Samba specializes in Japanese and South American fusion.

One of Samba's hibachi plates.

A koi pond surrounds their massive statue of Buddha.

Samba Steak & Sushi
Framingham, Massachusetts
sambaframingham.com

Cultures come together at Samba, where Japanese and South American flavors are influenced by each other. This restaurant is huge. There's a large hibachi section where chefs cook for small and large groups alike. Their gigantic Buddha statue watches over diners here. There's also a bustling bar and a more intimate dining area.

We started out with vegetarian spring rolls, which were delicious. There are countless apps like vegetable tempura, chicken tempura, edamame, and buffalo tuna rangoon. Sushi fans will love Samba. Order it a la carte or as part of a meal. They even have a Party Boat for 4 with 57 pieces of Sushi for $99. Special entrees include their Mango Filet Mignon with fresh mango, Seafood Jambalaya and Miso Chilean Sea Bass. Samba also offers several salads, rice & noodle dishes and clay pot curry.

I was thrilled to find out that customers can order from the hibachi menu even if they're not sitting in that section. I enjoyed a heaping plate of salmon with vegetable rice, fresh vegetables, shrimp and salad. The flavors, the portion, everything about this meal was so satisfying.

Vegetable tempura

California Maki

Teriyaki Teppanyani

It's always fun to order a bunch of small plates at Japanese restaurants. Eat Up New England did that last week at Oga's Japanese Cuisine in Natick, Massachusetts.

I started my meal out with a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon, before we ordered couple rounds of vegetable tempura. The tempura was sooo good. Other apps include lobster tempura, shrimp tempura and edamame. Oga's has a massive menu of fresh sushi. You can watch their chefs make it. It's hard to pick just one or two. I enjoyed the California Maki with crab, avocado, and cucumber. They also offer several vegetarian sushi options and salads.

I ordered one of their teriyaki teppanyani plates for my entrée. You can choose from two meats/fishes: chicken, shrimp, sirloin, ribeye or salmon. I enjoyed the chicken and shrimp. It's served with veggies and rice. It was a very filling and tasty dish. There are also several noodle dishes and tempura is also available in entrée-sized portions.

Koto has a large indoor koi pond with waterfalls.

Scallops hibachi dinner

When you think of South Burlington, Vermont, Japanese food isn't exactly the first thing that comes to mind. Since 1999, Koto Japanese Steakhouse has been one of the most popular restaurants in South Burlington. Diners can sit down for regular table service or get a show with one of their hibachi chefs.

Koto has an extensive menu that's complete with Vermont beers and ciders. Appetizers include tofu, shrimp or chicken tempura, spicy squid, calamari and edamame. There are countless sushi options. Order them a la carte or as an entrée with miso soup included. Even if you sit down for table service, you can still enjoy a hibachi dinner. Choose from lobster tails, salmon, sirloin steak, chicken, filet mignon, and shrimp. They all come with soup, salad, two shrimp and choice of fried rice or noodle. I loved the scallops hibachi dinner. It's so flavorful and the portion was perfect.

Koto is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

kotovt.com

Dining at Empire Restaurant and Lounge for the first time was kind of like going to watch some fireworks on the 4th of July and leaving without a grand finale. It was good, but I was left wanting more.

The night started out in the super trendy bar/ lounge area. I had a couple of sangrias, which were very good.  We moved to the very spacious main dining area for dinner. The drinks kept coming, with some at our table ordering libations served in a coconut complete with dried ice. Never order a drink that appears to be on fire. They're always overpriced and there's never enough alcohol, as was the case with these $26 drinks. You pay for the presentation.

It was time for apps. The tempura and edamame was absolutely delicious. These fried veggies were easily my favorite dish of the night. Order them if you go. We also had some crab rangoon to start. They were good, but at 12 for $29, they weren't that good. Very pricey for what we got. I expected a real wow factor for taste and was not wowed.

I played it safe and ordered the chicken lo mein for dinner. The heaping portion was served in a bowl and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day. It was good, but again, I wasn't wowed especially with the $21 price. I suspect if I tried the sushi I would have been more excited, but I'm just not a sushi person. It doesn't fill me up.

Empire is a favorite for those who must eat gluten free. They have a large menu of GF options. There's even a GF beer called "Omission." Cheers to Empire for having all of these options. My friend got some crazy GF dish of beef, rice, veggies with an egg on top. She hated it. The staff was kind enough to offer her another dish and never charged her for the bowl. The waitress couldn't have been nicer and the manager even came over to check in.

Bottom line: Go to Empire for the social scene that it is. Have a few drinks. Share a few apps. Ask lots of questions before you order and bring your wallet.
  

Tempura and edamame

You can watch the chefs do their thing from the comfort of your table.

Chicken lo mein

GF bowl that was sent back

Empire is right on the water in Boston. If you arrive around sunset, be sure to walk behind the restaurant for beautiful views of the city. You're also likely to catch a party boat or two out on the water.
Tasty Tips
- Parking is at a premium. If you go for lunch, try to find a meter on the road. If you go for dinner, you'll pay around $16 to park the car for the night.   
- Take a stroll around the water before you eat.

FuGaKyu. It sounds like an expression that would get you sent to the principal's office. FuGaKyu isn't a foul saying. Its Brookline, Massachusetts location is the largest Japanese restaurant in New England. Located on Coolidge Corner, this restaurant really is a sight to take in. When you walk in, you'll notice bamboo walls and a koi pond full of fish next to some stone benches. Pretty cool. There are two floors. On the first, a bar, sushi bar and intimate dining behind closed doors.

The menu is huge. There are special cocktails, wines, beers and sake. FuGaKyu specializes in sushi and can whip up just about any kind imaginable. They also have noodles and combo plates. I enjoyed a pile of chicken and veggies with rice. They gave me so much, that I took half of it home.

If you're not a huge fan of Japanese food, there are salads and soups. There are also plenty of vegetarian options, including several types of vegetable tempura. We had the broccoli tempura (see pic blow) which was excellent.

FuGaKyu is taking part in restaurant week. Check out their restaurant week menu: www.fugakyu.net/news.html

TIPS:
* Easily accessible by the T. Just get off at the Coolidge Corner stop.
* If you're driving prepare for lots of red lights on the way in. There is plenty of parking in the area, but be prepared to fill a meter until 8 p.m.
* Warm towels are given to you before the meal to clean your hands.
* Learn how to use chopsticks. I didn't see any forks and knives here, but you could probably ask for some.