Fushimi unveiled its third location on Friday, February 17, 2012 in thriving Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Carla Facciolo and Angela ‘Big Ang’ Raiola from VH1’s “Mob Wives” attended the red carpet, and were joined by family and friends for dinner. Food Network’s Fat Chef Dimitri Verteour is also attended the opening.
For the event, a three‐course menu was designed by Korean Executive Chef Chul Kee Ko, balancing Japanese fare with a hint of French and Italian influence. To start, guests chose from green tea soba, crab bisque, aromatic duck salad, and lobster salad. Appetizers included tuna tartar, petit filet mignon with truffled wasabi butter, oven roasted Chilean sea bass with miso, and cajun style scallop tiradito with black summer truffle peelings. Entrées ranged from char grilled filet mignon with sautéed shitake mushrooms, skate fish or wild sea shrimp, to a spectacular sushi, sashimi and roll combination.
The cutting edge contemporary Japanese environment of Fushimi is inspired by its cuisine. Designed by Douglas Horst of Horst Design International, a nautical theme highlights the palatial 4,000 square foot restaurant, with yet another 2,200 reserved for its lounge. Guests enjoyed exotic cocktails, such as the “Perfect Couple”, a lychee martini infused with ginseng honey, while enormous custom chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, resembling a school of jellyfish with long, flowing tentacles. The room itself is as tall as an actual historic Fushimi shrine found in Japan, and boasts a spectacular display of sake on it eastern wall in homage to the restaurant’s wide selection of fine Nihonshu. In the dining area, your attention is immediately drawn to a cluster of huge silver spheres and smaller glass lights encased in netting, representing maritime buoys. Intimate booths line the wall beyond with Geisha murals as backdrops, while tabletops throughout the venue are made with Japanese river stones precast in colored resin panels. LED lights transform the venue from day to night as seen in the “Tunnel of Love” leading to the restroom. Rectangular “walls” line the floor separating the restaurant’s main aisle from its western dining area, each fabricated of stainless steel and recycled eco‐resin panels embedded with real bamboo shavings.
With celebrated success at its Staten Island and Bay Ridge locations, the Fushimi Group offers its newest hotspot within easy reach to Manhattan. The first stop in Brooklyn on the L, to be exact. This event was produced by Social Mink, a New York based marketing & consulting agency dedicated to the nightlife and restaurant industry. Geisha make‐up and hair provided by Woodley & Bunny Salon.
Fushimi | 475 Driggs Avenue, Brooklyn, 11211 | Fushimi‐us.com
