Restaurants in Raleigh

• For $10, you get $20 worth of dining. • For $19, you get $40 worth of dining for a table of four or more. • For $15, you get a family take-out dinner with ribs for three (a $27.99 value).

Inside the kitchen at Le Mussels, chefs combine Asian, American, and tropical influences, revering seafood above all and using it to unite disparate culinary styles. Pots of mussels can arrive in a traditional broth of white wine, garlic, and butter, or in an international mélange with cilantro, Japanese sake, or spicy Italian sausage. During each mealtime rush, housemade mango salsa is poured generously over coconut-crusted tilapia while the kitchen’s grill tops teem with Angus-beef patties and tuna steaks.

Eleven flat-screen televisions surround the intimately lit dining room, which creates a modern, industrial ambiance with its high ceilings, exposed ductwork, and coal-powered napkin dispensers. As the sounds of sports broadcasts echo throughout the space, guests can visit the bar and snag a hand-shaken cocktail or a beer from the ever-changing selection of 18 domestic and imported drafts.

Though Carolina Smokehouse Grill is relatively new to the triangle culinary scene, the eatery has wasted no time making its mark. Under the direction of restaurateur Matt Naugle and executive chef Caroline Pudova, grillmasters smoke up tasty southern favorites that have earned spots on WRAL’s Five Favorites lists for Best Ribs and Best Mac and Cheese. Braised short ribs simmer slowly in beef broth, or pork ribs smoke slowly before dressing in sauce or keeping it casual by arriving to the table dry-rubbed and singing Journey songs. Pudova also prepares eastern North Carolina–style chopped pork barbecue with vinegar-based sauce, or beef brisket that grills for nine hours before sliding onto plates underneath a tomato-based sauce. Carolina Smokehouse Grill pairs these entrees with sides such as fried okra or cheesy bacon grits, as well as specialty peach and berry cobblers topped with vanilla ice cream.

Hibachi dining has become popular across the world, but Fuji Steakhouse's staff members attempt to replicate a Japanese dining experience more thoroughly. They have their guests sit on the floor beneath bamboo screens in private tatami rooms, where waiters deliver tempura, teriyaki, and udon dishes. In the main dining room, the restaurant's Asian prints and wooden-latticework panels pay homage to Japan’s culture, and flames dance on oversized hibachi tables as chefs toss shrimp and steak onto guests’ plates. Another team of chefs mans the sushi bar, like a guitarist manning the stage or a drummer manning an oil drum. There, they enfold ingredients such as caviar and lightly spiced crawfish into 19 specialty rolls.