Kru Restaurant located in downtown Sacramento is one of the most gossiped about Japanese restaurants. Receiving an astonishing four star on yelp, many customer flocks to this restaurant for their dose of the Japanese cuisine. I visited this restaurant to see what all the hype was about. Working at two Japanese restaurants I have a very high expectation of Japanese food. I work at Nishiki in downtown, and Mikuni in Elk Grove. I grew up eating Japanese food often so I wondered if the food was as delicious as described in reviews. When I saw the place from the outside it looked pretty small. Once I walked in, it was as small as it seemed. To my surprise there weren’t too many customers and

Foodies of Sacramento will be gathering for a fourth SactoMoFo mobile food festival. SactoMoFo 4 will be held from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on April 21. There will be more food vendors, more activities, and more space than the previous events. The new location will be at sixth and W streets under the freeway. “We anticipate seeing a lot of smiling people with food-stained faces,” said Paul Somerhausen, managing partner of SactoMoFo. The first SactoMoFo festival was held in April of last year with 20 food vendors and a crowd of over 10,000 people at Fremont park. Whole Foods, SactoMoFo’s original sponser, will be sponsoring this festival. Access to SactoMoFo is free, and the food is pay-as-you

Indian cuisine arrived at the corner of 16th and K streets last week when Monsoon Indian Bar & Grill opened Dec. 8, and the response has been positive, co-owner Paul Singh said. “I go to Yelp, and we’re getting reallygood reviews,” Singh said. “I think it’s a good barometer, and it also gives you feedback. People take the time to go and write, and I take them seriously, even though it’s only about 10 or so so far.” Some of the most popular dishes so far, Singh said, are thechicken tikka masala, lamb Vindaloo and the samosa pakora appetizers – vegetarian-friendly pastry wraps of peas and rice. “People are coming back for additional visits, and that gives me confidence,” Singh said. Many

One walks down 16th Street on the “grid” in Sacramento and comes across two large and empty buildings at the corners of L and K streets. Both once newly operating restaurants in this energetic area have since closed their doors. The buildings, a common sight for many pedestrians and grid commuters like me, are prominent icons within the mid and downtown areas of Sacramento. The old Firestone building at 16th and K streets with its art deco details and sidewalk-fixed spot lights stands lonesome among the moving traffic and thriving businesses in the suites next door. The contemporary O Street Lofts, built back in 2005, beg for a tenant in their corner, first-floor suite with a wrap-around

Despite challenging times, Ernesto’s Mexican Food in Midtown will celebrate 20 years in business next week, and owner Pauline Jiménez said the key to success has been focusing on quality food and service. “We’re a neighborhood restaurant,” Jiménez said. “I’ve lived in the community for 50 years, and I think for the past 20 years we have been a staple here, and we are still going strong.” For 13 of the past 20 years, Jiménez said, Ernesto’s – located at 1901 16th St. – has been listed as best Mexican restaurant in Sacramento Magazine and has received other recognition in local contests. The business opened Nov. 18, 1991 in a space that was best-known for a Chinese restaurant, The Golden

A Midtown business owner is looking to add a second-floor patio area to her combination restaurant and lounge, but as the plans go to the Planning Commission for review Thursday, some neighbors say it will present a noise problem. Suleka Sun-Lindley owns Thai Basil and Level Up Lounge at 2431 J St., and with the lounge – which opened in 2007 – not making money, she said she hopes the addition of an open-air balcony will help it become profitable. “Thai Basil is doing well, but Level Up has been costing us money,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m hoping that adding an area where people can go outside and smoke will make more people want to come.” The Thai restaurant, which opened in May

After 28 years, Celestin’s Island Eats and Cajun Cuisine is closing its doors Sept. 30, according to owner Phoebe Celestin. The Midtown restaurant will be replaced by a new venture from the owners of Capitol Garage, called The Porch Restaurant & Bar, which will feature Southern-style cuisine, according to a Wednesday press release. The business was handed down to Celestin's son and his wife several years ago, she said, but once they had a child, they wanted to spend evenings together – something not conducive to running a restaurant. "My husband and I came back and were considering offers that have been made," Celestin said. "We talked to several people and have a really good connection

Husband-and-wife team Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer, who are the co-founders, executive chefs and owners of The Selland Group, will celebrate the 20-year success of The Kitchen restaurant by opening up another Selland’s Market-Café in El Dorado Hills on Nov. 24. The Kitchen started in May 1991, offering Sacramento the revolutionary demonstration dinners while providing a personal and intimate experience by talking with guests while cooking in front of them. Prior to cooking, Zimmer and Selland were both involved in art. Zimmer worked at an art gallery when she and Selland first met, Zimmer said. “I always had an interest in cooking, and I just loved to cook. (Selland) was always just

