Restaurant Review 3: Acacia

Restaurant: Acacia Fusion Bistro
Location: 129 N Market St., Frederick, Maryland, 21701
Rating: Five Hobbits out of five

Mother (my really hilarious nickname for my wife) and I were in Frederick for a really frustrating reason (it’s a great story but completely irrelevant so you’ll just have to let it go… Let. It. Go!), and we decided to pull out the GPS system and find a place for dinner.

I wanted seafood (since I’d somehow gained five pounds over the week) and the GPS gave us several choices. We picked Sig’s Hideaway Café, but that was literally hidden away and we couldn’t find it. So we decided on Acacia Fusion Bistro.

To get to Acacia, the GPS drove us through parts of Frederick that were built probably 100 years ago. Rows of impoverished homes stood side by side with low hanging power cables and front doors literally two feet from the sidewalk. In front of one sat two sunburnt, hardscrabble families drinking whiskey from the bottle while their young toddlers sipped colas – and not the nutritious Diet Coke Plus either. It was a bit heartbreaking, not to mention guilt spawning during the sumptuous meal that awaited us.

Acacia, however, was in a beautiful part of town. During our brief wait for seats, I became aware of the wonderful smells swirling about the very classy bar. The aroma was constantly changing from steak to curry to seafood to fine wines. But the smells weren’t overpowering; they were subtle and diverse – maybe this is one reason for the title “Fusion Bistro.” It began to have an emotional effect on me and soon I was in some sort of euphoric state.

By the time we were seated I was almost weeping, longing for something left behind years ago: The San Francisco Bay Area. From the decor of each dining area, to the dialects of the wait staff, to the dress of the clientele, everything transported me back to the place I spent most of my life, the Bay Area. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maryland; I was just caught completely off guard to be back in a very authentic California setting.

We ordered tons of food, and when I said to the waiter, “We may have ordered too much,” he replied, “I don’t think so, you both look fit.” Okay, Mr. 20-Percent-Tip with the stylin’ goatee, bring us our drinks!

I can only review my own meal, since Mother ordered the exact same dishes as me (what can I say, we’re compatible): a shared calamari appetizer, Thai curry soup, a broiled tilapia and shrimp entrée special, and for dessert a mango mousse tart. It was one of those once-a-year meals that we usually wait for our anniversary to enjoy, but there was something very satisfying about spontaneously walking into such a wonderful restaurant right off the street and discovering one of the best meals we’d ever shared. So if you’re ever on North Market Street in Frederick, Maryland (with your credit card), be sure to give it a try. Five Hobbits at least!