Not just gourmet pizza: This culinary oasis covers the Mediterranean coast and boasts an outdoor bar better than Eden.

The Scene
With a dining room torn between art deco and art nouveau, Paragary's is well-known for its stylized ambience. A painted raised ceiling, slanted mirrors and large, plant-filled windows help open the space up for great people-watching. Though a corporate crowd comes to schmooze, the clientele is primarily repeat customers who have been coming back since the 1983 opening.

The Food
It pioneered wood-fired gourmet pizza in Sacramento. Masterful pies, like the rosemary chicken or Italian sausage, demand to be eaten slowly with a knife and fork so you can cherish the thin, buttery crust and savory ingredients. The rest of the menu focuses on Italian-Mediterranean fare, such as a generous shrimp appetizer served with Tuscan beans, and delicate hand-cut rosemary noodles strewn with seared chicken, pancetta and artichokes. Order the wonderfully airy gnocchi if they're on the menu.