Fusion Street Eatery A Perfect Blend For Dunedin Restaurant Scene

DUNEDIN, FL -- Opened six weeks ago, Dunedin's Fusion Street Eatery, 422 Patricia Ave., is already making its mark on the city's burgeoning food scene.

The restaurant is the creation of Dunedin residents Chris and Jessica Hinkle who are already well-known in the community as the owners of East Coast Catering, which annually participates in the Dunedin Stone Crab Festival and the popular Dunedin Orange Festival, among other events.

Chris Hinkle grew up in Tampa where he said there was a Cuban or Puerto Rican restaurant on every corner. He said he always loved the spicy flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean.

When he decided to make Dunedin his home, Hinkle realized that those familiar flavors were missing from his adopted hometown. So, he decided to remedy that oversight.

He began offering a build-your-own Fresh Mex Bowl at the Downtown Dunedin Market that proved an instant hit with its choice of white rice, yellow rice or lettuce for a base, topped with black or pinto beans and followed by the customer's choice of chorizo, jack fruit, pulled chicken, pulled pork or tofu chorizo. Finally, the bowl was topped off with pico de gallo, queso, fresh-made crema, cilantro, salsa and lime.

The Fresh Mex Bowl is now the signature dish on the menu at Fusion Street Eatery.

"I chose the name Fusion Street Eatery because I wanted people to know we offer different styles of food," said Hinkle.

And those styles aren't limited to Latin and Caribbean foods. "Don't be surprised to see some Asian and Italian dishes on the menu," he said. This week's special is homemade baked ziti.

Whatever the dish's origin, Hinkle said his emphasis is always on fresh ingredients. In fact, the restaurant's motto is "Always Fresh, Always Family."

"Most of my produce comes from the Dunedin Fresh Market -- street corn, tomatoes, onions, cilantro," he said.

Menu favorites include the Firehouse Cuban, dedicated to his friends at the Dunedin Fire Department, which makes a meal when paired with Hinkle's blackened or garlic Parmesan pub fries; garlic butter Parmesan yucca, Mexican street corn or fried pickles.

Other hits are his Chicken and Cheese Croquettes; Macho Nachos loaded with white queso, jalapeno pico de gallo, crema, cilantro and your choice of: chorizo, jackfruit, pulled chicken, pulled pork or tofu chorizo; and the Big Dilla Quesadilla, a sun-dried tomato basil tortilla topped with crema and cilantro served with a side of cabbage and pico with your choice of cheese, chorizo, jackfruit, pulled chicken, pulled pork or tofu chorizo.

A month and a half since his grand opening, Hinkle said he's thrilled with the reception from the community.

"It's been great," he said. "We're getting amazing feedback from the community."

He's hoping word spreads beyond Dunedin.

"Dunedin is becoming a food destination, which I love," he said. "This area is starting to be really up and coming when it comes to food."

Fusion Street Eatery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit the website or Facebook page.