Sacramento Restaurants, Nightlife and Entertainment

[BrianSac]

Enotria Wine Bar and Restaurant has seasonal sales on its bottles of wine to clear them out for new bottles.

Chad, the Wine Stewart says they have 1,000 bottles of wine in stock on average.

I picked up 5 bottles for a 75% savings from the restaurant price.

Its usually a one day or weekend sale.

Here's what I got:

1. A Bordeaux - 2001 - Chateau Le Peuy-Saincrit - Grand Vin De Bordeaux, Français
$35 in the restaurant, $15 on sale.

2. A Rhône for $15, normally $38 in the restaurant. Féraud - Brunel, 2005, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Français

3. An Old Vine Zinfandel, normally $32, i got it for $13. Valhalla Cellers, 2004, Lodi, California.

4. A Pinot Noir - $35 in restaurant, i got it for $15. Silverstone, 2001, Monterey, California.

5. A Riesling - $30 in restaurant, i got it for $13. Dr. Loosen - Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Deutschland

I wanted more but needed to watch the budget. Nice choice of Syrahs and Beaujolais, too.

[arod74]

Hey anyone know whats going on with the former Bleacher's site (it sadly spent its last few years as a hedious pink Chinese buffet) there in front of the main fair grounds entrance on Exposition? As I drove by, it was almost completely demolished. Most of the restuarants on expo have been replaced by business/commercial over the years so I wouldn't be surprised to see the space be used for that purpose. Hell, while they are at it they might as well demo the rest of that complex. With Circuit City gone, the only thing there might be a Petco and Mervyns and that can barely be called retail. It will be interesting to see what happens with that complex when Mervyns finally folds and if the Cal Expo is successful in getting the redevolpement push with the new Arena and entertainment..

[TWAK]

anybody know where a good place to get a haircut at for cheap, like 10 bucks? I got regular barbershop in Dixon and Davis, but I don't know of any "guy" kinda barbers in the area. Are there any in the pocket, florin, freeport or downtown area? No hoity toity urban hair salons, I want a regular candy cane barbershop that will shave my neck and sideburns.

[innov8]

Hey anyone know whats going on with the former Bleacher's site (it sadly spent its last few years as a hedious pink Chinese buffet) there in front of the main fair grounds entrance on Exposition? As I drove by, it was almost completely demolished. Most of the restuarants on expo have been replaced by business/commercial over the years so I wouldn't be surprised to see the space be used for that purpose. Hell, while they are at it they might as well demo the rest of that complex. With Circuit City gone, the only thing there might be a Petco and Mervyns and that can barely be called retail. It will be interesting to see what happens with that complex when Mervyns finally folds and if the Cal Expo is successful in getting the redevolpement push with the new Arena and entertainment..

I saw that a backhoe sitting there last week... man, the time has come :(
I enjoyed many great times there... back when it was a cool sports bar. It sure
went to crap in the last several years.

TWAK: Try the Freeport Beauty Salon at 5037 Freeport and ask for Elissa.
Ten bucks will get you a nice hair cut from Elissa... the other ladies don't
speak english very well... so don't chance it like I did once.

[BrianSac]

anybody know where a good place to get a haircut at for cheap, like 10 bucks? I got regular barbershop in Dixon and Davis, but I don't know of any "guy" kinda barbers in the area. Are there any in the pocket, florin, freeport or downtown area? No hoity toity urban hair salons, I want a regular candy cane barbershop that will shave my neck and sideburns.


Folsom Blvd and 51st street - Candy Cane old time barber shop. Owned by an italian guy. Old italian guys hang out their and talk sports, farming, and cars.
Its sort of "mafia-ish". I keep expecting Tony Soprano to walk in. The barbers are all older men and italian. In the summer they talk about who has the biggest tomatoes, grapes, eggplant, etc. in their italian gardens, and how younger folks need guidance. :)

[TWAK]

Folsom Blvd and 51st street - Candy Cane old time barber shop. Owned by an italian guy. Old italian guys hang out their and talk sports, farming, and cars.
Its sort of "mafia-ish". I keep expecting Tony Soprano to walk in. The barbers are all older men and italian. In the summer they talk about who has the biggest tomatoes, grapes, eggplant, etc. in their italian gardens, and how younger folks need guidance. :)
that sounds good, I'm Sicilian so that would work out great. What area is this? close to Pocket?
I'll give your suggestion a try too Inov8, although it is a salon if its on Freeport and I can get it for 10 bucks that would be awesomeness.
I normally go to this place every couple of months where I live (unless I'm in the Dixon-Davis area), it's some sort of salon with water fountains in it. I only went in there by the sheer need of a haircut in a short span of time (had to do military stuff) but the chicks were fucken sexy as hell. They better be smokin' if I'm paying 18$ a haircut.

[brandon12]

^there's an awesome place on 21st, near P or so (it's next to the Press Club). It's for guys only, they have a few playboys sitting around, sports center on the tv, it's three brothers or cousins I think. When I was there, there was even some dude that brought in a 12er of corona's and I kinda laughed a little and someone said it was byob.
I think they charge about $10 for a buzz cut.

[BrianSac]

that sounds good, I'm Sicilian so that would work out great. What area is this? close to Pocket?
I'll give your suggestion a try too Inov8, although it is a salon if its on Freeport and I can get it for 10 bucks that would be awesomeness.
I normally go to this place every couple of months where I live (unless I'm in the Dixon-Davis area), it's some sort of salon with water fountains in it. I only went in there by the sheer need of a haircut in a short span of time (had to do military stuff) but the chicks were fucken sexy as hell. They better be smokin' if I'm paying 18$ a haircut.

That would be considered "'East Sacramento" in the city limits, Corte Bros is down the street at 59th street, and Gallagers Irish Pub. This is parallel to Highway 50 and light rail. North of the freeway. Last time I had a buzz cut there it was under $10, but that was about 3yrs ago. These guys are old time Sacramentans when everyone had a garden and fruit trees in East Sac and every italian was somehow connected to the Agricultural industry in the valley. The owner is a hot rod car buff. All their kids go to the local catholic schools. No sexy girls, just old men with high wasted pants. Playboys on the table would be in bad taste. They belong under the bed behind closed doors. This the respectable barber shop Tony Soprano takes his boys to when they are under 16, when they are over 16 then they go to the "playboy" barber shop in the bad part of town.

[goldcntry]

That would be considered "'East Sacramento" in the city limits, Corte Bros is down the street at 59th street, and Gallagers Irish Pub. This is parallel to Highway 50 and light rail. North of the freeway. Last time I had a buzz cut there it was under $10, but that was about 3yrs ago. These guys are old time Sacramentans when everyone had a garden and fruit trees in East Sac and every italian was somehow connected to the Agricultural industry in the valley. The owner is a hot rod car buff. All their kids go to the local catholic schools. No sexy girls, just old men with high wasted pants. Playboys on the table would be in bad taste. They belong under the bed behind closed doors. This the respectable barber shop Tony Soprano takes his boys to when they are under 16, when they are over 16 then they go to the "playboy" barber shop in the bad part of town.

Gotta throw my :2cents: into the ring. This place has great nostalgia value to it and is good for a no-nonsence hair cut of days gone by... Berma-Shave, Barbersol, and clippers! :yes:

Also of note of the businesses on the intersection of Folsom and 51st: there is the Italiano Marcato, a Longs Drug, Trader Joe's, and Gunther's Ice Cream Parlour! If you're a good lad for your haircut, you could walk down to Gunther's for an icecream cone... or across to the Pub for a pint...

http://www.sacfrg.org/images/sleepytomato.gif

[wburg]

The Italian Mercado went out of business a year or two ago, largely due to the presence of Trader Joe's. The neighborhood is near where much of downtown's Italian American population relocated in the 1950s when St. Mary's moved from Seventh and T to 54th Street.

My favorite barbershop on 19th and P next to the Zebra Club closed in 1995; he was in his eighties and charged $4 for a haircut, which took about half an hour (for a buzz cut, Ivy League or other old-school haircut.) Apparently the fashion used to be that you'd get your hair cut on Friday night and then go to the bar, which is why so many barbershops downtown are right next to bars.

[wburg]

Soul men: Midtown's Weatherstone Coffee shop isn't being sold to a couple from Italy, after all.
That deal, which we reported last month, fell through. Now the owners of Old Soul Co. are buying the place.
"We'll get the keys on March 1," says Tim Jordan, one of Old Soul's founders.
He and partner Jason Griest had been looking to expand their business. When Jordan heard Weatherstone, at 812 21st St., was available again, he was on the phone "about eight minutes later," he says.

Jordan and Griest are planning a few changes for a place Jordan calls "Sacramento's original coffeehouse."
A new name is being considered, perhaps "Old Soul at the Weatherstone."
The new owners also will introduce fresh lunch and dinner items along – of course – with the coffee they roast and pastries they make at the funky Old Soul site, on an alley between 17th and 18th, L and Capitol.

Transaction price? It's not being disclosed, but Jordan says the sale is an all-cash deal – a testament to the success Old Soul has had since it started up wholesale operations in 2006 and a retail biz last year.

