Mongo Mongo Mongolian BBQ restaurant at 19th and J streets opened Saturday, and owner Jonathan Ng said he is pleased with the customer turnout. “It’s been good, we’re really excited to be open,” Ng said Monday. Much of the interior design still needs to be finished, Ng said, but getting the restaurant open and focusing on the food was the top priority. “It’s kind of barren, but we’re working on it,” Ng said, adding that interior décor details are being worked out. In order to keep the garage doors installed when the business was Garlic Shack – which shut down after only three months – Ng said a unique setup had to be made to meet health department regulations that stipulate the kitchen

T & R Taste of Texas opened on Broadway near 36th Street in late October, and Chef Rodney Ray said he thinks the barbecue restaurant will be able to last in the spot that has seen several businesses come and go in past years. “It’s simple, good, home-cooked food,” he said Wednesday. “It’s great barbecue, and we don’t grill it – we smoke it.” All meats are smoked a minimum of five hours in an on-site smoker, and four types of wood are used: apple, hickory, mesquite and cherry, Ray said. Meats and other ingredients come from local restaurant suppliers, and he added that he wants to work with farmers markets to bring in local produce during harvest season. Ray, who is a longtime friend of

Sacramento Fire Chief Ray Jones said at a press conference Tuesday that National Night Out is an important event for fire and law enforcement, especially amidst the budget crisis, to improve public safety. “We want to make sure that we have a presence in our neighborhoods – finding out from the people we serve how we can make changes,” Jones said. More than 50 events are scheduled for the 28th annual National Night Out Tuesday night in Sacramento. Each neighborhood decides how it will celebrate with barbecues and potlucks being a common way to bring everyone together. Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel said he expects to see crowds from dozens to 500. This opportunity will allow nei

A Midtown barbecue restaurant that closed in late December has reopened with a new name, but customers might not notice a difference. My BBQ Spot, 2502 J St., closed its doors Dec. 23 and reopened as Luck’s BBQ Jan. 7, but the core concepts of the restaurant didn’t change. “We have new owners and the same cook,” said Manager Carlos Lopez. The most popular dishes are the tri-tip and ribs, said John “John-John” McCarty, the restaurant’s cook, who also ran My BBQ Spot for the past two years. He recommends the brisket as well. McCarty added that the menu and serving style are the same as My BBQ Spot. “All of our meats are smoked for an hour, and then cooked,” he said. Lopez said all the

Throwing a Fourth of July celebration? Your fellow Americans have some tips, ranging from home-grown parades and potlucks to Elvis impersonators, dunk tanks and old-school amusements. This week, a handful of Sacramentans offered ideas on how to have fun and maybe even save a little cash this holiday with celebrations as diverse as the country. Organizing your own Independence Day parade topped the list of suggestions. Processions can be as small and impromptu as a clanging pots-and-pans parade of kids and adults moseying around the block or as big as a community parade with marching bands and dozens of floats closing down streets. Jeff Dominguez, who owns Exit Realty West in Midtown, i

 Looking for an explosive way to spend your Fourth of July? Well, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best Fourth of July events in the Sacramento area. Sacramento Cal Expo will once again host an Independence Day Celebration sponsored by Coca-Cola and Miller Lite at the Miller Lite Grandstand near the East Gate entrance. The festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a performance from Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers. State Fair mascot Poppy will also be there to entertain the crowds. Cal Expo’s media partner, radio station 107.9 The End, will provide music to the spectacular fireworks show, starting at 9:30 p.m. Parking for the event is $10, and general admission to

If you've never had the chance to try riding a mechanical bull, get ready to hold on tight. Downtown Sacramento will welcome a new Western-themed restaurant and bar called Bulls this summer featuring such an attraction. "The theme will be Western meets rock and roll," said owner Andrea Martin. "There's nothing like this in Sacramento." Construction continues at 1330 H St., where Bulls will be located. Martin pointed out an 18-foot-wide space where a mechanical bull will be installed, and the skeleton of the "horseshoe bar" being built. The indoor space and outdoor patio can hold 60 people. "(The mechanical bull) provides entertainment long after you have dinner or lunch," Martin said.

"The smokehouse is open — keep on smoking," boomed a low voice from a vendor at Smokehouse Specialties, one of the six rib teams participating in the seventh annual Rhythm and Ribs festival this weekend at Raley Field. "We do a lot more than just baseball," said Nick Lozito, coordinator for the Sacramento River Cats Baseball Club. "We try to use the stadium year-round, especially after the baseball season has ended, to host fun family events, like Rhythm and Ribs." The Rhythm and Ribs festival, sponsored by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, pits regional rib teams against each other for a chance to win the People's Choice Award of tastiest ribs. Festival-goers can s

As an (almost) native Californian, I realized long ago that the weather allows us the privilige to take certain things for granted, often to the chagrin of the rest of the country.  Most of us don't own a snow shovel.  We get fresh produce pretty much year-round.  And for the vast majority of us, the double-digit months don't necessarily signal the end of barbecue season.  I barbecue pretty much year round, and why not?   Even when the mercury dips to a chilly 38 degrees (you know, when the rest of the country is in the single digits----hee, hee, hee), what's nicer than warming yourself over an open fire  that also happens to be providing your supper?  And whatever you're in the mood for,