongue in the process).

The arepas also sent me into a state of child-like wonder. The warm, griddled corn cakes come filled with cheese, shredded beef, carnitas or chicken. Crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, the arepas soak up the meaty, cheesy flavors of what's inside them, so it's no wonder they've been popularized by food trucks and trendy kitchens in the U.S., where they are stuffed with exotic ingredients and fillings.

But Fusion 212's strength is in its simplicity. I only need shredded gouda cheese to put me into comfort food bliss, and if I really want to push the limits, there's the reina pepiada arepa stuffed with a mayonnaise-based chicken salad with avocado. It's creamy, mayonnaise-y goodness.

Fusion 212 is quiet, and it takes its time, too.

There was just that one waiter serving the few families scattered in the restaurant, and he also juggled take-out orders at the counter. I quickly got the impression that he could have used some help — orders came out slowly and one at a time, waters were left unrefilled and my check was still nowhere to be found when my stomach finally bulged with Venezuelan delicacies.

But I was in no hurry.

Not when I have a savory plate of asado negro still resting in front of me. It's a hearty, comforting dish of roast beef cooked long and slow in a simmering red wine and brown sugar cane broth. The meat has absorbed those dark, brooding colors, and its topped with savory onion trimmings leftover from that long brew. 

And like the asado negro, Fusion 212 nails all the Venezuelan basics. Pabellón criollo, a plate of shredded beef, buttery-rich black beans and white rice with fried sweet plantains, is the national dish of Venezuela. There's a tingling spice in the shredded beef, but it can cooled by a bite of the plantains, lightly caramelized on the outside and sweetly smooth on the inside.

There's no need for things like roast beef sandwiches, cheese boards or milkshakes when you have such good, authentic food at Fusion 212. Even better when the staff is so proud to serve it to you.

"How was it?" they keep asking me, eager to hear what I think.

And I still reply, "So good."

I just never would have imagined I'd find it inside an outlet mall.

Jean Le Boeuf is the pseudonym used by a local food lover who dines at restaurants anonymously and without warning, with meals paid for by The News-Press or Naples Daily News. Follow the critic at facebook.com/jeanleboeufswfl or @JeanLeBoeuf on Twitter and Instagram. 

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Fusion 212

10801 Corkscrew Road, Suite 81, Estero

• Food: ★★☆☆

• Atmosphere: ★☆☆☆

• Service: ★☆☆☆

• Price: $ 

• Call: 239-317-2174

• Web: fusion212.com

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday 

• Noise level: Low

• Etc.: Beer and wine selections, outdoor seating

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Sample Menu

Small plates

• Tequeños, $8.50

• Tamales, $4.99

• Empanadas, $2.50

Mains

• Pabellón criolla, $11.50

• Asado negro, $11.50

• Beef lasagna, $10.50

What the symbols mean

JLB's new stars system, explained

★ - Fair

★★ - Good

★★★ - Excellent

★★★★ - Exceptional

$ - Average entree is under $10

$$ - $10-$15

$$$ - $15-$20

$$$$ - $20-$25

$$$$$ - $25 and up