Jordan says the partners have worked hard to get where they are now.
"Do we really want to work harder?" he asks of the challenges of expansion. "Fortunately, the answer is 'yes.' It should be fun."

* * *
Spicy fare: Developer Andrea Lepore has been getting lots of calls since a Bee story ran last week about her Hot Italian eatery and boutique, slated for the corner of 16th and Q in midtown.

Some interested readers went online to find the business Web site and their explorations landed them at a porn site.
Lepore reports she got plenty of calls about it, mostly along the lines of: "Uh, did you know that … ."
For the record, Lepore's site is www.hotitalian.net. Be careful with that Web address suffix.

From today's Bee...

[innov8]

A Restaurant's in the works to go in at the base of the Elks building on the
11th Street side. The plan is to have it on three levels and go down to
where the pool once was. The proposed décor will have the old charm the 20's and 30's.

[BrianSac]

I thought I'd mention a great little hole in the wall, crappy looking restaurant on 9th street, between L & K. It is in one of those old hotel buildings (Single Occupancy whatever you call them.)

I'm sorry I dont even remember the name of the place; its on the east side of 9th street, next to the alley. Attached to the restaurant is a real hole in the wall alcoholics bar. I asked the waitress who owns the restaurant and building, and she said it was not Moe. I Forgot the name of the owner.

Anyway, this place has great breakfasts for dirt cheap. The quality is really good. Its great for a quick lunch as well, super cheap prices. Often you will see a staffer, senator, and state worker eating next to down and out welfare types. Many occupants of the hotel eat there as well. We call it the "down and out'' diner. A lot of construction worker types like the place as well, good food, lots of it, for really cheap prices. You have to go through the bar to get to the bathroom, kinda scary. There is a old aerial photograph of downtown with a super thick frame around it next to the cash register. There are a lot of places like this in new york and in sf. You will be surprised how good the food is.

[wburg]

That's the Capitol Park Cafe. I go there quite frequently; it is on the first floor of the Capitol Park Hotel, and right next door to Henry's Bar. The building is owned by Ron Henry, their property office is a couple of doors down.

There used to be a lot more places like that downtown, but Capitol Park Cafe' is just about the only holdout left: a genuine diner. Good food, nice people, fast service, hot coffee and it's in a beautiful old building too.

[urban_encounter]

A Restaurant's in the works to go in at the base of the Elks building on the 11th Street side. The plan is to have it on three levels and go down to where the pool once was. The proposed décor will have the old charm the 20's and 30's.


Here are the renderings that were provided at the K street walk last Saturday

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/urban_encounter/NorCalJune20th2007061.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/urban_encounter/NorCalJune20th2007062.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b147/urban_encounter/NorCalJune20th2007063.jpg

[sugit]

Those are renderings of the place going into the Elks? That's pretty sweet looking.

If there has been no mentioned of a chain so far, then hopefully it's a local product.

[urban_encounter]

Those are renderings of the place going into the Elks? That's pretty sweet looking.

If there has been no mentioned of a chain so far, then hopefully it's a local product.


Yeah I'm amazed at the quality establishments still going in downtown, despite the housing slump.

[BrianSac]

That's the Capitol Park Cafe. I go there quite frequently; it is on the first floor of the Capitol Park Hotel, and right next door to Henry's Bar. The building is owned by Ron Henry, their property office is a couple of doors down.

There used to be a lot more places like that downtown, but Capitol Park Cafe' is just about the only holdout left: a genuine diner. Good food, nice people, fast service, hot coffee and it's in a beautiful old building too.

Thats the place! It figures you would know the name of the restaurant, bar, and owner. I wonder if this building will ever be "gentried"?

The waitresses are very friendly, the cooks look like they spent time in prison, and the décor looks "utilitarian 1930's". Yet, the place is clean, and the food is way better than round corner (24th & J), Lyon's or most other breakfast places in town.

[urban_encounter]

Thats the place! It figures you would know the name of the restaurant, bar, and owner. I wonder if this building will ever be "gentried"?

The waitresses are very friendly, the cooks look like they spent time in prison, and the décor looks "utilitarian 1930's". Yet, the place is clean, and the food is way better than round corner (24th & J), Lyon's or most other breakfast places in town.


Another great little cafe is Harry's Cafe on 16th street..



luv it!

[BrianSac]

Another great little cafe is Harry's Cafe on 16th street..



luv it!

Good to know. I've wanted to go there for awhile, I always seem to forget about the place.

*******************************
On another note:

We strolled around midtown for second saturday last night and had some cocktails and mexican grub at Azul.

Very friendly staff. Fun décor, muy azul. Steak Burrito and Cheese Enchiladas were very good. Ceviche was average to good.

Don Julio Reposado Margaritas were excellent!

Ask for the Minnesota Daquri Ice Cream drink, only one bar tender knows how to make it. Loaded with rum, not my kind of drink, but for people who like sweet drinks its delicioso.


We went to Crush 29 in Roseville on Friday night:

The Salads were excellent. Pasta ok. Steak Sandwich was very good.
Desserts were horrible, bad coffee.

They served their white wine warm, and they poured it from those little carafes which I hate, and the waiter said its too much of a hassle to pour from the actual wine bottle....I hate that too.

They spent a fortune on stone and tile. The place is beautiful, great center bar. Very Tuscan décor.

*****************

Might I add I was more impressed and satisfied with the grub provided for Felipe's Birthday party at Faces last night, than either of the two places above. And it was FREE. :-)

[wburg]

Thats the place! It figures you would know the name of the restaurant, bar, and owner. I wonder if this building will ever be "gentried"?


I hope not! We need places like the Capitol Park Cafe, and the hotel too. I used to rent a house owned by Ron Henry, and I went to the hotel's lobby to pay my rent.

[BrianSac]

Good to know. I've wanted to go there for awhile, I always seem to forget about the place.

*******************************
On another note:

We strolled around midtown for second saturday last night and had some cocktails and mexican grub at Azul.

Very friendly staff. Fun décor, muy azul. Steak Burrito and Cheese Enchiladas were very good. Ceviche was average to good.

Don Julio Reposado Margaritas were excellent!

Ask for the Minnesota Daquri Ice Cream drink, only one bar tender knows how to make it. Loaded with rum, not my kind of drink, but for people who like sweet drinks its delicioso.


We went to Crush 29 in Roseville on Friday night:

The Salads were excellent. Pasta ok. Steak Sandwich was very good.
Desserts were horrible, bad coffee.

They served their white wine warm, and they poured it from those little carafes which I hate, and the waiter said its too much of a hassle to pour from the actual wine bottle....I hate that too.

They spent a fortune on stone and tile. The place is beautiful, great center bar. Very Tuscan décor.

*****************

Might I add I was more impressed and satisfied with the grub provided for Felipe's Birthday party at Faces last night, than either of the two places above. And it was FREE. :-)

:cheers:

Forgot to mention Tuli Bistro:

I liked this place a lot. We had the salumi pizza(salami, pepporoni, and spanish sausage). It was excellent. The salads were good too!

Tempanillo Red wine...from Argentina. We had a chardonnay and reisling as well. They have good a selection of wines.

It was good, friendly staff, hot chef, and intimate setting.

[SacTownAndy]

This makes me very happy. Yum! A little bit of home in my new home. I'm definitely going to eat there.


Mikuni to open Colorado restaurant
Sacramento Business Journal - by Mark Anderson Staff writer

Mikuni Restaurant Group signed a lease to open a Mikuni Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar in the Park Meadows lifestyle shopping center in Lone Tree, Colo., 20 miles from Denver.

Sacramento-based Mikuni has six restaurants in Northern California from Sacramento to the Village at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort in Truckee. The company is also working on a restaurant in the Village at Queensridge in Summerlin, Nev., which is part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

The Park Meadows Mikuni could open August. The Summerlin Mikuni should open in the first quarter of 2009.

Started as a family restaurant in the suburbs of Sacramento, Mikuni has grown to employ 650 people.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/02/11/daily46.html?f=et76&ana=e_du

[What is a Rivercat?]

This is SO stupid. And now the story is on Fox's front page
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/714546.html - Kings dance team photos

[Majin]

Anybody got a link to the photos?

[sugit]

http://withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=4994

But the link isn't working right now....

[TowerDistrict]

Raley's heir plans bistro/market at former Andiamo in east Sacramento
By Bob Shallit - bshallit@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, March 8, 2008
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1 (http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/769602.html)

A group headed by Raley's heir Michael Teel has leased the former Andiamo restaurant site in east Sacramento and plans to open a bistro and gourmet foods market there by year's end.

Tentatively called "Good Eats," the gourmet bistro-market will be the first of several planned by Teel – a former Raley's CEO – and his business partner, Michael Ashker, a local technology entrepreneur and former hedge fund manager. "This is part of a large enterprise we are building. This is just one component," Ashker says.

The partners have been formulating their concept for a year and negotiating for the Andiamo site – at 32nd Street and Folsom Boulevard – for nearly that long. Competing for the lease was Whole Foods Market, says Barbara Mikacich, whose family continues to own the property. Whole Foods intended to level the building, acquire additional surrounding land and put up a multilevel store, Mikacich says.

