Looking for an excuse to go out with the girls, or a new spin on a date? Check out these unique brunch specials in Sacramento that are sure to make your mouth water. Tower Cafe Located on 1518 Broadway. Brunch hours are from 8 -11 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 – 11 a.m. Friday and 7 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tower Cafe takes pride in its “Madame Cristo.” It is a new version of French toast, loaded with swiss cheese and ham. “French toast is our most popular dish, and people love it so much that our chef decided to make another version,” Manager Ruben Reveles said. Breakfast cocktails are also served during brunch hours. “La Frida” is Tower Cafe's version of a Mimosa, whic

Two Sacramento families with downtown businesses will take over the space in the Firestone Building that houses California Pizza Kitchen. The restaurant, which opened in May 2009, will close this month, making way for the Firestone Public House in about six months. The de Vere Whites, who own de Vere’s Irish Pub, and the Wong family, which owns Ma Jong’s, The Park Ultralounge, The Mix and Cafeteria 15L, are still working out the details of what the approximately 5,700-square-foot space at 1132 16th St. will hold, according to Henry de Vere White. “The best way to say it is that a sports bar will probably be one aspect of it, and through the buildout, it is going to develop,” he said. “Th

De Vere’s Irish Pub, a locally owned downtown business founded in the midst of the recession, will open its second location at the end of the summer in the space that was formerly the home of Soga’s in Davis. “We’re excited,” said co-owner Simon de Vere White. “We’ve been eying Davis for a long time.” The new space, at 217 E St. in downtown Davis, is 4,800 square feet, about 1,000 square feet bigger than the Sacramento pub. His brother, co-owner Henry de Vere White, said the expansion is a risk, but one he hopes will prove as successful as the current location on 15th and L streets in Sacramento. “I think we filled a niche here in Sacramento," Simon de Vere White said, adding that the

The weather forecast for Thursday is clear and sunny and Sacramento is counting down the hours to this year's biggest St. Patrick’s Day party. The de Vere’s Party in the Park kicks off at 10 a.m. on Thursday March 17th at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Downtown Sacramento for 12 hours of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, music, pipes, dancers, food, and drinks. 9th street between I and J streets will be closed to traffic beginning at 5 am to make room for all of the St. Patrick's Day festivities happening in the park. The street will reopen to traffic after midnight. Advance ticket sales for the Party in the Park available at deveresderules.com end at 11:30 a.m. on March 16, but tickets are availabl

This year de Vere’s Irish Pub and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) are teaming up to host Sacramento’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day event at Cesar Chavez Plaza on March 17 and to give back to a good cause. The de Vere’s Party in the Park will benefit Maryhouse, a daytime women and children’s homeless shelter at Loaves and Fishes. “We started this party years ago to create a signature event for Sacramento and give back to the community that had been so supportive of us as a new business,” said de Vere’s Irish Pub Owner Henry de Vere White. “By moving to a larger venue, we’ll be able to do more for our charity partner Maryhouse and continue our mother’s legacy for their cause.” The d

This year, de Vere’s Irish Pub and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) are teaming up to host Sacramento’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day event at Cesar Chavez Plaza at 10th and J streets on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit Maryhouse, a daytime women’s and children’s homeless shelter at Loaves & Fishes. Maryhouse provides much-needed support and services for this vulnerable population, including the Hot Breakfast Meal Program and crisis management. “We’re moving our annual block party to the park, but will still host a pub party at de Vere’s on St. Patrick’s Day. By moving to a larger venue, we can do more for our charity partner, Maryhouse,” said de

  This year de Vere's Irish Pub has decided to expand their St. Patrick's Day celebration by hosting two parties in one day.  Due to the crowds over the  past few years, de Vere's felt it would be better to create two parties so people could have better access to each venue and celebrate in style. de Vere's is hosting a Party in the Park with the Downtown Partnership, hoping to raise money for Maryhouse a local shelter for homless women and children, while providing a rock concert artomsphere in Caesr Chavez Park. This Party in the Park will host a large stage, enetertainment, local resturaunts, and about 4,000 possible new friends!  de vere's is still hosting a party at their Pub on 16th

