Sacramento Restaurants, Nightlife and Entertainment

[otnemarcaS]

The 'damned if they do, damned if they don't' mentality in this city can be mind boggling sometimes. So midtown/downtown is getting a semblance of decent nightlife that has existed in many other large cities for years and some people want to slow the progress. Personally, I think MT/DT should DOUBLE the number of bars/nightclubs/restaurants in the central city to make it an even more vibrant entertainment destination.

[otnemarcaS]

Speaking of nightclub openings .....

Bob Shallit: New nightclub in race to open by New Year's Eve

By Bob Shallit
[email protected]
Published: Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008 | Page 6B

Mason Wong stood Thursday amid the construction chaos at his new downtown nightclub site.

Workers were installing wood paneling, applying stucco and sanding floor tiles at the Mix Downtown, set to open soon atop the art deco-inspired former Firestone building at 16th and L streets.

"You look at this now," Wong said, "and think, there's no way we'll get done (in time for a New Year's Eve opening). But we'll get there."

Truth is, getting the Mix finished by Dec. 31 is a challenge. But a tougher test may be keeping it open in this tumultuous economy.

Wong, a youthful-looking 48, acknowledges all this.

But he thinks the Mix will stand out from the crowded pack of downtown nightclubs scrambling for survival.

One distinction is its target market. His nearby Park Ultra Lounge attracts mainly twenty-somethings. As do most other downtown and midtown clubs.

"We're skewing slightly older here," he says. The music will be from the '70s and '80s. More disco than rap.

Wong hopes to lure a more sophisticated crowd with rotating cocktail themes, including martini nights, wine tastings and champagne specials.

His 8,000-square-foot space will also have an "older" feel, he says, with extensive use of "distressed" wood salvaged from area barns, then bleached for an ocean-weathered look.

Modern accents will include green and yellow leather seating and a LED-lit tower above the outdoor "small plates" dining area.

Of course, Wong has a name for the Mix's eclectic look.

"I call it California Malibu-y, hip casual."

[wburg]

Hm. According to the ABC website, the Old Soul license is still listed as pending:

http://www.abc.ca.gov/datport/LQSData.asp?ID=2029504856

so it hasn't actually been denied yet.

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by econgrad

I never heard of such complaints in other cities....why here??

I'm trying to think of a city that DOESN'T have these nightlife vs. neighbors conflicts. It happens anyplace where nightlife and residential exist in close proximity. Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, San Diego...it's an issue a whole lot of places. I can't remember it coming up in Fresno, where a lot of the clubs with loud music were in strip malls.

[Yogi916]

wburg, I believe what happened was the Old Soul request for Beer & Wine was indeed denied but then ABC higher ups decided to "reopen the case" after some media expousure and whatnot. And I believe the stage its at now is Old Soul waiting to hear from ABC on when their appeal hearing date will be.

Its been like a 8 or 9 month process for them so far...

[econgrad]

Originally Posted by Phillip

I'm trying to think of a city that DOESN'T have these nightlife vs. neighbors conflicts. It happens anyplace where nightlife and residential exist in close proximity. Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, San Diego...it's an issue a whole lot of places. I can't remember it coming up in Fresno, where a lot of the clubs with loud music were in strip malls.

I am not saying your wrong, but when I lived and went to college in SF, I never ever heard of any story like this. When I lived in Santa Monica, never ever heard of any either, nor in NYC when I lived there. My theory is cities grow into a 24/7 city and then residents get used to it and accept it as norm, maybe Sac needs more time, heck midtown is still a suburb anyway.

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by econgrad

I am not saying your wrong

You better not, lol!

I could Google up a bunch of stories from dift papers but it's not worth the time. It just seems obvious that anyplace where loud music is within earshot of people who are trying to sleep there will be conflicts.

A couple years ago there were problems between the Distillery on L Street and the St Anton apartments across the street. Do you know did that situation resolve? Part of the issue there was that people were renting St Anton apartments and didn't know there was loud music across the street. It's not something a leasing agent will voluntarily mention. And in daytime, leasing hours, the Distillery from the outside looks like a place for prime rib with your grandparents.

I've always thought the Railyards would be a good spot for a nightlife district, similar to Austin's Sixth Avenue. There's plenty of room there to put 8 or 10 clubs in close proximity, but totally segregated from the housing. Park once and walk from club to club. Maybe underneath the elevated portion of I-5.

[wburg]

The Distillery got a big fabric curtain for the window nearest the street, it muffles a lot of the sound, and Distillery staff do crowd control to limit outside noise. They're still doing live shows, though.

