Restaurants in Davis

At Kathmandu Kitchen, kebabs of free-range lamb and other meats marinate in aromatic blends of yogurt, garlic, and herbs before they're roasted in the tandoor oven's mesquite-tinged heat. This adherence to iconic ingredients and cooking techniques helps to imbue Kathmandu's cuisine with the distinctive flavors that define Indian and Nepali food. In addition to cooking these meaty entrees, the chefs also demonstrate their mastery of the region's multitudinous vegetarian offerings, including housemade paneer cheese cooked with a vibrant assortment of herbs, vegetables, and spices.

Deep earth tones fill the entire dining room, which includes a functioning fireplace in the center of a solid brick hearth. From time to time, a live belly dancer will glide through the dining room, impressing patrons as she deftly rights crooked tables with a bump of her hip.

Limelight’s lasagna, steaks, and salads compete for space in stomachs as patrons in an adjacent card room compete in Texas hold'em and blackjack. A wooden bar next to exposed-brick walls keeps glasses full and brains busy with questions about the presidential line of succession during Tuesday-night trivia. During weekend brunches, omelets and pancakes ornament the plates of diners still musing over last night’s dreams about a dolphin water-polo league.

The sushi chefs at Azukar Sushi slice and roll more than 65 varieties of sushi and sashimi to order. Dishes such as tataki tuna and seared salmon carpaccio top sleek white tables at the new West El Camino Avenue location, which surrounds diners with plum-colored walls. Chopsticks can also pluck up pieces of nigiri sushi, such as octopus and fried tofu skin, or tap out bell carols on the sushi bar’s cylindrical hanging lamps. Specialty rolls such as the honey-walnut roll with shrimp tempura arrive artfully arranged on white-porcelain plates.

With more than two decades in business, Cafe Morocco has put in the practice and hard work for its traditional Mediterranean cuisine to earn a Very Good to Excellent rating from Zagat. While pita triangles sop up hummus and tabbouleh, ceiling fans circulate the savory aroma of vegetarian couscous filled with red potatoes and italian squash, and chicken kebabs marinated overnight in potent moroccan spices. The decor complements the exotic flavors with North African accents, such as a colorful fabric trail hanging from the ceiling and turret-shaped outlines framing the windows and kitchen. Patrons can also sip on a cup of sage tea from a metal kettle surrounded by walls covered with painted plates, gilded antique weapons, and gilded antique permits for carrying a dagger.

When chef Taka Watanabe heads to work every morning, he leaves behind a backyard of clucking pet chickens and sets his sights on scales. Wielding techniques learned from classically trained sushi chef Shige Tokita, Taka slices scallops, salmon, eel, and other fresh catches into sashimi, hand rolls, and bite-sized nigiri. Beyond the bamboo-topped sushi bar, udon and ramen noodles twirl around bamboo, pork, and scallions, and vegetables and calamari dip into crispy tempura. As guests clamp chopsticks around their rolls or strands of seaweed salad, they can admire the showmanship behind the sushi bar, where Taka and his chefs dice and roll before a backdrop of tapestries depicting famous Japanese art, such as Hokusai's The Wave and Takashi Murakami's childhood bedsheets.