Fuse Lounge- A Retro tradition brought up to date

We've been trying to find some great dining deals in the Monterey/Carmel area for awhile and were coming up empty handed. That is until an EOC facebook friend, Giule Garland tipped us off to a couple of deals in Carmel. The most interesting involved FREE FOOD! That got our attention fast. We decided a little road trip south was in the cards for us.  Fuse Lounge in the Carmel Mission Inn was our destination.  Many years ago it was the only large hotel in the area and was a Holiday Inn, but its been completely redo while retaining a slightly retro look. The lounge/restaurant has kept the most retro look and feel but is all brand spanking new. Lots of windows give the place an open airy feel. They are plenty of large comfy chairs arranged around large tables, which are great for large groups.  We chose a smaller table near a window overlooking the pool area and garden.  A good thing to do is call ahead and double check when hapy hour starts that day. I was told it was 4-6 and checking online I couldn't find a time on their site. When we arrived at 4:30 we were told it didn't start till 5. Not a big deal, we just soaked up some sun by the pool till opening time. So at this point it seems like happy  hour is 5-7pm. Much more civilized in my opinion.
  Okay here's the ground rules. The buffet is free if you buy a alcoholic drink. If you opt out  of the alcohol you can still get the buffet for 5.00. We went for two Sierra Nevada beers, $4.00 during happy hour, that's a dollar off regular price. Well drinks also get the dollar off discount. With the drink orders in we were given plates to use at the buffet. They're small but as it turned out well designed for loading up at the buffet, not that that's necessary as its all you can eat. 
  The buffet itself was a nice selection of items that allowed you to put together a nicely varied meal. In the cold department were a selection of grilled marinated veggies. This included; asparagus, eggplant, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers. I could've been happy with just this. The eggplant was buttery and the asparagus crunchy but not tough.  Even if veggies aren't your thing, get some onions or peppers as they make a nice garnish for the hot items. 
  On the night we were there the hot items were a rigatoni pasta with a tomato/garlic sauce topped with grated cheese. Then there were mushrooms stuffed with meat, my mom used to make these and her's were the best and these compared very well. Last were my favorite, tasty but difficult to catagorize. In the end I'd say they were mini chicken tostadas. A tiny, about the size of a half dollar, fried corn tortilla topped with chicken, sour cream and a little cilantro. Little bites of heaven. By the second helping of food I was pretty much full. I gamely went back for a third, but I think I was pushing it.
  Okay what was the damage? Two beers $4.00 each, total eight bucks! That's it! Okay, I don't think it gets better than that.  If you need more food they do have a regular dinner menu, but we were just fine with this.
  This deal is available Wed and Thurs. Friday they have another deal that we're going to need to check out. An all you can eat seafood buffet for 11.99. Again the catch is you need to buy a drink. But consider this. Without a drink the buffet is 19.99. So in effect you get the buffet and a drink for less than the cost of the buffet alone. Do the math.  We'll be checking this out in the future, but we're told they have blue point oysters, peel and eat shrimp, cioppino, and several other items.
  So if you're in Carmel during the week this is the place to land after a day of exploring the area.

Fuse Lounge 
3665 Rio Road
Carmel, CA, 93923
831-624-6632