The Teel group, called M2 Venture Partners, plans to keep the Andiamo building intact and preserve much of its interior, including its "outstanding" kitchen, Ashker says. "We want to use the character of the building and take advantage of its location," says Ashker, who stresses that the company's plans are still developing.

Ashker said he and Teel, who are partners at Prosper Media, want to bring in an "all-star" chef and offer a large selection of wines – by the glass at the bistro and by the bottle in the adjoining market. Gourmet foods offerings will be selective and limited. "You won't want to bring your whole grocery list here," Ashker says.

[wburg]

Local business, Raley's back in (or at least near) the central city, PLUS adaptive reuse of an awesome existing building?

Rock on.

[TowerDistrict]

i concur with your rocking sentiment.

Whole Foods project sounds grandiose. They'd have much better luck trying to
work into Crystal Ice, imo. And if they want the build to suit type of thing, then
there are numerous empty lots that i'd be happy to point out to them... for a
slight commission of course.

[sugit]

Funny you said the Crystal Ice project. I was thinking the same thing when I saw the the article.

[wburg]

Would Whole Foods work that close to Safeway? From what I saw of the potential tenant mix in the Crystal Ice project it seemed more focused on dry-goods retail--clothing, furniture, a couple of specialty foodstores but not a large market. The one retailer I'm looking forward to is that green-focused home improvement products store tentatively slated for the old Orchard Supply building. Midtown needs more hardware stores!

[jsf8278]

Speaking of Crystal Ice...I remember a while back someone posted the pdf of the plans for it. Did that include any type of timeline, or does anyone know if they have one? I assume it's pretty far off, but i was just wondering.

[TowerDistrict]

Would Whole Foods work that close to Safeway? From what I saw of the potential tenant mix in the Crystal Ice project it seemed more focused on dry-goods retail--clothing, furniture, a couple of specialty foodstores but not a large market. The one retailer I'm looking forward to is that green-focused home improvement products store tentatively slated for the old Orchard Supply building. Midtown needs more hardware stores!

Whole Foods must think that they'd work nearby Safeway, considering that 32nd
& Folsom is only about a 3 block walk from the Safeway at Alhambra & J.

Regarding the Orchard Supply building...

I'm not so sure that's going to happen any time soon. This article popped up last
week. It's a bout a joint venture between three guys from GreenBuilt Consulting,
Green Sacramento, and LJ Urban.

Green Sacramento is the shop on Fulton that was rumored to be moving into the
Orchard Supply building. So I'm not sure what the future holds for them...

From the Sacramento News & Review

Little green shop on the corner - Green Living Center comes to Midtown

By Sena Christian, senac@newsreview.com

This article was published on 02.21.08. (http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=625853)

It will be the first of its kind in Sacramento, so they wanted a name that really nailed it. They considered “Sustainability Complex,” but scratched that: too Freudian. “Green Central Station?” Nope: lacked pizazz. At one point the three friends joked they might just have to buckle down, head to a bar and drink their way to a consensus. Suggest a name, chug a beer. Last man standing had the final word.

But it didn’t come to that. Josh Daniels of Green Sacramento, Scott Blunk of GreenBuilt Consulting and Construction, and Micah Baginski of LJ Urban amicably—and soberly—settled on “Green Living Center” as the perfect moniker for their hub of three businesses committed to green building and sustainable lifestyles.

On Monday, March 3, GLC’s doors will open at 1931 H Street, the current home of real-estate developer LJ Urban, which is making space for the new roommates.

Midtown’s Green Living Center will offer Sacramentans convenient solutions to green-building issues. Thinking about a green remodel of your home? GLC is your place. Looking for wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council? They’ve got it. Interested in infill development or the LEED-certified Washington Neighborhood housing project in West Sacramento? Check and check.

“The center’s bringing together a gravity of likeminded people and it’s going to bring more attention to the green movement,” said Baginksi, construction manager for LJ Urban.

Until March, Daniels will be hauling carpet tiles, organic cotton bedding, cork flooring, recycled glass countertops, non-toxic paints and more from Green Sacramento, his green-building supply store in north Sac, to the new digs. The Midtown location’s smaller than Daniels’ current 2,000-square-feet showroom, so “it’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” he said. “But it’s worth it to be in the Midtown area.” His customer base is, after all, primarily urban.

“This has always been the spot where he belongs,” Baginski agreed.

The move won’t be quite as daunting for Blunk, of GreenBuilt, who up until four months ago, headed operations out of his West Sacramento home. His construction company grew from one employee to eight since its inception in 2004, so the Midtown move from their current temporary abode in Folsom is the next logical step. Once settled, the company will continue to focus on balancing health, comfort and safety with respect for the natural world.

“I love that green building is science-based building,” said Blunk, who has a mechanical-engineer background. “It’s an intellectual pursuit, as well as a values-based pursuit.”

Green building is also a necessary pursuit, as Daniels will attest. Several years back, while remodeling his house, he discovered that eco-friendly products were hard to come by. He started his store in March of 2005 to fill this void, opening his business on a shoestring budget and with a simple conviction: “Hey, somebody’s got to do it.”

And the general public has arrived as well. A decade ago, green building was considered fairly radical. Now, Senators Clinton and Obama, NBC and even Raley Field and Loftworks are in on the act. It’s an issue everyone can rally around.

“I’d say we’re just about on the verge of the masses getting it,” Daniels said of going green. “Instead of complaining about a problem, green building is a solution.”

The solution will soon be at our fingertips, right in the heart of Midtown.

http://www.newsreview.com/binary/702d/sushouse-24741.jpeg
Scott Blunk, Josh Daniels and Micah Baginski welcome you to the Green Living Center.

Related Web sites:
www.ljurban.com (http://www.ljurban.com)
www.greensacramento.com (http://www.greensacramento.com)
www.greenbuiltconstruction.com (http://www.greenbuiltconstruction.com)

[wburg]

Sounds like a natural pairing, and hey, sooner is better than later and Orchard Supply would have been "later." The other plan I heard for that building was La Bou moving their bakery into it, but that was before the Green Sacramento thing came up.

Neither location seems to make sense for Whole Foods. On Alhambra makes even less sense, due to the proximity of the Co-Op.

[goldcntry]

Easy Answer:

Make Whole Foods the market that goes in the newly renovated DTPlaza...


... Then again, I'm not sure that would be good for my waistline to have all that good cheese and the olive bar so close to my office...


BUT I'M WILLING TO CHANCE IT!

:tomato:

[innov8]

I heard this was pretty funny last month... the price is right too.

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7796/comedycoop11x17thirduw5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[arod74]

Here is a link to a SBJ article this week doing a round up of the restuarant and entertainment scene in the central city. Not much new info but a good read none the less.

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/03/24/focus1.html?b=1206331200^1608027

[wburg]

I found it interesting that they mentioned Capitol Garage opening (assumed from context) after The Park, when Capitol Garage had been where Ma Jong's is (and open late) back to the early nineties. And I couldn't help but think of those horrible microwave snacks when they kept talking about "hot pockets."

It ends on a very true point: the residential population downtown won't carry all those restaurants, and at some point there's going to be a shake-out of restaurants, at least until downtown gets a bit more repopulated.

[urban_encounter]

I found it interesting that they mentioned Capitol Garage opening (assumed from context) after The Park, when Capitol Garage had been where Ma Jong's is (and open late) back to the early nineties. And I couldn't help but think of those horrible microwave snacks when they kept talking about "hot pockets."


I worked at the origional Capitol Garage when it first opened. It was owned by George Warren of News10 and his brother..


It was a blast and i can remember living in my Cada apartment and had so much fun working there and going to school. The pay was crap; though i liked the burritos or "Hot Pockets"

The one thing i didn't like about it was our coffee. We would roast the beans in the back between the CG and Beers Books and our designated (or hired) roaster didn't know the first thing about roasting beans, so consequently he always seemed to burn them.

[otnemarcaS]

Talking of midtown restaurants, I stopped at the new "i dragoni pizzeria" which just opened about one week ago on the bloc. They sell pizzas, sandwiches, salads and coffee. It replaced "it's a grind" coffee shop which was located between Centros and Gianni's. We stopped in after leaving Harlows at about 1:40am last Friday. The place is open till 3am on Fri and Sat nights. I Dragoni sells pizzas by the slice for $3.50. The mushroom slice and aquitania (meatballs, garlic, peso, cheese) slice we had were some of the best slices of pizza I've had in Sac. Made me forget that deep dish crap I had before at Chicago Fire on J.

Of course, this place is owned by Peter Torza family so they use Gianni's for additional seating as an open door separates the two places. The pizza, apparently, is the same one made at Gianni's although I had never tried pizza at Gianni's. Also, I think Gianni's only sells whole pizzas. But if you go to Gianni's menu at theblocsacramento.com (http://theblocsacramento.com), you can see the pizzas available.

Just amazing to see what Paragary and Torza have done to that whole area now called 'the bloc'. Anyone know when G.V. Hurley's officially opens? Seems like they recently did a soft opening.