Hundreds of people will gather to shave their hair off on Monday, March 14, for the St. Baldrick’s Day event at de Vere’s Irish Pub. The event raises awareness of childhood cancer and raises money for research. Robyn Raphael, 46, the CEO of Keaton Raphael Memorial and the mother of Keaton Raphael, who passed away from cancer in 1998, will be hosting the event. “I was challenged in 2003 to shave my hair when I met the founders in Washington,” Raphael said. “I shaved my head in honor of my son, Keaton, then I came back and rallied the Sacramento community to raise money, and we raised a little over $30,000.” The event will take place at de Vere’s at 1521 L St. from 5 - 8 p.m. Last year,

Sacramento’s St. Patrick’s Day party will be held downtown this year instead of on L Street so the event can accommodate the thousands of expected festivalgoers, according to Lisa Martinez, director of outreach and marketing for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The downtown organization and de Vere’s Irish Pub are organizing this year’s de Vere’s St. Patrick’s Day Party in the Park at Cesar Chavez Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. “Our goal is to create a bigger footprint for the event,” said Martinez, Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s director of outreach and marketing. From 5 a.m. to midnight on March 17, Ninth Street will be shut down between I and J streets for

Using seasonal ingredients, robust liquors and festive garnishes, bars across Midtown are preparing to fight the bitter cold by adding some new innovative concoctions and classic holiday favorites to their menus. Designed to warm the belly and lift the spirits, here’s a look at some of Sacramento’s tastiest winter cocktails. Shady Lady Saloon 1409 R St. Hot Buttered Rum $8 1 pound softened butter ½ pound brown sugar ½ pound super fine white sugar 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground cardamom 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground clove 1 ½ ounces dark rum Hot water (enough water to fill an Irish coffee glass or mug) Mix that by h

Golf, pub crawl and breast cancer are usually not three topics you see together. But then again, Albie Puttin’ is not your typical pub crawl. Saturday, Sacramentans can play a nine-hole game of miniature golf and enjoy drink specials all while helping breast cancer patients. All ticket sales will benefit the Albie Aware organization — founded to help provide resources such as paying medical fees to breast cancer patients. This is the first pub crawl event fundraiser that Albie Aware is holding, sponsored by Go-Girl Energy Drink. The crawl will begin with at noon Saturday at deVere’s Irish Pub. Each restaurant or bar has made its own themed hole and will feature drink and food specials,

De Vere's Irish Pub held its inaugural St. Baldrick's event Monday, raising more than $81,000 for cancer research, $10,000 of which came from De Vere's. The pub's roped-off sidewalk was packed with spectators trying to get a glimpse of local participants shaving their locks to conquer kids' cancer. De Vere's had 221 shavees lined up for their turn to get snipped. Publicly displayed on the patio, shavees winced when they felt the cold steel clippers reach deep down to the scalp. The participants' reactions caused perpetual laughter, since there was a four-barber-rotation, and each head took only a minute to shave. The crowd stirred when Shawn Eldredge, a City Council candidate for Distri

Dye the rivers green and dance in the streets, Saint Patrick's Day is here. A day when everyone is Irish and people takes to the streets for music, food and green beer. Below is a collection of restaurants and bars in Midtown and downtown offering specials on food and drinks and even hosting a block party or two. de Vere's Irish Pub, 1521 L Street, is hosting their second annual St. Patrick's Day Block Party, closing off L Street between 15th and 16th. The street party will feature music by '80s cover band Tainted Love and the California Fire Department Pipes and Drums. Sandwiches, brats and other food will be sold to soak up the alcohol from the two outdoor bars and whiskey tent. Advance

