Restaurants in Norwell

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.

The aptly named Greenside Grille overlooks South Shore Country Club’s 18th hole, a scenic stretch littered with trees and opened in 1922. Views of the raised greens greet diners immediately, pooling emerald color beneath large windows and an outdoor patio with umbrellas. As flowering shrubs sway along the course below, patrons talk about glorious golf wins and frustrating sand traps that ruin dropped candies, all the while perusing a menu of dishes influenced by Italian culinary tradition. Shrimp and imported sausage dapple pizzas, and spicy sausage calabrese stews in garlic, white wine, and olive oil.