[econgrad]

I found it interesting that they mentioned Capitol Garage opening (assumed from context) after The Park, when Capitol Garage had been where Ma Jong's is (and open late) back to the early nineties. And I couldn't help but think of those horrible microwave snacks when they kept talking about "hot pockets."

It ends on a very true point: the residential population downtown won't carry all those restaurants, and at some point there's going to be a shake-out of restaurants, at least until downtown gets a bit more repopulated.

Your right about the population. Yet, I believe many resturaunts will do well with the outside populations that come into downtown (as we talked about before). Sure, there will be some shake-out, but not as much I do not think. Although I wish as well as you do, more residences being built soon! Every Saturday should be like 2nd Saturday, not just for the art, but the crowds because of so many people living DT, would be a blast!

[reggiesquared]

p

[innov8]

I dig a good Tequila reggiesquared; I wish you good luck and success with
your product. My favorite tequila is the kind I bring back from Mexico when I
visit. The tequila shops in Old Puerto Vallarta are my favorite.

[sugit]

Good luck, reggiesquared. Let us know when we can have a SSP tasting party. :cheers:

Also, here is a new club in Sacramento by the Haines brothers (Bistro 33)

http://www.trenights.com/

It's in the Arden area where the old El Torito was located on Hurley and Howe.

[arod74]

Buena suerte, reggie! I always try to support local brands when I shop so I will make sure to look for it on the shelf when my current bottle runs dry. God knows we can certainly use some more up and coming, home grown start ups around here in any industry. Do you have any commitments as far as retailers for your tequilas yet?

[reggiesquared]

Buena suerte, reggie! I always try to support local brands when I shop so I will make sure to look for it on the shelf when my current bottle runs dry. God knows we can certainly use some more up and coming, home grown start ups around here in any industry. Do you have any commitments as far as retailers for your tequilas yet?

Thanks for the good wishes everyone! I will definitely let you guys know when the launch party is so you guys can swing buy and try some mejor. Regarding retailers, I have visited many retailers and every single one without a doubt wants to buy. However, since our state licenses are pending, we cannot take pre-orders as many have requaed to do until those are issued which wont be for a few more days. The interest is phenomenal though. Not only will our brand fill a sizable gap in the tequila market, the tequila is as the name implies, is simply he best. Our master distiller has made some of the best tequila in the world, don julio™ and we are confident everyone will find this to be the most exciting tequila ever to come out of Mexico. Tequila companies are all trying to be more rustic and more traditional than one another while we will be taking the opposite approach. Modern design, unsurpassed quality and luxuriously smooth finish. Our tequilas will be so smooth and refined, they will all be able to be enjoyed neat without the traditional bite or vapors. We are confident mejor will be huge and it will great for Sac to have a homegrown company that is debuting to the world.

[travis bickle]

Good luck, reggiesquared. Let us know when we can have a SSP tasting party. :cheers:

Also, here is a new club in Sacramento by the Haines brothers (Bistro 33)

http://www.trenights.com/

It's in the Arden area where the old El Torito was located on Hurley and Howe.


Best of luck reggiesquared. Please post when your going to do something in San Diego. The world just can't have enough good tequila. I eagerly anticipate sampling yours.

Ah yes - the old El Torito on Howe at Hurley. I opened that place as a waiter when it was called "Tequila Willie's." Great memories and an appropriate name given this thread.

[JeffZurn]

Awesome news Reggie, congrats on the new buisness, can't wait to come down and check out the new Sactown tequila!

[ltsmotorsport]

I'll def pick up a 5th of Mejor this summer. :tup:

[sugit]

Morton's steakhouse could move a few blocks to Capitol Mall
Sacramento Business Journal - by Mark Anderson Staff writer

Downtown restaurateurs say Morton's, The Steakhouse might move its Sacramento location to the ground floor of the new U.S. Bank Tower at 621 Capitol Mall.

The still-empty 8,000-square-foot restaurant space in the new office building is stunning and could include an outdoor patio facing Capitol Mall. Morton's current location at 521 L St. in Westfield Downtown Plaza is at a quiet end of a sleepy shopping mall.

Chicago-based Morton's Restaurant Group (NYSE: MRT) is a publicly traded company with 78 restaurants in six countries. A company spokesman said he can only talk about locations if there is a signed lease, and the only lease in Sacramento now is on L Street.

The people working for U.S. Bank Tower developer David S. Taylor Interests also won't comment, but several restaurant brokers say the deal is awaiting signatures.

The Westfield Group, owner of Westfield Downtown Plaza, has made no secret about its willingness to consider a variety of different retail strategies in the current location of Morton's. The move to Capitol Mall could be a coup for the restaurant, moving from a moribund mall to one of the hottest new office buildings in town.

[wburg]

Isn't the part of the mall containing Morton's part of the section that is going to become a Target and supermarket? I went through the mall today, and although things were pretty busy, I didn notice that the leather-coat store is having a going out of business sale. I imagine that many of the businesses in the slated-for-demo part of the mall are sniffing around for new digs.

[sugit]

Isn't the part of the mall containing Morton's part of the section that is going to become a Target and supermarket?

Correct.

[urban_encounter]

Isn't the part of the mall containing Morton's part of the section that is going to become a Target and supermarket? I went through the mall today, and although things were pretty busy, I didn notice that the leather-coat store is having a going out of business sale. I imagine that many of the businesses in the slated-for-demo part of the mall are sniffing around for new digs.



According to Westfield represntatives they intend to start on the east end of the mall and move west constructing in phases..

I predict there will be no remodel and that Westfield will sell the mall within the next five years..

[Trojan]

Speaking of malls, I noticed today at Arden Fair that a Kate Spade is 'Coming Soon', along with Lucky Brand, Armani Exchange, and probably another store in the current Bebe location, since Bebe is making a new store. Sounds good. Maybe this is a sign for better stores at Arden. I wish these stores could be on K Street though.

[sugit]

I got this email from the California Musical Theatre today on The Cosmopolitan at 10th and K.

___________________________________________________________________

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret theatre will open in the building that once housed the historic Woolworth department store on the southeast corner of 10th and K streets (map), now being renovated by David S. Taylor Interests. The building, called The Cosmopolitan, (www.SacCosmo.com) will also include Cosmo Restaurant and Bar, a New York-style theatre district dining experience from the Paragary Restaurant Group, and Social, a plush, modern nightclub and lounge featuring a rooftop patio by Randy Paragary and Bob Simpson.

The Cabaret will fill a niche in the region’s theatre scene by providing an upscale yet casual venue that will recall the golden age of metropolitan nightlife – perfect for musicals with two to six cast members. The theatre will have 23 tables of four and 115 seats arranged in a traditional-theatre configuration (seating chart) Pre-performance cocktail service in the theatre will be provided by Cosmo Restaurant and Bar.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s production of “Forever Plaid” will be directed and choreographed by Guy Stroman, an original member of the New York cast, who has previously directed several long-running productions of the musical around the country. “Forever Plaid” is the deliciously goofy and charming story of The Plaids, a classic 1950s all-male singing group who were killed in a car crash on the way to their first big gig! Audiences will be rolling in the aisles and tapping their toes as The Plaids are miraculously revived to perform the concert-that-never-was in the hilariously nostalgic musical. They perform precision harmonies, squabble boyishly and execute their delightfully outlandish choreography with over-zealous precision. The Plaids perform some of the greatest hits of the 1950s: “Catch a Falling Star,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Magic Moments.”

“Forever Plaid” will open The Cosmopolitan Cabaret on September 28, 2008, for an open-ended run. Tickets for the first four months of performances will be available exclusively to Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento subscribers beginning Monday, April 21, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office or by phone at (916) 557-1999. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning Monday, July 14. For discounts on groups of 12 or more, please call (916) 557-1198. Tickets are $32 for Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday evenings ($52 for front row table seating) and $37 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees ($57 for front row table seating).

For more information, please visit www.CosmopolitanCabaret.com.

1000 K Street
COMING SEPTEMBER 2008
Downtown's most sophisticated dining, entertainment and social hub
- under one roof.

Located in the boldly renovated 1956 Woolworth Building, The Cosmopolitan's modern take on retro takes center stage on K Street. Live Musical Theater, Theater District Dining. Rooftop Nightclub and Lounge.

The Night is Young.


CALIFORNIA MUSICAL THEATRE
California Music Theatre launches its first completely new professional theatre experience in 20 years. Matching the re-emerging vitality of Downtown Sacramento, the producer of Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento is creating the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, a 200-seat, upscale yet casual space and a perfect environment for intimate musical theatre. The Cabaret will allow audience members the comfort of either table seating or bar-style seating to enjoy cocktails and refreshments during the performance in a modern metropolitan surrounding.
For Group Ticket Sales Call 915-557-1198 or visit www.cosmopolitancabaret.com

The Cosmo Restaurant
PARAGARY RESTAURANT GROUP
Cosmo Restaurant and Bar brings a New York-style
theater district dining experience to downtown Sacramento. The diverse menu will feature steaks, chops, seafood, chicken, pasta and deli-style sandwiches. Full take-out services will be available to surrounding businesses, including delivery and catering. Select menu items will be served in the adjacent Cosmopolitan Cabaret.


