The menu has five offerings, slightly smaller versions of many of their menu appetizers, for only $2 a piece. I was promised a good portion, and I held my breath as I sipped on my decadent, if not slightly too-tart, Caramel Apple Martini. Side note: I caught myself licking the caramel swirl inside the glass more than once as I was wishing for a caramel-dipped rim to balance out the apple cider and Stoli Apple.

I placed my order for the “mini arancini” and “mini grilled flatbread.” The description of the arancini which were anything but mini, were described as Crispy risotto balls, with short rib, Parmesan, fontina, herbs with tomato and aioli sauces. The combination: divine. The arancini rice balls were denser than I was used to with my Brooklyn, New York upbringing, but it worked. The outside was crispy and delicious and the marinara sauce had a touch of cream giving it a lighter color and deep flavor. The flatbread was a hearty, light, fluffy bread reminiscent of thicker Syrian bread and took up the entire large plate. (I’d say the pizza was approximately 10 inches long and 7 inches wide) and it was just delicious. The ingredients, roasted garlic, goat cheese, over dried cherry tomatoes, arugula, and aged fig vinegar, were perfect and this dish was filling enough as a light dinner. Arugula and goat cheese is the perfect marriage of peppery greens and creamy goodness and the aged fig vinegar was sweet and I feel a strong need to go out and purchase some to dip all my bread in, all the time. It was … I was … needless to say, I was enjoying this meal and I was getting full off of only two bar menu dishes, cashing in at a total of only $4.

Last dish up for me to try was the “mini fried squid.” I can’t stop myself from using the quotes because honestly, mini has to be some sort of sarcastic inside joke between Executive Chef Jay Silva and his warm staff, which were attentive and informative. Served with spicy, tangy aioli, fried lemon slices and chili paste the fried squid was very good. I, however, wasn’t doing as good because I was getting ridiculously full. I only managed three (okay maybe five) bits of squid including tentacles (yum!) and just couldn’t finish. It was kind of perplexing to me how they, the little squid guys, managed to have the full, robust flavor of deep fried squid, but with not the traditionally thick breaded coating you find at many chain American eateries, and even small mom-and-pop run Italian restaurants. It was damn good, and overflowing oval bowl loaded with the seafood was mind-boggling. So for $6 dollars I’m sure a friend and I could have polished off every last arugula leaf and fried squid-breading for a filling, gourmet dinner that was extremely wallet-friendly.

In the spirit of not being wasteful, I couldn’t just leave my sad little squids alone in their bowl, and overheard a quabble with my neighbors at the bar. “Is this one bowl for both of us, why didn’t you get me my own serving,” the late-arriving man said to his friend while he eyed the plate of mini fried squid. I instantly offered up my own fried squid seeing as it would only go to waste since I was about to explode, and had a back-and-forth while he decided to take me up on my generous offer.

It turns out Frank and Frank are New Yorkers in town for business staying at the gorgeous Hotel Marlowe, where Bambara is housed in. (Apparently Hotel Marlowe is one of the only pet-friendly hotels in Boston, who knew?!) We had some good laughs and toasted the large portions that we just feasted on, and I made some new friends from my hometown of New York City.

So if you’re looking for a mellow atmosphere with light jazz music in the background and fragrant food smells wafting from the partially open kitchen, head to Bambara between 4-6 p.m. (I suggested they extend it until 7 so we’ll just have to wait and see if they take my advice) for their Happiest Hour menu and bring a few friends, or just meet some new ones. I’m planning to head back to try the herb french fries with spicy mayo (I kind of have a serious thing with spicy mayo, we’re involved AND exclusive) and the mini fish cakes. Their menu, and in turn Happiest Hour menu, is always changed seasonally to reflect the best ingredients.

Skip down to the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue and cool off with some of the best and most refreshing cocktails and sashimi plates in the city.