Six chefs. Five secret ingredients. Three dishes. Forty-five minutes. While hundreds watch. That's what's happening Friday when the Celebrity Chef Challenge by InAlliance takes place in Sacramento. Half a dozen local chefs will compete in this Iron Chef-style cook-off that raises money to help people with developmental disabilities. The nonprofit's ninth annual chef challenge will be much more spontaneous than other types of cooking contests because no one will know what the secret ingredients are until minutes before the event begins. The chefs are planning to have a good time in this friendly competition. "It's going to be fun," said Evan's Kitchen owner Evan Elsberry. "We're going to

Paesanos Italian restaurant in Midtown is gearing up to celebrate 15 years in business with two weeks of specials starting Saturday and a hint to possible expansion to a third location. Director of Operations Dana Scarpulla said a new location is in the works – probably getting under way within a year – but she couldn’t comment further on the location. She added that business has continued to grow in the past five years. “We opened on April 18, 1996, and it’s been great,” Scarpulla said. “There wasn’t much on this corner back then, and we’ve seen Midtown really transition since.” The spot at 1806 Capitol Ave. had seen a string of restaurants come and go before Paesanos moved in. In the

Lemon Grass Restaurant owner and cookbook author Mai Pham is expanding her culinary empire to new regions, with a different name and broader-range cuisine. Pham said she expects to open her newest restaurant, Star Ginger, in East Sacramento on Jan. 25. She's also working on plans to open more Star Gingers on the East Coast in the next year or two. She cooked up Star Ginger as a modern, pan-Asian dining concept that would allow her to widen the menu to include more Asian cuisines while offering quicker daytime service. "As I cooked over the years and as my horizon expanded.... I became enamored with other Asian cuisines," Pham said. The former TV reporter and public relations profession

It seems there are new restaurants popping up all over Sacramento. Many of these restaurants fall victim to the economy and fail within a year and a half, some only last several months. Fairly new to the scene is Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar where we decided to stop in last night. The decor is eclectic and modern and aromas of dim sum and dipping sauces creep up the nose when you enter the dining room. As we sat ourselves and looked over the menu we were approached by our server Isabel. As Isabel began going over some of the menu with us I noticed we were the only table in the restaurant in the middle of Happy Hour, as a matter of fact the only other people in the room besides the staff were

Mayor Kevin Johnson gave full endorsement of the 47th annual Sacramento Greek Festival on Friday, its opening day. In his address to festival-goers, Johnson shared his appreciation of the great music, art and food provided by the Greek community over the course of the weekend’s festivities, which took place at the Sacramento Convention Center. “It’s all about the gyros for me,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a lot of great Greek restaurants in Sacramento, but what’s neat about this event is that they all come here.” With more than 10,000 people attending the three-day event, Johnson clearly isn’t the only Sacramentan in support of celebrating all things Greek. Chefs from some of the best Gree

Chef Ryan Rose, the 28-year-old chef at the Zócalo restaurant in Sacramento, is one of the top 15 finalists in the “Next Food Network Star YouTube Challenge.” His in-it-to-win-it dish: paella. Originally on a search to apply for the Food Network’s casting call for the “Next Food Network Star,” Rose came across the YouTube challenge. Viewers can vote daily on their favorite video of national chefs demonstrating their favorite dishes in three minutes or less. The winner will fly out to New York for an audition with executive producers of the show. But Rose didn’t always want to be a chef. It wasn’t till a two-year visit to Spain where he watched his Italian roommate cook every day, that he

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 exclusive preview tasting at Ten 22 on Wednesday, Sept. 2 found myself, fellow Sacramento Press reporter Jonathan Mendick, and members of our local media peers Sactown Magazine, Capitol Public Radio and Sacramento News & Review happily sipping on sweet, summery cocktails on the balcony of a posh loft above the skeletal framework of the soon-to-be restaurant and bar in Old Sac. Conversation and laughs were exchanged as owner and host extraordinaire Terry Harvego gave us a preview of the tasteful upholstery of the restaurant's interior. But how did we get here? The evening started out innocently enough as Harvego led our party of eight into the cluttered expanse of what will be the rest

Sweetwater Restaurant and Bar will have its grand reopening Tuesday, Aug. 11. The eatery stood on 57th and J Streets for nearly five years before relocating to 19th and S. Owner Brad Ross said he is excited for the opportunities the move will bring. "Our lease ended on the old location, and, though we loved the place, we thought it was time to move," Ross said. "The people in the new area dine out more, and it really is the next hot spot in Midtown because it is still developing. People move down here for the great places to go out." One of the major differences between the restaurant's old location and its new spot is the layout of the main area, Ross pointed out. "The original pl