Social Nightclub (How original...)
A RANDY PARAGARY AND BOB SIMPSON PRODUCTION
Plush, modern nightclub and lounge featuring a rooftop outdoor patio. Nightly DJs and dancing. Available for private parties.

[otnemarcaS]

:previous:

I noticed the number on their website for the CMT cabaret says 1-915-557-1198. So much for proofreading the content of their website. Sent them a note to correct it to 916 else they'll be getting no calls.

[econgrad]

^ I Think thats going to be another reason for suburbanites with money to spend it downtown! I will see a show....

[wburg]

econgrad, don't you already come downtown to see shows?

[innov8]

I hear Headhunters is not doing very well and another establishment might
be opening up there late this summer. I also hear that Badlands has done well and
that might be eroding away at Headhunters business.

[otnemarcaS]

The free friday night concerts series begins May 2. Always a good summer evening out downtown. :tup:

Is it just me or has Mumbo Gumbo appeared every year in the concert series since its inception?



Downtown free outdoor concerts to begin May 2

By Bruce Dancis - bdancis@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Story appeared in SCENE section, Page E3

The sound of music – mostly of the rock 'n' roll variety – will soon be wafting out of Cesar Chavez Park when the free outdoor concert series starts its 17th season on May 2.

The series of 15 Friday Night Concerts usually draws more than 60,000 people each year to the downtown park.

"Our lineup's changed a little bit this year," says Lisa Martinez, director of marketing and outreach for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, which produces the series. Izabella (July 18) is one of new headlining artists, and Sal Valentino (former leader of the Beau Brummels and Stoneground) is appearing for the first time in the series (June 6).

"The May 9 show has an interesting theme," Martinez says. "Kepi and Kevin Seconds both are appearing with two bands in kind of a back-and-forth show." Each will perform with new bands as well as "throwbacks" to their old bands, the Groovie Ghoulies and 7 Seconds, respectively.

Although 32 new bands will be appearing this season, Martinez assures fans that "you'll get the same feel at the concerts in the park as we've had in the past."

Here's the concert schedule for 2008:

• May 2: Bucho, Righteous Movement, Sol Peligro, Crazy Ballhead

• May 9: Kepi the Band, Kevin Seconds & the Altruistics, Kepi & Friends, Ghetto Moments

• May 16: Bright Light Fever, Self Against City, Middle Class Rut, Breva

• May 23: An Angle, Knock Knock, Jay Shaner & the Cowboy Killers, The Definite Article

• May 30: Rowdy Kate, the Golden Cadillacs, the Tip Top Trio, Hard Clumpin Litter

• June 6: Mick Martin & the Blues Rockers, Sal Valentino, the Bathtub Gins

• June 13: Secretions, Final Summation, the Infamous Swanks, the No Goodniks

• June 20: Helper Monkeys, Hot Pistol, Prieta, Aroarah

• June 27: Mumbo Gumbo, Ricky Berger

• July 4: No concert scheduled

• July 11: Richard March, Kate Gafney, Agent Ribbons, the Juggs

• July 18: Izabella, 2ME, Fair Trade

• July 25: Red Host, Them Hills, the Lonely King, Lite Brite

• Aug. 1: Diciembre Gris, Pets, We Prick You, the Generals

• Aug. 8: Seventy, Shannon Curtis, the Bobby Zoppi Band, Brandon Tyler

• Aug. 15: the Brodys, the Snobs, Gillmor

The concerts are presented by Budweiser and sponsored by Saclights.com, channels 3 and 58, Sactown magazine, Van Ruiten Vineyards and the Sacramento Film and Music Festival.

[ozone]

I hear Headhunters is not doing very well and another establishment might
be opening up there late this summer. I also hear that Badlands has done well and
that might be eroding away at Headhunters business.

Boohoo...actually that's great news. The last time I was there my friend got food poisoning and we got into a shouting match with these two yahoos from Fair Oaks who liked to run down chickens with their truck.

Badlands has a very different vibe/clientale and can't be blamed for eroding Headhunter's business. Headhunters eroded Headhunters business. Those Faces "people" are kind of an unsophisticated, small-town old-school Sacramento bunch --you know the type with more money than taste that never ever seem to really get anything quite right.

And what's up with the Miss Kitty Coffeeshop that was going to be next door to Headhunters? They tried to open up something on the corner of Headhunters (for a couple of months) but the coffee was bad and the man-hating bulldog barista made a cold mean cup and then of course Peet's opened up a block away.... so forgetaboutit.

I wonder what the other establishment will be? I would like to see mix of shops and eats instead of another nightclub/bar.

[innov8]

Boohoo...actually that's great news. The last time I was there my friend got food poisoning and we got into a shouting match with these two yahoos from Fair Oaks who liked to run down chickens with their truck.

Badlands has a very different vibe/clientale and can't be blamed for eroding Headhunter's business. Headhunters eroded Headhunters business. Those Faces "people" are kind of an unsophisticated, small-town old-school Sacramento bunch --you know the type with more money than taste that never ever seem to really get anything quite right.

And what's up with the Miss Kitty Coffeeshop that was going to be next door to Headhunters? They tried to open up something on the corner of Headhunters (for a couple of months) but the coffee was bad and the man-hating bulldog barista made a cold mean cup and then of course Peet's opened up a block away.... so forgetaboutit.

I wonder what the other establishment will be? I would like to see mix of shops and eats instead of another nightclub/bar.

Some how ozone I believe you enjoy stirring up the sh*t, if your personality on this forum is similar to who you are in public.

The currently proposed idea will have a bar, eats, and something else if
all goes as planned...will see?

[Web]

The Crepe Restaurant in the old La Bou on K and 8th has ceased to exist....didnt last too long

[Majin]

^^ Old news.

[downtownserg89]

yeah why did that close so soon?

and now they've covered up that whole place and punched windows on the upper part of the building.

what's happening to it?

is it gonna be something waaaay cool?

like a cute hotel

[ozone]

Some people call it stiring up "sh*t" others call it having an opinion and a personality -whatever. I recalled an actual experience I had at Headhunters just to let you know I've been there. BTW (if anyone cares) those guys from Fair Oaks were saying a lot of inappropriate things before their admission to mass killing of chickens set us off.

The backstory (I've said it before) is that owner of Faces/Headhunters/Club 21 nightclubs has been notorious for trying to put the kibosh on any competing clubs opening up in the area for years. I've known a few of these Faces higherups and they are all rather unsophisticated. So I'm not surpirsed nor am I crying that their silly Headhunters is losing money.

downtownserg89 it's going to be offices.

[otnemarcaS]

Here, again, is the reason the Crepe Cafe closed. From Sacbee on February 12, 2008

Crepe Cafe Folds

For every two steps forward, K Street Mall seems to take one step back. It happened again this weekend when Michel Bloch abruptly closed his Crepe Cafe at 9th and K, open only since August, a time when several restaurants bloomed along the struggling mall.

"It's better to have a painful end than an endless pain," says Bloch, recalling advice handed down by his father.

Bloch hung up his creperie and raclette for two principal reasons: Business didn't materialize as he anticipated, and he needs to tend to pressing family matters in Europe. While the restaurant was busy at lunch, breakfast and dinner were so slow he couldn't afford to hire the help he would have liked to give him a break. His work schedule was complicated by living on a ranch at Cool in El Dorado County, making for a long commute.

"I couldn't make it," says Bloch, who introduced crepes to midtown Sacramento three decades ago when he set up a trailer along P Street between 19th and 20. He then took the trailer on a circuit of county fairs, music festivals and the like, established crepe cafes in outlying areas, and created the Crepe Institute to train prospective crepe entrepreneurs.

His immediate plans are to visit his mother in France and to pay more attention to his horse, which he says he's been neglecting since opening the cafe.

Posted by mdunne at February 12, 2008 09:14 AM

[urban_encounter]

Some how ozone I believe you enjoy stirring up the sh*t, if your personality on this forum is similar to who you are in public.

The currently proposed idea will have a bar, eats, and something else if
all goes as planned...will see?



It will be interesting to see if it continues to market any new establishment to the gay community. The last restaurant (other than Hot Rods) that marketed itself to the gay community at large, was really the Incredible Edible on Alhambra (where Starbucks is now)..

[TowerDistrict]

My gawd was second saturday jumpin tonight. Everything on JKL from 16th to 21st was packed to the gills. Street musicians, weird conga lines, kids, drunks, yuppies, hippies whatever... they all came out tonight. Lovely evening Sacramento.

[jsf8278]

My gawd was second saturday jumpin tonight. Everything on JKL from 16th to 21st was packed to the gills. Street musicians, weird conga lines, kids, drunks, yuppies, hippies whatever... they all came out tonight. Lovely evening Sacramento.

I couldn't believe how many people there were. I keep hearing people talk about how great it would be if Second Saturday occurred more than once a month...which I suppose would necessitate a name change.
Anyone think that would happen?
Who exactly organizes Second Saturday anyway?