Uni Sashimi Bar and Lounge may be extremely cozy (read: tiny) but it is definitely the hippest sushi spot in Beantown. Executive chef and co-owner Ken Oringer, also of the innovative South End tapas restaurant Toro, has let go of all inhibition and explored new territory when it comes to sashimi, seafood and ambiance. In addition, the service was impeccable from the hostess, to both our waitresses, to the owners themselves. The staff was not only knowledgeable regarding every single dish they placed on the sushi bar, but they were friendly and extremely attentive.

Uni is located right inside Clio, the restaurant at the Hotel Eliot on Commonwealth Avenue. Clio serves up inventive French-American cuisine, and Uni, directly off the hotel’s lobby, compliments it nicely. Sashimi chef and co-owner Chris Chung was on fire the night a friend and I stopped by for some pleasantly refreshing drinks and fusion sashimi that made my mouth water at the very first glance of the menu descriptions.

Our first course, Hirame (fluke for any sushi-neophytes out there) with toasted garlic was delicious. The fish was fresh and light, and the citrus flavors played nicely against the wonderfully strong and aromatic garlic which is a staple in many of the dishes (as it should be because it added so many levels of flavor to the different fish).

The seaweed salad here is inventive, if not directly up my alley. Unlike the standard bright electric green, uniformly sized strands of seaweed that appear in every single salad I have ordered in this fair city, the seaweed salad at Uni has a variety of different sizes, colors and textures of the ocean delicacy. It has a slightly bitter flavor and is perfect for anyone seeking to try a new take on this Japanese restaurant staple. It features four seaweeds with soy sauce, brown rice vinegar and tuna flakes adding a strong salty oceanic flavor.

Something that was truly another standout was the Rock Shrimp Tempura seasoned with spicy red pepper aioli and Korean pepper threads. It was delicious and perfectly fried. It was popcorn shrimp on steroids (the good kind, whatever they might be). These bite-sized morsels were definitely not for the faint of heart, packing a very spicy kick. They’re also not for anyone on a diet.

Another great standout in my mind was the octopus, a sashimi fish rarely eaten by the unadventurous sushi enthusiast. The way  Chung prepared the delicacy, it was mild and delicious. The octopus, sliced quarter-thin, had great texture and was drizzled with wonderful chili oil (and of course that toasted garlic we can’t get enough of).

One of my absolute favorite dishes was surprisingly simple, decadent and completely and utterly refreshing on that exceptionally hot and humid July day: the spicy lobster salad. It was phenomenal. It boasted papaya, perfect lobster meat and that wondrous toasted garlic again. It was heavenly and the perfect thing to cool off on a hot summer’s night.

And not only is it my favorite dish, it happens to be sashimi Chung’s favorite dish as well.

“The idea for this salad original is derived from the traditional Thai salad Som Tum,” Chung said. He believes that the freshness of the fish is the most important thing.

“My cooking method is to use traditional flavors and techniques and add in a touch of French cooking technique,” he said.

Some ingredients Chris often utilizes behind the sashimi bar at Uni include soy sauce, yuzu, and fleur de sel. He also feels that using seasonal vegetables and fish will result in the best meal possible.

Fellow dancer and sushi-lover Vanessa and I were seated on the edge of the sushi bar and couldn’t help but shimmy and tap our feet to the restaurant’s soundtrack. The music was a fun variety including some hip hop, pop and Latin hits, including a personal favorite, Juanes’ “A Dios Le Pido.” When Oringer stopped by to say hello to us, he let us know his wife had created the playlist and I had to commend her taste, in both music and men (Ken is the epitome of surfer-cute with medium-length brown hair, a five o’clock shadow and a sweet demeanor).

Of course, I can’t forget about the fun summer cocktails – the perfect pick me up, or relax me down drinks – on this exceptionally humid day. The Ginko-Bai artfully showcased plum-infused and Asian pear sake with a mountain peach and sugared rim. It was delicious, light and not too strong which is a must for any summer alcoholic beverage.

