Ahhhh, the Beauvillon curse. For those that live on Capitol Hill, you know exactly what I'm talking about already. For those who don't, take note. Se7en Fusion is the newest addition to the Beauvillon luxury condo building at 10th and Lincoln Ave. To my recollection, there have already been three other restaurants in this space in the last three years. Se7en apparently still decided to make the bold move of opening its doors here. On the surface, they’re doing everything right: fancy website, clean, modern décor, a full bar complete with flat screens and decent happy hour.
It’s apparent right away, however, that this restaurant, like others before it, is missing the mark in lots of ways. I’ll start with the space. From the outside, you really can’t tell there is a restaurant here. The sign is small, and the bar seems somehow disconnected from the dining space. I would imagine that most people just walk on by, without realizing they‘d passed it. The peachy-mauve walls and tacky artwork did not make me feel at home.
Then there’s the menu, which I really did want to like. I love Asian food, and happily take every opportunity I can to try some, so you can imagine my disappointment when 90% of the dinner menu turns out to be Chinese takeout-type options: crab cheese wontons, beef with broccoli, kung pao and the like. We started with the wontons and an order of lamb skewers. The wontons were crispy and light, exactly what you’d expect. The lamb skewers were a nice surprise – tender, well-spiced, with a light peanut sauce. Another pleasant surprise was the wine list, which was very moderately priced with delicious varietals to choose from.
We were urged to order Se7en’s specialties, a short list of entrees exclusive to the house, so we got the grilled basil duck and tofu in black bean sauce. The duck was too fatty; the sauce just plain forgettable. I was impressed with the tofu dish, as it was very flavorful and unique, using extra firm tofu, bacon and green beans. It would have been terrific if not so greasy and salty.
Over all, though I truly wanted to like Se7en Fusion, I don’t imagine I’ll be back unless it’s for happy hour. There are just too many wonderful restaurants out there doing it right.
