2 Best Restaurants in Sacramento and the Gold Country, California

The owner-chef of this mod-Japanese restaurant fashions fresh, wildly creative sushi for patrons seated at blond-wood tables, a counter, or an open-air patio. Order a sunshine roll—spicy tuna, escolar, and shrimp tempura enlivened by the tart contribution of green apples and lemon—perhaps pairing it with cooked fare like smoked duck kushiyaki with plum-wine katsu sauce or hot or cold ramen.

Landlocked Nevada City might seem like an odd place for a sushi haven, but this red-walled restaurant known for offbeat items like truffle sashimi and trout, salmon, and other "shooters" in shot glasses (quail eggs, too) consistently ranks atop local "best-of" lists for Japanese cuisine. Although Sushi in the Raw changed owners and locations in 2022, the new head chef, who trained several years under his predecessor, continues to emphasize time-honored techniques and ultrafresh ingredients.