We ended the meal with two desserts, the standout being the Strawberry Fields dessert (can anyone say Strawberry Fields forever, and hopefully ever and ever?!). This dish of fresh sliced strawberries and wonderfully light and delicious cocoa “soil” and coconut sorbet with rose dew was divine. The rose dew used is perfection because I have never been so excited about a dessert, ever. Usually, I’m disappointed and left too full with an unsatisfied sweet-tooth.

The Frozen Capsule of Bing Cherry and Amaretto Toffee packed a fun surprise with the toffee spilling luxuriously out of the center. It was pretty good, but not even a close second to the Strawberry Fields dream-dessert status.

This is a great date spot; it’s intimate and fun with inventive dishes that are thought-provoking as well as palate-enticing. Creativity is often overlooked in Japanese cuisine so it’s great to see a Boston restaurant embrace innovation and create new dishes using the freshest products and ingredients we may not typically expect to pop up in our sashimi.

And, Uni is partaking in Restaurant Week for those on a budget, happening now. Their first course offerings include a spicy shrimp salad with cucumber, mango, lime and chili or yellowfin tuna with sweet onions, sesame, seaweed and pickled mung bean (so much yummier than it sounds!). Their entree choices feature a slow poached Scottish salmon prepared with yuzu salsa and served with an organic rice ball, kobe short rib with a side of spicy cabbage salad and chirashi with the chef’s choice of exotic sashimi fish and various vegetables.

So if your feeling a little too hot under the collar, skip down to the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue and cool off with some of the best and most refreshing cocktails and sashimi plates in the city.

One of my friends had done a little research on the Masa website which paid off for us. They were having a special promotion where pitchers of Sangria were only $5. The pitchers were served in beautiful, if not small, glass carafes that contained approximately 1.5-2 servings of beautifully rich and flavorful red wine sangria flavored with a hint of cinnamon.

The restaurant was definitely in full force and completely crowded from the moment we stepped in at 6:45 p.m. until we left, full and completely satiated to the extreme at about 9.

As good as the restaurant week menu choices appeared in print, the taste was even better. The first course offering of duck empanadas was amazing. The duck was moist and plentiful and delicious, and the mole sauce was sweet, thick and completely authentic. It was served with a refreshing watercress salad that complemented the empanada in its flaky and sturdy crust and spicy sauce perfectly.

The chipotle spiked clam chowder had a very earthy taste and was served with brioche crackers. The tender romaine salad with crispy red corn tortillas was served beautifully with roasted green chile dressing and smoked cotija cheese. When I first looked over the menu it seemed to be the least impressive choice, but the flavor was incredible. It was delicious and the perfect way to start the meal. I definitely asked for more than one bite from one of my fellow diners, and friends, (as we whined over who hated their boyfriend more that day).

I had been eying each plate as it passed and was excitedly anticipating our entrees. Lucky for us, there were four offerings and four diners with my party, and we each ordered a different item.

My Southwestern style steak frites with chile dusted fries was incredible. I asked for the steak medium rare, with an emphasis on rare, and that is how it arrived. Perfectly pink, deliciously and liberally spiced and overflowing with juice and flavor. The chile lime arugula salad was the perfect recipe to calm the heat. Paired with a Guajillo bourbon sauce, I was in pure heaven. It was one of the best entrees I’ve had of this March 2009 Restaurant Week in Boston, or any other of my past Restaurant Week adventures.

The blackened rare ahi tuna steak with yellow mole was equally pleasing. It was served with Yukon gold potatoes and wild mushrooms. I would’ve preferred the tuna to be less cooked, but that is a personal preference (caused by a bad experience with blackened tuna that was half cooked all the way through and completely unappetizing which resulted in a trip to the emergency room and a Benadryl shot in my behind).

