Flavors of Asia in the Sierra Foothills

THE BROADWAY MUSICAL MISS SAIGON IS coming to the foothills this spring. Asian culture has been an integral part of our region’s past.

In the mid-to-late-1800s, the area received a flurry of activity during the Gold Rush and later, the building of the first transcontinental railroad.

The building that houses Sopa Thai in Nevada City was in the heart of the Chinese Quarter, a famous Chinatown in the 1880s.

Asian restaurants gained popularity in the ‘20s and ’30 and have been growing ever since. The cuisine runs the gamut—from Chinese to Thai and Japanese to Vietnamese. And for small mountain towns, the sushi is stellar. Here are examples of our flavors of Asia.

Auburn
AUBURN THAI GARDEN
Artistic presentation; delicious flavor; extensive beer list.
175 Palm Ave.
887-8696 AuburnThai.com

BOBO CAFÉ
Traditional Vietnamese cuisine; beer and wine.
213 Palm Ave.
887-5494 BoboCafeWeb.com

TWIN DRAGON
Mandarin, Szechuan and Hunan cuisine; offers catering.
520 Auburn Ravine Rd.
886-6190 TwinDragonAuburn.com

Grass Valley
KAIDO
Delicious Japanese food; sushi, tempura and sake.
207 W. Main St.
274-0144 KaidoSushi.com

TASTE OF THAI
Authentic Thai food, pleasant surroundings, reasonable prices.
204 W. Main St.
274-2968 TasteofThaiGV.com

Nevada City
SOPA THAI
Authentic Thai, historic building and a small store with Thai cooking ingredients. Also in Yuba City.
312-316 Commercial St.
470-0101 SopaThai.net

SUSHI IN THE RAW
Creative sushi dishes, seafood shooters, cute bar area, sake.
315 Spring St.
478-9503

SUSHI-Q
Stellar sushi, NC and 49er rolls, extensive saki selection.
238 Commercial St.
265-5757

Truckee-Tahoe
DRUNKEN MONKEY SUSHI
Sushi, seafood, noodles and tapas.
11253 Brockway Rd., Truckee
582-9755 DrunkenMonkeySushi.com

THAI KITCHEN RESTAURANT
255 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
583-1784

Super Bowl Sushi
Kaido in Grass Valley offers sushi platters “to go” for the Super Bowl, a tradition for the Japanese restaurant. The platters are artistic and delicious.

(Photo: Sushi in the Raw, Nevada City)