Please join us at our Compost Awareness Celebration! - Wed. May 9th @ Fremont Park with the City of Sacramento and GRAS restaurants like The Waterboy, Tuli Bistro, Selland Family and Hot Italian. We would love to have your organization represented at this event, which will be a fundraiser for GRAS, and have a free festival for kids. This is Sacramento’s premiere Food Cycle Celebration! The event is to be 1) a limited $25 Tasting Flight provided by GRAS restaurants (to benefit GRAS); 2) FREE educational festival for kids and adults (with music and beer/wine sold separately in Beer Garden). Including: Ella Dining Room and Bar, The Waterboy, Tuli Bistro, Mulvaney’s B&L, Restaurant Thir13en, S

Charles and Ray Eames: Designers of more than just chairs That’s not the title of the documentary being shown on Tuesday at the Crest Theatre, but it very well could be. “Eames: The architect and the painter” will be screened at 7:30pm (doors open at 6:30pm) in a special event to benefit the Eames exhibit at the California Museum. The director of the film, Jason Cohn, will attend the screening and the evening is sponsored by Hot Italian, Sactown Magazine, Lumens, and The Bridge District. I think it’s probably fair to say that for most people who are familiar with the work of Charles and Ray Eames, the primary examples of the prolific partnership that come to mind are their iconic chair d

In case you didn't already know: it's a great weekend to be in Sacramento. In addition to the arrival of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) at the Convention Center, it's also the finale weekend of Sacramento Beer Week. Both were epitomized at Thursday's Art Bike Kick Off Party at Hot Italian. Hot Italian was serving their Beer Week special--a Moretti in a glass you get to keep--and Sierra Nevada was on site giving out samples of their beers. Three Art Bikes were on display (have you seen the other nine around town?): a Trike (that you were encouraged to climb on for a photo opp), a Shark Bike, and a St. Patty's Day Bike. The crowd was asked to submit their vote for their fa

For anyone who ever wanted to take cycling to a new level in Sacramento – or see some exciting bicycle track races – a local group has the answer: build a velodrome. A velodrome, for those not yet immersed in the world of bicycle racing, is a stadium with a 250-meter oval race track – banked at 25 to 45 degrees – where cyclists race at speeds up to 50 miles per hour in front of nearly 1,000 spectators in the stands. Most velodromes have track lengths between 150 and 500 meters, according to local cycling coach and bicycle mechanic Dean Alleger. And, since there are only four velodromes in California (Carson, Encino, San Jose and Los Angeles) – and 22 in the nation – Alleger and a group

For anyone wanting an energizing bike ride in January that won’t take them into the freezing winter cold, Hot Italian on 16th and Q streets has just the thing: Savage Sprints. For the second year in a row, the Midtown restaurant is hosting a series of stationary bike races free to anyone who wants to show up and ride. The next racing event will be Jan. 8. “They are small interval races of about 10 to 12 seconds (each),” Alisa Kuwabara, a supervisor at Hot Italian, said Friday. “It sounds short, but it’s really intense and gets your heart racing like crazy.” The head-to-head races start with little kids on smaller bikes, and progress to adult races on larger bikes, Kuwabara said. Accord

Ten chefs in the Midtown and downtown area have agreed to take on the Vegan Chef Challenge starting Saturday. Throughout the month of October, each restaurant will feature special vegan items including soups, appetizers, entrées and desserts. Cafe Capricho, 58 Degrees, Bombay Bar and Grill, Tower Bridge Bistro and Michelangelo’s are just a few of the participating restaurants. Restaurant guests who order these specialty dishes will be asked to go online and vote for their favorite dishes. Those who vote will be entered in a drawing to win prizes. Diners who visit all 10 participating restaurants will be asked to score their overall favorites in each category and will be entered into a dr