[wburg]

Indeed...anyone questioning the "walkability" of midtown streets should have seen them last night. Several streets were closed off and every place was just packed. Heck, I only made it to one actual art show, there was so much foot traffic on the street. Most invigorating. I ran into many many friends, as usual. It sure would have sucked to try to find parking last night though...

I couldn't believe how many people there were. I keep hearing people talk about how great it would be if Second Saturday occurred more than once a month...which I suppose would necessitate a name change.
Anyone think that would happen?
Who exactly organizes Second Saturday anyway?

It's happening whether people like it or not. The line I tend to use is that Saturdays now are as busy as Second Saturdays were ten years ago--which is absolutely the case. The way things are going, there won't be a need for officially declaring extra events--people are just getting quite used to going to midtown for entertainment. The trick will be getting them a few blocks west.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission is the organizing body behind Second Saturday, but a lot of places participate without being formally involved, they just know there's going to be heavy foot traffic so they call up an artist friend to hang up their work.

[TowerDistrict]

saw Kevin Johnson at the 20th Street Gallery. he's kinda short for a basketball player. i could dunk all over him.

[econgrad]

Indeed...anyone questioning the "walkability" of midtown streets should have seen them last night. Several streets were closed off and every place was just packed. Heck, I only made it to one actual art show, there was so much foot traffic on the street. Most invigorating. I ran into many many friends, as usual. It sure would have sucked to try to find parking last night though...
The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission is the organizing body behind Second Saturday, but a lot of places participate without being formally involved, they just know there's going to be heavy foot traffic so they call up an artist friend to hang up their work.

I left at 6:30pm from Folsom in a large group, we took 4 cars, we ended up at the parking lot on K street (behind Penison K where the belly dancers practice at) around 6:55pm, parked with no problems, walked around to most of the galleries, then hit up Dream. Didn't suck at all. Works out fine every time.

[urban_encounter]

My gawd was second saturday jumpin tonight. Everything on JKL from 16th to 21st was packed to the gills. Street musicians, weird conga lines, kids, drunks, yuppies, hippies whatever... they all came out tonight. Lovely evening Sacramento.



I've heard from two different friends who were out last night that it was an absolute packed event..


I was supposed to go out but a sister flew in from out of state and we had a BBQ for her.


My one concern is this; in the past the Sacramento Police have gone to city hall in order to lobby for an end to events that they feel bring in too many people downtown/midtown or the waterfront (a critical mass if you will) or put a strain on their resources.

My other concern is that a Monthly Mardi Gras party atmosphere will end up attracting the kind of people who aren't interested in art or wine.


I love second Saturday and if the city were to ever try and curtail it due to success i would be the first to go to battle with city hall.

But the track record for the city in the past is to cancel successful gatherings; due to exceedinig expectations..


BTW if anyone has been out on any given weekend, the buzz in midtwon is still impressive even without 2nd Saturday.

If we could duplicate what is happening in Midtown in the downtown area; then Sacramento wouldn't need to hand out subisidies..

Exciting time in Sacramento..

:cheers:

btw anyone know when that damn champagne bar is due to open in MAARS..??

[jsf8278]

My one concern is this; in the past the Sacramento Police have gone to city hall in order to lobby for an end to events that they feel bring in too many people downtown/midtown or the waterfront (a critical mass if you will) or put a strain on their resources.

My other concern is that a Monthly Mardi Gras party atmosphere will end up attracting the kind of people who aren't interested in art or wine.


I love second Saturday and if the city were to ever try and curtail it due to success i would be the first to go to battle with city hall.

But the track record for the city in the past is to cancel successful gatherings; due to exceedinig expectations..

I've been thinking about that too. There were a lot of police down there. At one point they had to close off the street in front of MARRS b/c there were so many people walking down it.

As far as the type of crowd...that's a bit of a concern as well. I visited a certain clothing store that was serving $1 draft beers in there back room and had a rap concert in front of the store. You think they had a license to sell that alcohol? probably not.

[otnemarcaS]

I was also out there at SS and the crowd was probably one of the largest I have seen out there. I spoke with one of the cops and he said that even the city did not anticipate the size of the crowd and the cops had to be called in order to contain the number of people and cars out there.

If anyone strolled down to the 'bloc' that place was just amazingly stunning with all the outdoor seating out there. My friend from out of town said it felt like dining out in Miami Beach without the ocean. The bloc is the area on J between 27 and 28th street. Now that GV Hurley's is open, all the restaurants on that block have a nice symentry to it. I thought it felt like being in San Diego's gaslamp dining area or sunset blvd in LA. It really was nice.

And certainly, an undeniable factor in the expanded crowd out there also had to do with the weather. It was just a ridiculously georgous evening. Not too hot, not too cold. IMO, I still feel SS should be twice a month.

[sugit]

I'm sure most have heard how crazy 2nd Saturday was this past weekend, but here is a picture worth 1000 words

At the MAARS building. Take from http://bloggingthegrid.blogspot.com/

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/3633/dsc07468el9.jpg

[Majin]

Damn thats pretty crazy. I wish it looked like that everyday.

[Pistola916]

:previous:
Whoa. Midtown is hoppin

[Cynikal]

Whoa! Hulk Hogan was in town.

[sugit]

Fresh face for an old space
Boutique hotel The Citizen celebrates local agriculture with Grange restaurant
Sacramento Business Journal - by Mark Anderson Staff writer

Although he's chosen down-to-earth names for his Citizen Hotel and its restaurant, Chip Conley has lofty goals for them.

When The Citizen Hotel opens in November, it will feature Grange, a two-story, high-end restaurant that pays homage to the abundance of the farms and ranches of the Sacramento Valley, he said.

Conley is founder and chief executive of Joie De Vivre Hospitality Inc. of San Francisco, which operates 40 hotels, most of them boutique properties, in California.

He's been on a bit of a roll. He won a Conde Nast Traveler hot list ranking last year for his Hotel Angelina and its West restaurant in Los Angeles. The year before he got a hot list mention from the same publication for his Hotel Vitale and its Americano restaurant in San Francisco.

The Sacramento hotel and restaurant are being completed in the shell of an 88-year-old office building and will feature classical-looking hotel rooms with crown molding and striped wallpaper, custom furniture and the latest technology, including iPod ports, flat-panel TVs and wireless Internet.

The hotel company spent months coming up with the name The Citizen last year, and it did that same legwork finding a theme and a name for its only Sacramento restaurant.

Restaurants make a statement about their locations, Conley said. The restaurant has to be a version of what Sacramento is all about, he said, and to get that feeling he's taking a cue from the likes of Randall Selland of Ella Dining Room and Bar and Rick Mahon of Waterboy, both with a passion for local ingredients. Grange speaks to the cooperative strength of farmers working together, and the restaurant is meant to be a celebration of the fresh ingredients of local farms, Conley said. The produce, meats, fish and wine at Grange will all be local and reflect local traditions.

"It is very topical of the day today, and it is also part of the history of the area," Conley said.

Grange will face 10th Street, with a two-story glass atrium that will jut out onto the sidewalk. The main floor will have 160 seats, with 60 seats on an upper mezzanine overlooking the dining room. The mezzanine will also have a private dining room.

"We want Grange to be a Sacramento institution, but not in the traditional way where it's been there for years. We want it to feel like an institution from the first day," Conley said. "When people go into the restaurant, they will have a feeling that it has always been here if we do it right."

Both The Citizen and Grange are on track to open in November, said Kipp Blewett, principal with Rubicon Partners, the developers of the hotel with Joie De Vivre.

The hotel and restaurant have different designers and architects, so they have a different feel to them, Blewett said. "The restaurant is for Sacramentans. The hotel is for people who visit Sacramento."

Grange is being designed by San Francisco architect Michael Guthrie. He designed Tra Vigna Restaurant in St. Helena and Bix Restaurant in San Francisco. Locally, Guthrie designed the Esquire Grille and Sammy Chu's for restaurateur Randy Paragary.

"We want this to be an authentic local experience," said Guthrie, who owns Guthrie & Co. "We tried very hard not to make this a big San Francisco restaurant. There are no fussy details." The restaurant space is interrupted by concrete pillars, riveted steel beams and the old arches from the ground floor passages.

"They don't make buildings this way anymore. We don't want to cover it up; we want to expose it to create a space that is authentic with less decoration," Guthrie said. "The inherited space has so much charm and so many possibilities."

The finishes used inside to complement the space will include earthy and natural coverings such as brick, wood, leather and simple natural fabrics.

The front of the restaurant will also feature a two-story wine tower that can hold 180 bottles of wine.

The hotel will have a separate area for guests to eat and also meeting space on the ground and second floors. On the eighth floor is an open terrace with more meeting space and a sky deck overlooking the Capitol that has outdoor seating for 180 people.

The guest rooms are being appointed with a traditional look from the 1930s, with vertically striped wallpaper to accentuate the 10-foot high ceilings. Nearly all the furniture is being custom made, Blewett said: "We want the rooms to be true to the building and true to its roots, but we want to do that without being stodgy."

