Restaurants in Fair Oaks

Inside Strikes Unlimited's cavernous entertainment complex, players send bowling balls hurtling down 50 gleaming lanes. Whether they're competing in a league or just enjoying the night with friends, bowlers can watch exciting plays on the center's bounty of flat-screen TVs and massive projection screens equipped with a cutting-edge sound system. Three nights a week, the lights dim, the black lights glimmer, and a DJ starts pumping beats for Glow Bowl, an event that blends the challenge of bowling with the excitement of the club.

Just around the corner from the crack of bowling pins, Halftime Bar and Grill fuels bowling and arcade games with juicy burgers made from certified Hereford-beef patties and frosty draft beers. Eight flat-screen TVs broadcast the big game, and pool tables offer a diversion from the bowling lanes. The dance floor pulses on Friday and Saturday nights, as live music ushers in a late-night menu. Trivia night and acoustic music are among other weekly attractions.

When sushi chef Kenro-San moved to America in the 1970s, he toted along his sushi-rolling acumen and a veteran's flair for traditional Japanese delicacies. Now, behind a marble, L-shaped sushi bar, his agile hands interlace yellowtail, unagi, and Spanish mackerel with crunchy cucumbers and avocados, creating fresh nigiri and robust maki rolls. The dining room's suspended lamps cast light upon Japanese figurines and paintings, and illuminate Kenro-San's thinly sliced beef dishes, crispy tempuras, and soba-noodle soups, the latter of which are comforting enough to console an uprooted weeping willow.

The sun hangs like a ruby behind Mehfil Indian Restaurant's sheer pink drapes. Natural light announces its presence through the curtain openings, outfitting metal buffet basins with opulent silver highlights. Below large chandeliers, crisp white tablecloths populate with health-conscious entrees of chickpea-laden masala and Punjabi curry in lamb or chicken. While sipping on a sweet-mango lassi, guests can sop up a clay-oven tandoori dish in four all-natural spice levels of mild, medium, hot, and "doesn't know it's hot"––which makes it, like, so much hotter.

In a white converted home that looks like it belongs on the beach, the Sugar Plum posse churns out vegan baked goods and café fare made from local, fair-trade, and organic products whenever possible. A rotating cupcake menu includes standout flavors such as lemon lavender and mocha hazelnut, and head baker Melissa’s gluten-free and vegan carrot cake, as reported by the East Sacramento News, won a silver medal in a culinary contest where it was the only vegan entry. Sugar Plum renames its Sundays Donut Day in honor of its airy glazed donuts, served from 10 a.m. until stock runs out or the donuts stage a rebellion. Less sweet lunchtime eats often star the kitchen's house-made tempeh bacon, whether on an avocado club sandwich or atop a risotto-and-nut burger with a melty slice of Daiya “cheese.” The staff helpfully accommodates allergies and raw-food diets.