Philip, the Railyards is supposed to have housing in every neighborhood. The difference, though, is that in mid-rise/high-rise housing there is enough sound insulation to stop most street noise from getting through, even from a nightclub. If you're 8-10 stories up in a brand new building with insulation, street noise just isn't that big a deal. If you're in a 100 year old two-story wooden house with a 10 foot deep front yard, street noise is a considerably bigger deal.

While I'm sure Thomas Enterprises wants some nightlife component in the Railyards, I think their focus is going to be more towards retail. Besides, I don't see why we should have to wait another decade or so for them to build the neighborhood first.

Why not just put this "nightlife district" in a place that already has buildings, doesn't have a whole lot of residents, already has a couple of nightlife destinations, and seriously needs some evening foot traffic? Like, say, K Street?

K Street (outside of the Westfield part) is an abject failure as a retail shopping mall (although the Westfield part is, at best, feebly limping along.) This much is obvious. So why keep trying? If suburban soccer moms don't want to go there because parking's not so good and the neighborhood isn't as safe-appearing as Arden Fair or the Roseville Galleria, then stop trying to woo them in a failed effort.

I have gone clubbing in a few cities around the country, and almost universally, nightclubs tend to be in places where parking is crappy (either walking quite a few blocks or paying for parking is pretty standard) and the neighborhood generally isn't the best (ranges from kinda hinky to downright dangerous). Getting spare-changed while out on the town is pretty much expected. Most people who go to nightclubs expect that sort of thing--so why not put clubs in a neighborhood that works with that description?

We've already got an incubator of sorts along 10th Street. Things are already pretty busy there on weekends: between Temple Coffee, Parlare, the Cosmo/Social and Grange/Scandal, there is already a lot of foot traffic. Within a block in either direction is the Crest Theater, Pyramid, and Marilyn's. Throw a dance club and a couple of live music venues into some of those vacant storefronts and I'm willing to wager a few of those restaurants that close at 3 PM right now would start reopening in the evening to sop up some of the late-night traffic, and retailers who market to nightclub-goers would start sniffing around for vacant storefronts.

And because new buildings, as mentioned above, are relatively immune to noise problems, there's still the potential to put more residential into the K Street corridor.

[ltsmotorsport]

Originally Posted by Majin

Deal with it or get the fuck out.

Exactly. Let's just hope the city doesn't pull another 'Thursday Night Market' on us.

[otnemarcaS]

Wburg, I definitely agree with you on making K Street mall a nightlife destination. A few more restaurants, bars and nightclubs should be able to add life to that street. Also on K street is Cabana Room nightclub. It will be really good to have a live music venue or two on K street.

Since K street has failed to become Sacramento's version, albeit smaller, of Santa Monica's Third street promenade or Denver's 16th street, then maybe a nightclub district makes the most sense for that stretch.

[FresnoFacts]

Originally Posted by Phillip

I'm trying to think of a city that DOESN'T have these nightlife vs. neighbors conflicts. It happens anyplace where nightlife and residential exist in close proximity. Seattle, Portland, SF, LA, San Diego...it's an issue a whole lot of places. I can't remember it coming up in Fresno, where a lot of the clubs with loud music were in strip malls.

It has been a problem in Fresno in the past. As clubs have opened in downtown Fresno the senior citizens living in buildings like Masten Towers have complained about the noise.

[econgrad]

Originally Posted by wburg

The Distillery got a big fabric curtain for the window nearest the street, it muffles a lot of the sound, and Distillery staff do crowd control to limit outside noise. They're still doing live shows, though.

Philip, the Railyards is supposed to have housing in every neighborhood. The difference, though, is that in mid-rise/high-rise housing there is enough sound insulation to stop most street noise from getting through, even from a nightclub. If you're 8-10 stories up in a brand new building with insulation, street noise just isn't that big a deal. If you're in a 100 year old two-story wooden house with a 10 foot deep front yard, street noise is a considerably bigger deal.

While I'm sure Thomas Enterprises wants some nightlife component in the Railyards, I think their focus is going to be more towards retail. Besides, I don't see why we should have to wait another decade or so for them to build the neighborhood first.

Why not just put this "nightlife district" in a place that already has buildings, doesn't have a whole lot of residents, already has a couple of nightlife destinations, and seriously needs some evening foot traffic? Like, say, K Street?

K Street (outside of the Westfield part) is an abject failure as a retail shopping mall (although the Westfield part is, at best, feebly limping along.) This much is obvious. So why keep trying? If suburban soccer moms don't want to go there because parking's not so good and the neighborhood isn't as safe-appearing as Arden Fair or the Roseville Galleria, then stop trying to woo them in a failed effort.