The frame and structure of the old building was stout, but the interior and exterior components of the building were largely rotten, Blewett said.

Crews removed asbestos, old insulation and all of the old wood casement windows. Some of the older fire-window frames were able to be saved, but Rubicon replaced the glass with new panes.

It also installed massive steel plates and beams around the first floors of the building and added shock absorbers to take the brunt of any earthquake that might shake the building, a state requirement.

"We wanted to make sure if there is a quake on the Woodland Fault, this wouldn't be a pile of bricks on J Street," Blewett said.

In removing old paint, plaster and aluminum trim, workers also uncovered the original marble walls of the building, which are going to be cleaned and exposed, Blewett said.

[ltsmotorsport]

This really is the best story in Sacramento development. I did a photo essay on this building about 4 years ago and am very pleased to hear that the effort is being put in to make this a truly first-class project.

[sugit]

I think the MAARS (http://www.marrs-sactown.com/)project should be a pro type for every retail project in Sacramento.

A coffee shop, news stand, art gallery, clothing store, a couple sit down restaurants/lounges and a quick bite place. Great mix of tenants that keeps actively on that block all day and night.

Though they are different projects in different areas, developments like The Firestone Building at 16th and L, that offer only sit down restaurants, while great for evening traffic and nightlife, really seem to create dead spots during the day.

_________________________________________________________________
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/dining/

Thirty Champagnes by the glass? What is Ali Mackani thinking? Big, again. Mackani, who in the fall of 2005 opened the electric Restaurant 55 Degrees along Capitol Mall, is close to launching his next ambitious project, Lounge on 20, where the beverage menu is to include 30 Champagnes by the glass.

Lounge on 20, which Mackani hopes to open in early June, and possibly as soon as late May, will occupy the southeast portion of the MARRS building at 20th and K in midtown Sacramento. MARRS - Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene - already is home to the Solomon Dubnick Gallery, restaurants Luigi's Slice and Azul, and shops DV8 and Newsbeat.

Lounge on 20 is to be a hybrid restaurant and wine bar where the focus will be on socialization. "If you know the Redroom Room of the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, that's the kind of interaction we want," says Mackani. The conviviality will be fueled by the Champagnes, an equally extensive list of wines by the glass, creative cocktails, community tables, and a New American menu whereby dishes can be ordered in three sizes - "a taste, a small plate or a shared tray for three or four people," says Mackani. "We want to promote socializing over food and drink."

The place will be big, seating up to 170 inside, another 80 on the deck. Mackani is being assisted in putting together Lounge on 20 by two key principals of Restaurant 55 Degrees, executive chef Luc Dendievel and manager Kassidy Harris. Mackani hopes to finalize the hiring of a chef de cuisine for the new place this week. The opening of Lounge on 20 will mean no change for Restaurant 55 Degrees, he adds.

[urban_encounter]

I think the MAARS (http://www.marrs-sactown.com/)project should be a pro type for every retail project in Sacramento.

A coffee shop, news stand, art gallery, clothing store, a couple sit down restaurants/lounges and a quick bite place. Great mix of tenants that keeps actively on that block all day and night.

Though they are different projects in different areas, developments like The Firestone Building at 16th and L, that offer only sit down restaurants, while great for evening traffic and nightlife, really seem to create dead spots during the day.

_________________________________________________________________
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/dining/

Thirty Champagnes by the glass? What is Ali Mackani thinking? Big, again. Mackani, who in the fall of 2005 opened the electric Restaurant 55 Degrees along Capitol Mall, is close to launching his next ambitious project, Lounge on 20, where the beverage menu is to include 30 Champagnes by the glass.

Lounge on 20, which Mackani hopes to open in early June, and possibly as soon as late May, will occupy the southeast portion of the MARRS building at 20th and K in midtown Sacramento. MARRS - Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene - already is home to the Solomon Dubnick Gallery, restaurants Luigi's Slice and Azul, and shops DV8 and Newsbeat.

Lounge on 20 is to be a hybrid restaurant and wine bar where the focus will be on socialization. "If you know the Redroom Room of the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, that's the kind of interaction we want," says Mackani. The conviviality will be fueled by the Champagnes, an equally extensive list of wines by the glass, creative cocktails, community tables, and a New American menu whereby dishes can be ordered in three sizes - "a taste, a small plate or a shared tray for three or four people," says Mackani. "We want to promote socializing over food and drink."

The place will be big, seating up to 170 inside, another 80 on the deck. Mackani is being assisted in putting together Lounge on 20 by two key principals of Restaurant 55 Degrees, executive chef Luc Dendievel and manager Kassidy Harris. Mackani hopes to finalize the hiring of a chef de cuisine for the new place this week. The opening of Lounge on 20 will mean no change for Restaurant 55 Degrees, he adds.



:previous:


can't wait

[otnemarcaS]

The free Friday night concert in the Park (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=71007849) summer series started today at Cesar Chavez park downtown.

Anybody get a chance to check it out?

[L8 4 Tahoe]

The free Friday night concert in the Park (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=71007849) summer series started today at Cesar Chavez park downtown.

Anybody get a chance to check it out?

Yeap I was out there, but they need to plan it a lot better. They had 6 porta potties for the beer garden with hundreds of people in it. I waited for 30 min and almost pissed my pants. I could of gone home gone to the bathroom there then came back faster. They also raised the prices of beer I heard, this was my first one. $5 for premium and $4 for bud. The whole stand in line for tickets then stand in a different line for beer is crap. Why can't you pay for it when you get it? It's like the city doesn't want me to come back. From now on I'm going to pyramid and getting drunk there first.:cheers:

[Cynikal]

Do you honestly think that the City wants to plan the event so you (or anyone else) can get drunk quicker? I'm sure they do that intensionally. :cheers:

[wburg]

Hm. I was lurking over in the Bay Area forum, and noticed that people consider San Francisco to have fairly limited late-night dining options too:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=148667

So maybe we in Sacramento shouldn't beat ourselves up too much about not having tons of late-night options. Not that we shouldn't try for more, mind you, but there's no point in setting the bar so high that we can never hurdle it.

[Majin]

Hm. I was lurking over in the Bay Area forum

Trader :maddown:

[TowerDistrict]

Hm. I was lurking over in the Bay Area forum, and noticed that people consider San Francisco to have fairly limited late-night dining options too:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=148667

So maybe we in Sacramento shouldn't beat ourselves up too much about not having tons of late-night options. Not that we shouldn't try for more, mind you, but there's no point in setting the bar so high that we can never hurdle it.

San Francisco is nationally renowned (infamous?) for being a sleepy city. That's not to say the options for dining and entertainment aren't there by any means - but i've read and heard that same sort of comment a thousand times from media and residents from places such as NYC and Chicago.

I don't find it that strange that the people actually sleep. But I would say that a healthy, diverse mix of workforce population would go farther than more clubs and bars for late-night dining. You need people with differentiating schedules, artists, self-employed, small business owners and the standard 8-5 professionals too.

[Tenebrist]

Trader :maddown:

i think you want to call him a traitor.

[Majin]

Err, you're right :doh:

[arod74]

One less reason for locals to go to Old Sac...

California Fat's shuts doors in Old Sac
By Mike Dunne - mdunne@sacbee.com

After 35 years, a landmark restaurant site in Old Sacramento is dark. The Fat family has closed California Fat's Asian Grill & Steakhouse, which originally opened in 1973 as China Camp.

"It was a combination of things. No. 1, the economy. Secondly, there's more competition in Sacramento and the suburbs," says Jerry Fat, chief financial officer for the Fat family's group of restaurants. "California Fat's had been on a marginal basis the past year and a half or so. We're all down as more restaurants come into Sacramento, so it seemed the prudent thing to do."

Old Sacramento is busy on weekends and for special events, such as during the Jazz Jubilee over Memorial Day weekend, but on weekdays local residents tend to stay away, adds Fat.

The California Fat's space now is being used for events like receptions and banquets. The family is looking at its options for the building, but it isn't likely to again house a restaurant, indicates Fat.

This hasn't been an especially auspicious year for the Fat family's restaurant interests. The family also owns the building along Alta Arden Expressway that housed Romano's Macaroni Grill, which closed in late March, about the same time the Fats were shutting down California Fat's. On the up side, the lease for the building has another two years to run, and Brinker International, the parent company of Romano's Macaroni Grill, continues to pay rent, says Fat.


I've had some pretty good meals at Cal Fat's so its too bad and the building was great. Not to fear though, I'm sure someone will be willing to stick another candy/t-shirt shop in there. You can't have too many can you???

[Majin]

Unrelated to old sac but look for quite a few resturants in downtown to be closing pretty soon too. Especially in or around K street.

Simple Fix:

Add. More. Housing. Downtown.
Stop. Complaining. About. Capitol. View. Corridors.
Stop. Complaining. About. Being. Too. "Sleek".
Get. Greyhound. Out. Of. Downtown.
Send. Fargo. Into. Permanent. Exile.

God Fargo has got to be the worst thing that has ever happened to this city. How in the world did she get elected in the first place? The same way Bush did?

