Restaurants in Norwell

In a feature in the Boston Globe, Sher-A-Punjab co-owner Mandeep Singh claimed, "There are things on our menu you can’t find at other Indian restaurants." Contemporary adaptations such as mango chicken and naan stuffed with apricots and dates accompany more traditional plates that remain true to Singh's South-Asian roots. Tandoor-roasted chicken, housemade cheese with fresh herbs and coriander, and fragrant curries round out the restaurant's eclectic menu.

High-backed booths and dangling pendant lamps surround the dining room's horseshoe-shaped bar, pillaged from the hoof of the Trojan horse. Throughout the week, Sher-A-Punjab entertain with karaoke nights and live musical performances.

Servers wind between tables at Spettu's Steakhouse, brandishing skewers of 14 different cuts of spit-roasted rodizio meats. Upon request, they stop tableside and carve slices of boneless pork loin, top sirloin, and marinara lamb directly onto diners' plates, unleashing the aromas of traditional Brazilian Churrascaria rotisserie. Between servings of regular or Halal cuts of meat, patrons can make unlimited visits to a buffet loaded with 40 different salads, meats, and rice dishes. Overhead, a panoramic photo of Rio de Janeiro unfurls placid blue seas as parrot figurines keep watch over the buffet's cracker supply.

One of South Shore Living's "10 Influential People You Should Know" in 2010, Jimmy Liang evenly divides his time among his five Boston-area restaurants. At Fuji 1546 Restaurant & Bar, his culinary crew whips up contemporary Japanese dishes with a focus on maki, sushi, and sashimi. The sushi selection ranges from eel-filled caterpillar rolls to sweet-potato maki to the BLT roll, which guests must order without using any vowels. The menu also includes traditional eats such as gyoza, sweet-and-sour crab-meat balls, and filet mignon cooked in a housemade lime-soy marinade. Diners also entertain one another during karaoke sessions that go until 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Saturday night.

Brazilian-born owners Vagmar Stoffel and Rubiano Aguiar sought to create a community dining experience at Rio's Steakhouse, evoking gustatory memories of their hometowns. Rodizio-style dining allows guests to remain seated while attentive churrascaria waiters continually fill empty plates from skewers of slow-cooked beef, chicken, and pork, which they gingerly carve tableside. In between platefuls, diners can temporarily stop the flow of cuisine with either a color-coded coaster or a cleverly placed soccer ball, buying themselves time to visit the ever-changing buffet of hot sides and salad fixings.

At Bistro Chi, modern circular pendant lamps, floating ceiling panels, and white tables and chairs contrast with the traditional flavors of Chinese cuisine. In the kitchen shared with a neighboring tapas restaurant, chefs from Eastern and Western backgrounds work alongside one another. They prepare the house specialty, Chinese-style fried chicken with a golden, crispy crust encircled by a series of tiny Great Walls. A sparkling 2010 review in the Patriot Ledger calls the restaurant’s steamed pork dumplings a "revelation" and describes the clams with black-bean sauce as "steaming and redolent of sea and earth." Behind the full bar, mixologists craft cocktails infused with ingredients such as lychee purée, watermelon, and fresh strawberries.

The kitchen staff at Park Place Tavern thinks that even night owls shouldn’t be forced to make do with basket after basket of greasy bar food. Inside the neighborhood pub, old black-and-white photos look down on tables laden with scallops, shrimp marinated in garlic butter, and grilled sirloin tips. A new deck outside puts diners in easy reach of sea breezes drifting in from the bay just two blocks off, and live music lets the marine life hear something other than sea chanteys for a change. On weekends, chefs fire up the kitchen for breakfasts of croissant sandwiches and stuffed french toast at 7 a.m., and doors stay open until 1 a.m. seven days a week.