The vegetarian offering, a spicy tres chiles polenta served with marinated mushrooms, arugula and cotija cheese was on the very hot side, which my friend was not warned about. It was hearty and filling, a treat for vegetarians who often find themselves out of luck and out of choices at many restaurants during restaurant week. The chicken was well seasoned and overall spiced well with Adobo and had a refreshing corn avocado salsa.

We forged on toward dessert; the third course offering. We had a sampling of them all, and the molten chocolate cake, despite being delicious, had nothing molten to offer up, at all. Expecting a liquid, creamy and rich center we were slightly disappointed to find the cake solid, through and through. The selection of sorbets: pineapple, strawberry and lemon were divine, refreshing with real fruit taste served in the perfect size, not too much and most definitely not too little.

The flan, however, fell flat. It was a bit too solid, and not being a fan of flan, that did nothing to change my mind about the quivering dessert.

Overall, this was an excellent Restaurant Week choice and a great experience with friends. The lively atmosphere and inventive and delicious food paired perfectly for a great South End dining experience.

This is most definitely not your Chili’s Southwestern experience!

Plaza III Kansas City Steakhouse seems to have found a way to upset all that.

The problem with Plaza III may have been that I went into my lunch date with a friend from college with the highest of expectations. Coworkers and friends had been raving about this restaurant for days telling me how jealous and excited they were for me that I was going there.

I should’ve seen the signs right away. When we first entered this Faneuil Hall upscale locale, the hostess gave a half-hearted “hello” and told us our table need to be cleaned off and it would be a two minute wait. Needless to say, all around were visibly empty and clean tables, and not just one or two, but approximately two dozen.

When we were finally escorted to our table, a nice window seat looking out onto the cobblestone walkways of Faneuil Hall directly facing Abercrombie & Fitch, the hostess did not make any eye contact and walked away after placing the menus on the table in front of my friend and myself. There was one waiter working about five tables around us, and when he finally made his way over he took our drink orders and walked away, even though we were ready to order. Then it took an unnecessarily long to get our drinks (a ginger ale and a water I might add). We finally ordered, excited to eat but mainly because we were very hungry now.

Our salads came after almost 15 minutes and were incredibly unimpressive looking. The Plaza III Garden Salad was on a too-small plate, tossed in boring ranch dressing with a small wedge of tomatoes and sprinkled with bacon and hard-boiled egg. It tasted good but wasn’t anything special.

After a half hour after we got our appetizer salads (which we received after the next table got theirs, and they arrived 10 minutes after us) our entrees finally came. Again, the presentation was worthy of a yawn, the “garlic” mashed potatoes tasted like they came straight from a box without a hint of garlic, and our fillet mignons were completely dull and overcooked at medium well, when we both asked for medium rare.

The asparagus was good — thin and cooked to a crispy and delicious finish. The Béarnaise sauce however was way too sour and very unappetizing.

If I hadn’t been so hungry and pressed for time I would’ve sent it all back.

Trying to maintain a positive outlook and spirit we ordered dessert. I went for the classic New York style cheesecake with strawberries and my friend ordered the Godiva chocolate mousse. They both ended up being delicious, if not predictable. The strawberry syrup not obviously out of a jar from the supermarket.

Overall I would rate my Plaza III, The Kansas City Steakhouse, Restaurant Week lunch experience as average. The trick might be to go in with low expectations so that I could’ve been happily proven wrong, but I’m still not sure that would’ve happened.

What no one should forget is that The Fireplace is romantic all year long. A recent visit — my first time here — was no exception. I hope.

The restaurant gives off melded feelings of youth and maturity. Boston Magazine recently awarded the restaurant for its brunch, but Fireplace’s reputation is as a dinner destination.

Despite the bounds of progress I’ve made in the last 10 years in adding food items to my personal repertoire, I’ve never tried mussels. That changed.

If you’ve never tried a mussel, it looks disgusting. But now’s not the time to look squeamish in front of a date. Prying this sliminess out of the familiar black shell, I plopped it in, chewed, and swallowed.