I have gone clubbing in a few cities around the country, and almost universally, nightclubs tend to be in places where parking is crappy (either walking quite a few blocks or paying for parking is pretty standard) and the neighborhood generally isn't the best (ranges from kinda hinky to downright dangerous). Getting spare-changed while out on the town is pretty much expected. Most people who go to nightclubs expect that sort of thing--so why not put clubs in a neighborhood that works with that description?

We've already got an incubator of sorts along 10th Street. Things are already pretty busy there on weekends: between Temple Coffee, Parlare, the Cosmo/Social and Grange/Scandal, there is already a lot of foot traffic. Within a block in either direction is the Crest Theater, Pyramid, and Marilyn's. Throw a dance club and a couple of live music venues into some of those vacant storefronts and I'm willing to wager a few of those restaurants that close at 3 PM right now would start reopening in the evening to sop up some of the late-night traffic, and retailers who market to nightclub-goers would start sniffing around for vacant storefronts.

And because new buildings, as mentioned above, are relatively immune to noise problems, there's still the potential to put more residential into the K Street corridor.

K street is a great place for clubs, I agree completely. I am confused though, what about Old Sac? Isn't this the area for clubs and bars in Sac? I think we all agree Old Sac kind of sucks and is kind of dangerous sometimes as well, so would K street be better and why?

Philip: I found many similar stories as well, its just strange that I never heard of such complaints when I lived in other cities... Maybe diluted among other stories.

[wburg]

econgrad: Personally I don't think Old Sac sucks, and it's not at all dangerous (it still has some of the old rep but these days it's totally undeserved) but I don't think it is big enough to be the sole nightlife/entertainment destination for the whole Sacramento region. Because that's the idea--create a regional entertainment destination, not just a local one. Old Sacramento is only six blocks, and the majority of its attractions are not nightclubs.

Plus, please keep in mind that K Street goes all the way to the river. Start the entertainment at K Street and Front, follow it under I-5, keep it going around the mall (or in it!) and out onto K from 7th-12th to the epicenter at 10th and K. If the streetcar goes in as planned, there will be a very handy public-transit link from Front and Capitol to the K Street Mall that goes all the way to 15th and K (and with expansions, farther east than that), running every 10-15 minutes.

Besides, part of the idea is to reactivate currently-vacant storefronts, and there are a lot more vacant storefronts in the K Street pedestrian mall area than in Old Sac, at least at street level.

Finally, if we do get enough critical mass to get people heading downtown for entertainment in big numbers, Old Sacramento's venues will benefit and more will open. Midtown's restaurants and cafes will benefit, as will the other nightclub epicenter around 20th and K.

[econgrad]

Well, we strongly disagree about Old Sac. Though your K street paragraph is a great idea, and we agree on the critical mass. We all have been agreeing for years we need more residents MT/DT to support everything as well. The plan for the street car, will it be running late? Will it be running during the late night life on K? I missed the info on this, I will search through the thread....

[Majin]

Are they still doing the ball drop on K street for new years? I was going to hit up tahoe but I ended up saying fuck it I'm keeping it sactown this year.

[Sachornet]

I thought Sacramento was reaching it's saturation point with clubs/lounges, but there might be another one coming to 10th street between J and K.

http://www.twinsoup.com/2009/01/sacramento-ruby-skye.html

[sugit]

That's cool. I always thought that building would make a bitchin' club.

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by sugit

That's cool. I always thought that building would make a bitchin' club.

Me too! It used to be a Wells Fargo and there was some awesome decorative tile and woodwork inside. Same era as the Citizen Hotel maybe a little earlier.

[wburg]

A little later, I think (1930s or 1940s) but yeah, it's a great building with a dramatic interior. Great spot for a nightclub, and yet another bright spot for what I hope will become a nightclub district along K Street.

That kind of went under the radar in Weintraub's predictions: in some ways there was "no action" on K Street (at least on the 700-800 block) but the continued success of the Crest, Parlare and Temple, and the opening of the Citizen/Grange/Scandal and Cosmopolitan/Cosmo/Social, are a really positive sign.

Because even in rough economic times, people want to be entertained, and they want to party. So maybe killing off the idea of K Street as a shopping center, and allowing it to flourish as a nightlife/entertainment district, is where things are headed. Eventually plus several thousand units of mid/high-rise housing, of course...

[sugit]

There is a BBQ spot opening at 24th and J "My BBQ Spot" Open until 2am on weekends. It's in the old Tamarind spot.