[Cynikal]

How does anything you just said relate to restaurants downtown? :koko:

Could they be closing because they flooded the restaurant market? :banana: I would gladly loose a few restaurants for retail and other commercial uses. Diversity is a good thing.

[Majin]

How does anything you just said relate to restaurants downtown? :koko:

Could they be closing because they flooded the restaurant market? :banana: I would gladly loose a few restaurants for retail and other commercial uses. Diversity is a good thing.

How does it not?

There are no where near enough residents to support the amount of resturants downtown. Simple.

[otnemarcaS]

Full Steam Ahead
Word came in too late last night to make today's Bee story about challenges facing restaurateurs in Old Sacramento, but here's another sign of confidence in the city's historic district: Janie Desmond Ison is coming back to Old Sacramento.

In 1994 she opened Steamers at Front and K streets, built it into a popular coffee stop for tourists and locals alike, and then sold the business in 2000. It closed this past Dec. 31, but Ison and her husband Jim, who also own Cafe Vinoteca at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Watt Avenue, which they will continue to run, have been enticed to return to Old Sac and reopen Steamers.

When they revive it, expected between mid- and late-June, Steamers will be more varied and ambitious, though initially open just for breakfast and lunch. The Isons are putting in a full kitchen, they're getting a beer-and-wine license, and they'll be adding dinners on weekend nights during peak times for the district (watch for their striking interpretation of banana-cream pie).

Why the name Steamers? Janie Ison said it originally represented both the steam wand on an espresso machine and the steam trains of Old Sacramento, but after they get the new Steamers up and running they'll also at least occasionally serve steamer clams.

The Isons are so confident in Old Sacramento's dining scene they've signed a 15-year lease for Steamers. "We're very bullish on Old Sacramento," says Jim Ison.

Posted by mdunne at 09:53 AM

(Sacbee)

[otnemarcaS]

Some residents complain about midtown's raucous night life
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - mlvellinga@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, April 12, 2008
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B3

http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2008/04/11/21/1-6M11HURLEY.embedded.prod_affiliate.4.JPGHector Amezcua / hamezcua@sacbee.com

Restaurant manager Erick Johnson says the conditions placed on the G.V. Hurley's liquor license put him at a competitive disadvantage.



Depending on your perspective, the new G.V. Hurley's restaurant on J Street is either part of a fragile flowering of night life in midtown, or a potential menace.

When G.V. Hurley's filed its application to sell alcohol, more than 80 people from the surrounding neighborhood around 28th and J streets signed letters in protest – saying that the growing concentration of bars and restaurants on the corner was hurting their quality of life.

The letters, submitted to the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, were collected by a group of longtime midtown residents who complain that their once-quiet neighborhood streets are now filled with loud, drunken patrons leaving restaurants that serve drinks long after their kitchens shut down.

"The problem has shifted from an over-concentration of social services and cheap neighborhood bars to high-end bars," complained Vito Sgromo, who has lived in a Craftsman-style house on 28th Street for 24 years.

"What's the difference?" he said. "You're bringing high-end people to use the neighborhood as a urinal and a parking lot."

Despite the protests, an administrative law judge last month ruled in favor of G.V. Hurley's, and the restaurant opened with a provisional license, pending the completion of an appeal period.

"Two people showed up to the protest hearing," said Lori Ajax, ABC's district administrator.

Neighborhood activists have moved on to a new target. They plan to protest plans by the partners in the Old Soul coffee roaster and bakery in midtown to obtain a license to serve beer and wine in the former Weatherstone coffeehouse, now called Old Soul at the Weatherstone, on 21st Street in Boulevard Park.

While the restaurant owners have said they will operate a quiet, neighborhood eatery, Dale Kooyman, who has lived for 30 years at 21st and H streets, said such promises in the past have turned out to be hollow.

"The original owners can be ever so good, but in order to stay in business, they've got to meet the competition," Kooyman said.

The views expressed by Kooyman and other midtown activists are at odds with the city's strategy of encouraging more bars and restaurants to enliven midtown streets that a few years ago were dark and deserted at night.

"I think we want midtown to be a vibrant place where people can go get a good meal and entertainment," said Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge, who is buying a row house in the Sutter Brownstones project under construction at 28th and N streets.

"For me, it's an ambience thing," Kerridge said. "If I live in midtown or downtown, there's an expectation that there's going to be some hustle and bustle."

Midtown developer Mike Heller said midtown needs more dining and drinking establishments, not less. He said the city should stand up to the protests of a vocal minority and make sure ABC is on board as well.

"We're pandering too much to the handful of people … and their voice is being heard too much by the City Council and the ABC," Heller said. "All it takes is one protest to put that liquor license at risk.

"I think it's a a very fragile existence we have here," Heller added. "It would be one thing if the mayor and council said the vision we have for this city is we want it to remain a sleepy little town with nice trees. … But that's not the case. Everybody's wanting us to do this stuff."

According to ABC records, there are now 172 restaurants and bars authorized to sell beer, wine or liquor in the 95814 ZIP code that covers much of midtown and downtown.

That's a 17 percent increase from the 147 such establishments that existed in 2003, and a 26 percent rise from 136 in 1998. ZIP code 95816, which covers the eastern portion of midtown, has seen a 21 percent increase in licenses during the past decade.

Sacramento Police Sgt. Matt Young said some of the new venues "have absolutely negatively impacted the neighbors," but said that on the whole, the night life upswing has been positive.

"Having people out there walking around who are law-abiding citizens is fantastic for this city," he said.

The city has not assigned more police to midtown to handle the larger number of visitors, he said. Instead, it has reorganized, creating an "entertainment team" to address night life-related problems.

ABC is responsible for issuing licenses to sell alcoholic beverages. Ajax said her department tries to be sensitive to neighborhood concerns but needs to have "good cause" to turn down an applicant.

"We normally don't deny licenses," she said.

The agency does impose operating conditions, however. For G.V. Hurley's, she said, the list of such conditions was "extensive."

Owned by three prominent businessmen, the restaurant features organic meat and fish served in high-backed booths. Manager Erick Johnson said food – not alcohol – is the attraction.

Still, signs on patio railings along the block advertise the corner's nighttime identity as a watering hole. Signs invite people to a Second Saturday "bloc party" at Centro Cocina Mexicana, Harlow's, the Blue Cue and other nearby eateries.

Johnson said the conditions on G.V. Hurley's license put him at a competitive disadvantage. On most weekdays, he can stay open only until midnight, while others can serve until 2 a.m.

Only 20 people at a time can be out on the G.V. Hurley's patio, and they must be seated in order to get a drink. "Right next door, there are two patios that can have 100 people out on them," Johnson said.

Besides agreeing to such conditions, G.V. Hurley's is paying for private security on Thursday nights, a service already funded on Friday and Saturday by neighboring restaurateurs Randy Paragary and Peter Torza.

Nine of the restaurants between J and N streets also have joined forces in a new business improvement district that will raise $180,000 to pay for cleaning, safety services, maintenance and marketing, Paragary said.

He said that the restaurant owners have been trying harder to listen to neighborhood concerns.

"Sometimes some of the neighbors have exaggerated the problems, but when it's affecting you, it's not an exaggeration," he said. "On the other hand, I think maybe we were under-sympathetic to their plight. I think we maybe could have been better neighbors."

http://www.sacbee.com/crime/story/856332-p2.html

[otnemarcaS]

:previous:

This article was originally in the sacbee about 3 weeks ago but I had not read it nor seen it posted on SSP. Curious as to why it is under the bee's crime sub-section too.

Damn if you don't, damn if you do. We want a central city with more restaurants and nightlife but we'll complain if you open more restaurants and nightlife anywhere near us in MT/DT. Gimme a break. I like that area called 'the bloc' as you can essentially go to 6 bars and 2 nightclubs on one block without driving from place to place. As someone who grew up in Sac, one complaint had always been that you had to drive from restaurant to bar to nightclub to wherever but now, with concentrated areas like 18th and capitol, the bloc, 15 and 16th street, K st in Alkali flats and a few others in the central city, it is now getting easier to just park in one place and experience several restaurant/bar/club/entertainment venues in the same area.

GV Hurley's is not even a nightclub but they are restricting the place from opening past midnite on Thursdays when the other places can open later? I remember that the initial complaint was about parking until they provided additional parking with the demolished Carrow's restaurant. Kevin Johnson says he wants to turn Sacramento into a 24/7 city. Good luck. Much easier to squeeze water out of a rock sometimes in this town.

[sugit]

As someone who grew up in Sac, one complaint had always been that you had to drive from restaurant to bar to nightclub to wherever but now, with concentrated areas like 18th and capitol, the bloc, 15 and 16th street, K st in Alkali flats and a few others in the central city, it is now getting easier to just park in one place and experience several restaurant/bar/club/entertainment venues in the same area.

That has always been my biggest complaint as well. That has made a ton of progress over the last 5 -6 years though like you mentioned. With every project completed and new establishment that opens, the dots get more and more connected.

I read somewhere recently that the owners of Crush 29 in Roseville were looking at J and 24/25/26th to open a new venue. The neighborhood is going to shit themselves....