The corner of Broadway and 16th has always provided Sacramento with a sense of identity with its majestic theatre and beautiful garden. But the biggest highlight of the grounds is the Tower Cafe that will, on Earth Day, 2010, turn 20.

The restaurant was opened by owner Jim Seyman, 60, on April 22, 1990 as a coffee shop intended for people to come and socialize, but with the aid of worldly kitsch, a progressive award winning menu and a patio filled with flora and fauna, the Tower has come to represent one of Sacramento’s greatest local and tourist spots.

The menu has entrees ranging from carnitas rojas, a spectacular combination of pulled pork, colorful tortilla shells, and a chile relleno, to Irish beef stew to Florentine raviolis, served with a delicious white wine sauce and cherry tomatoes. With new specials every week, the Tower Cafe has seen cuisine from a multitude of countries. The Tower also boasts a wide array of bakery sweets, and is known for their impressive dessert case.

“I like the lemon tart and the chocolate cream pie,” Mike Darning says, a regular who’s been coming to the cafe since it opened. “I love the color and the travel posters.”

The insides of Tower look like an international garage sale seeker’s paradise, with relics and posters that hail from every part of the globe, from statues of Mexican skeletal depictions to Indian portraiture of shamans to a wooden custom made life-size komodo dragon. Every corner you glance at would show something that you hadn’t noticed before, even a frequent patron.

“They come from all over the world,” Seyman says. “They’re acquired through some traveling and from friends and various people I’ve met that are importers.”

The Tower Cafe is also host to numerous accolades from Sacramento Magazine, Sacramento News & Review and third party reviewers as well as their 2009 Zagat rating. They show with pride multiple commendations for their signature custard French toast, a recipe conceived by the owner’s disillusionment with the ordinary breakfast entree.

“Growing up, we had French toast only occasionally, and there wasn’t much to it,” Seyman says. “The idea didn’t come from anywhere but my head. I thought that if the bread was nice and thick and was soaked well enough, it would bring the fluids together in a custard-like way that might be very, very good.”

After a tumultuous time of unrest and issues with the space that was the original setting of Tower Records in 1946, Seyman sought a way to bring a new idea to the complex. When he leased the site in February of 1989, he began with the idea of a coffee shop more designed for socializing.

“It was a place for people to be where they could engage in ideas and life stories,” Seyman says, “and I wanted the concept of doing something reflective of a global village.”

The grounds before ‘89 were atrocious. The theatre was in disrepair and “there was moss growing out of the cracks.” Seyman planted numerous trees and shrubbery throughout the property that would eventually blossom into the elegant garden that exists today, not to mention the palm trees that greet patrons in the parking lot.

“You can see all the plants, everything out there coming to life, especially the Japanese Maple,” Ruben Rebeles says, a waiter who has worked at the Tower for 13 years.

The Tower is also known for its philanthropic endeavors. Jim has donated to charities such as Loaves and Fishes, St. Hope and just recently to the efforts in earthquake-torn Haiti. Included on the wall of plaques are ones of recognition from the Salvation Army and Sacramento High School’s former Visual and Performing Arts Center.

“I advertise very, very little,” Seyman says. “I use the money that would go to that and look at inner city schools. There are different kinds of programs that I support.”

Seyman also feels that his cafe is only part of a larger picture concerning the Tower complex. Speaking about the idea of “symbiosis” in the combination of “the theatre, the cafe, the record store, a video store.”

“That was in part the uniqueness of the corner, you can’t find that uniqueness somewhere else.” Seyman says. “It’s so rare, especially today. It’s a setting that’s so unusual, it isn’t contrived.”

Seyman says that every day is Earth Day at the Tower Cafe.

“It’s a celebration of culture, Earth and all the natural elements that you can put around a dining experience.”

The Tower Cafe is located at 1518 Broadway, (916) 441-0222.