Local eats such as Mighty Kong Café’s pork sliders, Dad’s Kitchen’s specialty macaroni and cheese, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar’s oyster dish and Freeport Bakery’s cakes and cookies will fill plates while local wines and beers flow into glasses during three hours of sampling and socializing at Saturday’s Wine Tasting & Silent Auction. The Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association is hosting its 21st annual Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Saturday from 4 - 7 p.m. at the Sierra 2 Center at 2791 24th St. This year’s event will feature the addition of local microbrews and dishes from first-time participators Lucca Restaurant and Bar, The Supper Club, Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar and Matteo’s P

Hot Italian hosted “Experience the O,” a Sacramento Opera fundraising event, on Thursday. The free public event, coordinated by Vy Nguyen, brought many opera fans together to enjoy a silent auction, raffle, delicious pizza, a great soprano singer and great company. Several representatives from the Sacramento Opera helped with the event, including Nina Ankelé and Alan Willendrup, who greeted guests as they arrived, handed out informational materials and sold raffle tickets. Willendrup has been on the Sacramento Opera Board of Directors for about a year, and Ankelé has served for approximately 16 years. Both were great ambassadors for the Sacramento Opera. Samantha Olson, executive direct

  This year’s Chalk It Up! event appeared to have outgrown its venue at Fremont Park. Thousands of visitors came to enjoy the three day annual event. As usual, the event was held during the Labor Day weekend. Talented and creative artists of all ages participated using just chalk and the sidewalk around Fremont Park to create some magnificent pieces of art. Music has always been a centerpiece of the event and once again Jerry Perry Presents put together a great lineup. Close to three dozen local musicians and bands participated to create another memorable Chalk It Up. Children’s activities, a beer garden, food and numerous vendors shared the grounds at Fremont Park. Chalk It Up! help

Restaurants accumulate anywhere between 250 and 500 pounds of organic kitchen scraps each week, according to Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento co-founder David S. Baker. These hundreds of pounds of scraps, instead of filling landfills, can be used for compost to fertilize the very soil that will produce the next crop of fruits and vegetables. Since March 2010, GRAS, in partnership with Atlas Disposal, has worked toward creating a more sustainable food industry in the city through the use of a “closed-loop” system. “These are valuable resources that would be just going straight to a landfill and serving no use,” Baker said. GRAS is made up of Hot Italian, Mulvaney's B&L, Selland’s

People headed to Midtown’s Hot Italian for a pizza or gelato might be surprised to see two new additions to restaurant – a pair of cars from Italian manufacturer Fiat, which returned to the United States this year after a 27-year hiatus. “We’ve been looking for new pop-up concepts, and they’re stylish, they’re Italian, and they’re a great fit,” said Andrea Lepore, managing partner of Hot Italian, located at 16th and Q streets. A “pop-up,” she explained, is a temporary display that sometimes has retail components to it. “It kind of pops up, and you have to catch it while it’s here,” she said. “It will be up for at least three months.” The two cars, a Fiat 500 and a Fiat 500C Cabriolet –

Fresh of an exquisite performance at Launch 2011 Exquisite Corps performed at Thursday’s Hot Lunch Concert Series. Exquisite Corps braved the heat and played a wonderful set. I arrived later than I intended but arrived in time to listen to one song before they took a break. The blistering heat did not seem to have much of an effect on concert goers as Exquisite Corps was able to draw a good size crowd. The audience sat wherever there was shade and enjoyed a great show. I’ve been a fan of Exquisite Corps from the first time I heard them. The orchestral strings first drew me to them when I first saw them play last year. The cello and violins makes their sound a bit more distinctive than

 Join The Sacramento Press Saturday evening for Launch 2011, a design, music and fashion festival. The third annual Launch is a spectacular festival of sight and sound that provides the opportunity for creative people from Sacramento’s art, music and fashion communities to come together to showcase their talents and celebrate local and national works of art, music and design and share the experience with the community as a whole. Launch will include live music by Little Foxes, Exquisite Corps, ReSA, The Dreaded Diamond and many others. Artists on-site Saturday include Brady Tuazon, Chelsea Greene Lewyta, Jeff Dojillo, and too many more to mention. Fashion designers Miss Chief of Califor

