Testing the new GPS toy Sunday afternoon. Punched in Venuti’s in Frederick. The unit talked us to Venuti’s door. Success. But we decided Venuti’s lunch menu lacked magnetism. We snuck out and walked a couple blocks, window shopping restaurants till we came to Acacia Fusion Bistro, 129 N. Market St.

We were offered two seating choices: the bar area or the dining room in back. The bar space looks out to the sidewalk, providing people watching opps. We chose the back dining room, feeling like we’d watched enough people for one day.

It was around 2 p.m. Our server, Morgan, handed us the brunch menu. Uh oh, that meant the items from the full menu posted in Acacia’s window that lured us into the place were missing. Dang.

However: the brunch menu was inviting, with seven egg dishes, a glazed salmon, and pad thai for entrees. Four sandwiches -- including a tempting bacon cheeseburger ($12? I’ll get back to you on that)  -- assorted appetizers and a trio of desserts rounded out the menu. The brunch specials menu offered a soup, two entrees and a dessert.

Bon, my wife and assistant photographer (she owns the camera), ordered the stuffed French toast ($11). Acacia folds the toast to form a boat which it fills with spiced mascarpone cheese and blueberry compote then tops it with a blessedly restrained dusting of powdered sugar. The overall effect was surprisingly light and not oversweet.

I had the "wok-bronzed mahi mahi accompanied by garlic wilted watercress and lump crab" with a melted tomato ponzu emulsion drizzled over the top which also served as a coulis for the scallion infused sticky rice. Yum. Because some people consider it bad manners, I did not lick the plate. I wiped it with the linen napkin and sucked on that. Still drew frowns. Go figure.

Oh, yeah, our appetizer: “five spice sesame seared tuna with sake drunken tomatoes, crisped ginger, wasabi aioli and sesame chili oil.” Wanted more of that, too.

I mentioned our server, Morgan. Delightful, unobtrusive, helpful, declined our offer to adopt her.

Of the dessert choices, we went with the Turkish coffee crème brulee, because, wherever crème brulee is offered, I get it, because I love it. But.

(Rant alert) What is it with crème brulee in MD restaurants and the window pane thick crust of carmelized sugar???? I’m not dissing Acacia’s crème brulee specifically. It was as good as any I’ve had in MD. (Also, bear in mind, I’m not as well versed in MD restaurants as the author and many of the readers of this blog, so take this with a cellar of salt.) However, in restaurants outside this state, the carmelized top is less a crust than a web and brilliantly light. Or, my memory is playing tricks on me. I seriously don’t remember crème brulee being as treacly sweet as the examples I’ve had in MD. It’s too bad, too, because I can’t say no to the stuff so I’ll probably order it again when we return to Acacia, which we’ll do the first chance we get.

I paid $27 for the mahi mahi. I typically dine at joints where 30 bucks covers lunch for two and a generous tip. But said dives tend to lack the finer restraints of civility, if you get my drift. Acacia’s dining room, with its linens and light and absence of a music track, presents a respite from ultra casual. While there wasn’t a tie in the place and I wasn’t the only one wearing jeans, we didn’t encounter the shipwrecked wino look either.

Entrees on the regular brunch menu ran from $9 to $15 with the exception of the salmon, which was $19. Dinner entrees run from $8 to $28. Lunch will cost you $9.99 (sans tax and gratuity, I assume).

Wine list? Yes they have one. No, I’m not qualified to judge it. Don’t expect many bargains. Mark up aside, I can vouch for several of its offerings throughout the $20 to $162 price range. (The ones with which I’m familiar are closer to the $20 end.)

Acacia Fusion Bistro is one of four Frederick restaurants run by Fountain Rock Restaurant Management Group. The others: Brewer’s Alley Restaurant and Brewery; Isabella’s Taverna & Tapas Bar, and G. Hunter’s Restaurant and Raw Bar.

(Photos courtesy of John Lindner)