Fish fusion on Fulton

Mixed traditions: Marco Sudjita, owner of Fujita Sushi (1976 Fulton Avenue), wants to introduce Sacramento to his brand of Japanese fusion that draws from Italy, Spain, Latin America and beyond. Trained in New York City, Sudjita can put together a tidy, traditional nigiri as readily as he can whip up a dish like “Japanese nachos” ($12) that come with raw fish and guacamole.

“I decided Sacramento might need a new kind of sushi that we can provide,” he said.

Other novel choices on his menu include ceviche ($11) dressed with mango, yuzu foam and micro cilantro, as well as hamachi carpaccio ($13) complete with basil, fried garlic and tomatoes, but also ponzo and himalayan salt.

Still, his restaurant keeps some ties to tradition. His ramen broth combines chicken and pork for a stock with rich umami flavors. He makes his soy sauce in-house, preferring the tosa style that includes hints of tuna and seaweed. And he gets his baos fresh everyday from the local Shun Fat Supermarket.

He uses the baos for overstuffed sandwiches with fillings like peanut-soy pork belly ($3) and New England-style lobster ($5), complete with celery, onions and an aioli punched up with Old Bay spices.

Sudjita said he hopes to seasonally shift his menu every “four to five months,” and right now, he’s trying to “Asian-ize” a gazpacho recipe.

“We’re doing research,” he said. “We’re going to put, like, Korean pears and lychee in there. You’ve never seen that in a gazpacho.”

Provisional dinner: Chefs Robert Sakado, Steve Gibanov and Theodore Gibanov started their food business American River Provisions in early 2017, bringing together more than 40 years of culinary experience. After months of working on recipes, the group hosted its first pop-up event on October 30 at Revolution Wines (2831 S Street), where Theodore once served as executive chef.

At $100 a person, the dinner wasn’t cheap, but it looked spectacular: After starting off with arancini, foie gras and a cannellini bean bruschetta, the four-course meal began with a salad made of mixed winter chicories. The pasta was a braised mushroom-stuffed pansotti. The entree was a smoked pork loin with wild rice and crisped kale. And the dessert was a pistachio almond cake topped with orange marmalade and whipped creme fraiche.

Theodore Gibanov said they hope to continue building buzz with catering and private dinners as they compile recipes for a book and save money to purchase a food truck.