Hundreds of spectators gathered Thursday night to watch waiters and waitresses from Sacramento restaurants as they gave their best definition of speedy service in the second annual Bastille Day Waiters’ Race in the courtyard behind 1801 L Wine Lounge. Waiters and waitresses from 25 central city restaurants made two laps around the block bounded by 18th and 19th streets and L Street and Capitol Avenue. With one hand, participants were required to balance a tray with a bottle of Perrier mineral water and two champagne glasses filled with water. The race began at 7 p.m. “From my perspective as the French consul, it’s great, that in a town like Sacramento, we have young waiters and waitresse

What’s better than a summer afternoon filled with sunshine, great music, and tons of Italian food? Mama mia, it’s Hot Lunch Concert Series in the park. The Hot Lunch Concert Series is back for its third year serving Tuscan-inspired pizzas every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. from now until Sept. 1 at Fremont Park, 16th and P streets. A brilliant collaboration of free music and lunch, which includes a pizza and drink for just $10 (including tax) from Hot Italian, located on 16th and Q streets in Midtown. “Hot Lunch is a standout event because it showcases musicians in the city that really have a presence,” said Roshaun Davis, spokesman for Unseen Heroes, a promotion company working wi

On Thursday, June 2, Sacramento saw the start of another year of the Hot Lunch Concert Series and a new free music event playing at Cesar Chavez Plaza; “Fiesta en la Calle” (Street Party). The Hot Lunch Concert Series is a collaboration between Hot Italian, Sacramento News and Review and Friends of Fremont Park. Musical guests perform on Thursdays from June 2 to September 1 during the lunch hour (11:30 to 1p.m). Promoter Jerry Perry has put together a great lineup. Fremont Park, located on the corner of 16th and P Streets hosts the event. Musical Charis was the first band scheduled to perform this year. The weather cooperated and made for a delightful lunch concert. People from around t

The Bicycle Film Festival kicked off last night at the beautifully renovated and expanded Crocker Art Museum, which drew in crowds from all walks of life to celebrate their bond and love of bicycles. The Crocker usually hosts “Art Mix” every second Thursday of the month to celebrate culture with cocktails with live art demonstrations, short films, tours and talks. This particular Thursday, the Crocker teamed up with Hot Italian, which is heavily involved with the promotion and support of the BFF, to host the launch party for the film festival.This is Sacramento’s second time hosting the festival in its 11-year history. The party entailed a no-host bar and barbecue, bike art, a bicycle fi

The 2nd annual Vélo & Vintage Fashion Show was held at Hot Italian Saturday night in Sacramento.  The show is as much about bicycles as fashion. Lorena Beightler of Sac Cycle Chic founded the event to highlight "urban cycling as a smart, stylish and fashionable mode of transport." Kari Shipman of Juniper James organized the event with Beightler. Models attired in vintage clothing sourced from local boutiques rode a variety of vintage and newer bicycles into the restaurant and onto the runway. Each of the ten models showed three different looks ranging from "daytime" to "night" and ending with a "crazy" look that included a wild mishmash of styles, smeared makeup, and plenty of attitude.

Oil your chains, pump up your tires and get geared up for Sacramento Bike Month. May is bike month in Sacramento, and there are many bike-related activities and events going on in the region whether you’re an advanced bicyclist or a recreational rider. May is a good month for biking, and it’s the perfect time to campaign for bike awareness, according to Sacramento Area Council of Governments co-chair Sonja Atkins. “I think it’s about getting people out there for their health, for air quality, to save money and for safety,” Atkins said. “There’s so many pieces to this puzzle, and it’s such a great mode of transportation that I see is important in many realms.” The campaign, in its sixth

A warm Saturday evening brought more people out to experience a night full of art, music, culture and socializing during February’s Second Saturday. In the next couple of months, as the weather gets warmer and it stays lighter during the early evening, more people will be attending Second Saturday. I passed by the Midtown Bazaar on I Street (between 16 and 17th Streets) and noticed that more vendors are setting up stations. I went there to see a couple of murals. One of the murals is in the process of being painted while another has been completed. Amber Villegas has a finished mural on the right hand side wall as you enter from I Street. Another mural on the back wall directly across fro