        Sacramento has a lot of great things happening for St. Patrick's Day and we wanted to Highlight just a few for you.  Come and celebrate St. Patrick's Day week with de Vere's Irish Pub and a few of our close friends! SATURDAY MARCH 13TH-   DE VERE’S PUB- JOIN US FOR ST. PRACTICE DAY with $4 Tullamore Dew and $1 off draught beers from 4-8pm   OLD SACRAMENTO’S PARADE- Celebrate with your entire family at Old Sacramento’s 14th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Enjoy the parade, Irish food, and their new beer gardens! For more information CLICK HERE!   SUNDAY MARCH 14TH-   DE VERE’S PUB- JOIN US FOR BRUNCH before, during and after the Shamrock’n half Marathon. We will have brunch

Every 3 and a half minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. Despite some advances in research, childhood cancer still remains the # 1 disease killer of our children in the U.S. Thanks to the efforts of quite a few good people in Sacramento, we at de Vere's Irish Pub will be hosting over 100 shavees on Monday, March 15th. People from every walk of life will be shaving for a cure and raising money for childhood cancer research. We are proud to be hosting this event and are so excited at all the community members who stepped up to get involved. On behalf of our family, the Keaton Raphael Memorial, and St. Baldrick's, we can't thank you enough for getting involved. Exciting News: Michael Au

deVere's Irish Pub has become a local favorite, a place to unwind after work and grab a pint! Well did you know that owners, Mark, Simon and Henry are son's of UC Davis Cancer Center Director, Ralph deVere White?  The quest to find a cure is not a new cause for the boys who grew up watching their dad fight this disease on the front lines as a cancer surgeon.  So what does a popular pub and childhood cancer have in common? deVere's will host a St. Baldrick's head-shaving celebration on Monday, March 15 from 5-8pm! The challenge is to BE Brave and GO Bald! Pledges are raised and in exchange those brave souls will shorn! All to raise life-saving research dollars for Childhood Cancer. Keaton

  My family and I are so excited for Sacramento's annual St. Patrick's Day block party, and we hope that every year we can create a better experience for everyone.   After a year of reflection and many debates, we have decided to add a charitable aspect to our block party. We felt that we had a wonderful opportunity to bring Sacramentans together for St. Patrick's Day, and that we could do so while giving back to the community that has been so supportive of us. This year we have two charity events that take place during our block party on March 17. The 20/30 Club will be raising money for the UC Davis Medical Center Children's Cancer Center, and local firefighters will be cooking the e

It is with excitement that I am here to announce that the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebration in Sacramento is going to happen again. That's right folks, last year we did the undoable. We closed L Street between 16th & 15th for a St. Patrick's day block party like no other. Nearly 7000 people showed up, but it remained a festive and safe community event. We had no incidents, thanks to great security and great people who came to have a good time. This year, we're projecting attendance at 8,000 and I want to get everyone involved. We are working with The Sacramento Press to get the community involved and I'm going to keep everyone posted on the event as it develops right here. So join the

Foodies and wine enthusiasts united Saturday at Cesar Chavez Park for Raley's and Seventh Annual Grape Escape, presented by Raley's and Bel Air for an evening of drinking and munching. For $40 in advance and $50 at the door, ticket-holders took part in a three-hour taste marathon, sampling cabs, chards and merlots from more than 50 top wineries from six counties in Northern California and gourmet appetizers from Sacramento’s favorite eateries. Award-winning wineries like San Joaquin’s Van Ruiten winery (voted Wall Street Journal’s Best Zin) and Calaveras County’s Twisted Oak winery (Gold Medal winner from the Riverside International Wine Competition) set up shop along with brewery favori

Last night was an amazing meandering ride from Downtown through Midtown for the 1st Annual Bikeramento Crawl. Set the scene of a moving banner from sanctuary to sanctuary in the light rain. It all begins with the religious experience of a cup of mojo at Temple Fine Coffee & Tea. The loose Bikeramentans gather and awkwardly introduce themselves to the team. It’s to be expected. Who are these bike-crazy folks, these Spokes People, who believe that they can influence city planning and have fun doing it? Ah….soak up that caffeine. A fine whiff of a single origin espresso parting the perfect foam of that cappuccino. David Barton shows up with the sharp photographer for Sacramento Press. And