Yum. Yum? Yum.

Fireplace’s Cape Cod Mussels Steamed in a Lemon, Garlic & Toasted Almond Broth ($12) are delicious. Sadly, I can’t give you an official comparison to anything else yet. One of them did taste fishy, but the rest were buttery and neutral.

The Grilled Sirloin ($33) which could have been a little leaner but was cooked perfectly medium and very savory. The second dish is a bit of a mouthful to say in one breath: “Mustard Crusted Swordfish over Grilled Red Potatoes, Sautéed Leeks and Cherry Tomatoes w/Red Pepper-Bacon Vinaigrette & Crispy Onion Rings” ($28). It was a very mild fish, cooked just right.

Two things to check out are their cheese menu and their wine list. Dessert is $8, and though we were full, I’d be curious on a future visit to try the Apricot & Mulled Cider Crisp with Gingerbread Topping & Cinnamon Ice Cream. That just sounds amazing.

Atmosphere mixes with a rich menu and excellent service. We had a cozy corner table and everything.

WESTWOOD, Calif. — It’s easy for a Bostonian to lose himself in Westwood Village. After all, it looks like a combination of Newbury Street and Tremont Street, complete with shopping, moviegoing and eating.

Tanino, on Westwood Boulevard, is a beautifully designed Italian restaurant and top-shelf bar. It’s perfect for dinner for two, dinner for the family or in this case, a quick escape while my co-worker goes shopping for a new outfit across the street.

I recommend a nice Italian drink like lemoncello or espresso with sambocca. I had a Scotch, but that’s because I was in a Scotch mood. And they have a very good selection of Scotch, Irish Whisley, Bourbon and much more.

Tanino doesn’t miss in the food department either. The Burrata caprese salad ($13.50), was an excellent mixture of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, basil and olive oil — one of my top 10 favorite dishes, and they didn’t disappoint.

I’d also recommend the lombatina di vitello ($36), a 16-ounce veal chop with raosted potatoes and sauteed spinach.

There are also more than an dozen pasta dishes including four-cheese gnocchi ($17) and three kinds of risotto.

I was impressed with the old country feel of the restaurant, it’s knowledgeable and attentive staff and most of all its deep variety of fresh food.

I sat at the bar and made chit-chat with a new, veal-ordering friend and the bartender, both also from Boston. I came away from Tanino with a great experience that will bear repeating on future trips westward.

LOS ANGELES — La Bella Cucina, conveniently located near the convention center, is an inexpensive Italian option when you’re craving carbs after a long day at E3.

The casual restaurant and bar features a diverse menu of appetizers, soups/salads, pasta, pizza and seafood. But several of the offerings are marred by either over or under flavoring.

The Pizza Bianco ($5.95) is their take on garlic bread. It’s a personal-sized pizza crust topped with what appears to be jarred, minced garlic. Fresh garlic would be a much better option, as the scoops of jarred garlic tend to overpower.

I was hoping to try their gnocchi ($11.95), but they were out when we went, at 6 p.m. Monday.

The farfalle botega ($9.95) was my final answer — bow tie pasta in cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken and fresh spinach. Somehow, this dish was bland. I don’t know how you can make a tomato, spinach, chicken, cream sauce dish bland, but I was unscrewing the cap off the pepper to add some flavor.

The rigatoni quatro formaggi ($8.95) was also a bit bland and off tasting. Would not order again.

The restaurant offers dozens more pasta options ($7.95-$13.95), 14 specialty pizzas ($7.95-$14.95) and even a seabass with capers dish (market price).

La Bella Cucina has excellent, attentive service, a good variety of food and drink, and a very casual atmosphere in a neighborhood that can easily break the bank.

The food isn’t that great, let’s be honest. But it was filling and fairly fresh and wicked cheap. If you’re hankering for Italian, you could do worse.