Global Sushi in a Global Atmosphere: this could easily sum up the hip restaurant SushiSamba Rio. This Chicago-area hot-spot, located at 504 N. Wells Street, offers outstanding International Fusion dishes based on the cuisines of Japan, South America, and American Nuevo Latino. Before visiting this restaurant, I heard mixed reviews, so it took quite a bit of convincing by one of my staff members before I decided to check it out for myself. Upon entering, I was immediately blown away by its club-like theme, which on this night featured a Latin DJ. (Wednesday nights feature live music and dancers.) And then there was the food: SushiSamba Rio offers both traditional sushi and an ensemble of innovative sushi-fused-inspired dishes. To round out the experience, I would recommend trying one of the many types of sake on offer. Since I’m new to this kind of thing, I had no idea what it would taste like or what to order. Good thing our waiter was a sake expert. He put us at ease and gave us some awesome suggestions. Overall, the food at SushiSamba Rio is excellent and the ambience is simply breath-taking. While the prices can be a little intimidating, for the food and service I think it’s well worth it. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give SushiSamba Rio a solid 5. In fact, it was such a great experience that we’re hosting our next company dinner there.

Visit them @ www.sushisamba.com