Ok, Phusion, after just one visit, I can honestly say that I love you. Can we get together every day? I wish that I was a student at Case or CIA, so that I'd be close enough that we could make our union official and a reality! This is so not your typical American type of restaurant, which is a very good thing in my book, but might be off putting to some.
First off, you need to know that Phusion is tiny and cramped, seating just 17. We came at night on a Friday and were the only ones there, but I imagine this could be a problem during lunch hour. The open kitchen is microscopic and nearly every horizontal surface is loaded with stacked items and ingredients.
The food they put out is delicious! We had:
+Beef soup (with rice noodles). Fatty meat, a pickled vegetable of some sort (bitter melon, maybe?), bok choy, cabbage and a flavorful broth. The broth was VERY tasty.
+BBQ tofu, which came with broccoli and a humongous mountain of rice. This could easily be two or more meals for someone.
+Scallion pancakes. A bit doughy, but still tasty. Even better with the accompanying sauce.
*Homemade hot sauce, which was sitting out in a little bowl on each table. I don't know what was in this, but it seemed to have chunks of garlic in it and was incredible!
While this was a delightful initial sampling, there are so many other options I'd like to try, so Will definitely be going back in the near future. Probably not every day, as I'd like, but hopefully soon.
P.S. Are you a tea drinker? They also had a few different boxes of Chinese teas for sale, which could be convenient for those that can't make it down to Asian Town to stock up.
By the way, parking is available in a metered lot at the corner of E 115th, just half a block away. They deliver, too, if you're close enough! Call to place an order.