Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "italian"

"West Side Story" Revival Another Huge Hit For Broadway Sacramento

2012-01-27T02:26:18Z

Wow! That is what I have to say regarding Broadway Sacramento's opening night performance of the current national tour of "West Side Story." The sold out house at the Community Center Theater suggests others agree. While it is beautifully staged, with wonderful singing anddance, and good acting, it is the material that is the star here.

The powerful music of Leonard Bernstein coupled with the equally powerfully words of Stephen Sondheim are enough to make "West Side Story" a show worth seeing.

Add in the choreography of original "West Side Story" director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, which can move from strongly ballet to strongly modern dance in a moment, and it's hard to beat.

All of this wraps around a story that goes back much farther than

Shakespeare and his Romeo and Juliet: the consequences can be deadly if you fall in love with the wrong person. Arthur Laurents' book moves the story to the low income west side of Manhattan of the 1950s with the racial tension and gang turf warfare between the newly arriving Puerto Rican immigrants and sons and grandsons of the wave of Irish and Italian immigrants that had proceeded the Puerto Ricans.

Interestingly, Laurents who directed the Broadway revival this production is based on, did some tweaking of the original Broadway show. Most revealing is a much expanded use of Spanish by the Sharks both speaking and singing. Laurents used Lin-Manuel Miranda ("In theHeights") to write the translation. Imagine though the idea of altering Stephen Sondheim's lyrics!

Laurents also made some changes to iconic choreographer Robbin's original choreography with the assistance of Joey McKneely.

"West Side Story" which was so groundbreaking in 1957 in so many ways remains a powerful and relevant work today. Some of this might be due to how "operatic" "West Side Story" is. The staging of this productiontends to highlight the operatic elements of the play.

The scenic design by James Youmans has a very opera production feel to it in a very good way. The scenes and scene shifts are very much enhanced by Howell Bunkley's lighting design. There were several scenes where the lighting effect would be described as dramatic.

As for costuming, the Sharks really have it over the Jets in David C. Woolard's costume design. Both the Puerto Rican men and the women know how to dress up for a party. The costumes also enhance the powerful athletic movement of the actor/dancers. From the the whirling color and movement of the women's dresses to the form fitting costumes of the men the costuming adds more color and movement to the dance while beautifully displaying the human form of gifted dancer/performers. As a nod to realism the Jets male gang members are in the iconic gang look of New York in the fifties of jeans, ragged Ts, and tennis shoes.

All this is served up with live orchestra led opening night by John O'Neil.

The cast of strong triple threat performers in dance, voice, and acting were led by Ross Lekties as Tony/Anton and Evy Ortiz as Maria.

Lekties and Ortiz each have a beautiful voice and are wonderful to hear singing the great Bernstein-Sondheim solos of their characters.

Together on the great duets of their characters such as "Tonight" and "One Hand One Heart," they sound even better. Even in a quintet of "Tonight" by Tony, Maria, Anita, the Jets and the Sharks, they hold their own.

That quintet pulled out all the operatic stops in many ways including Maria arriving on the scene on her balcony as it enters above the stage from the wings. The scene is followed by the most dramatic of the scene changes as the highway and chain link fences come into place for the rumble.

Michelle Aravena and German Santiago as Anita and Bernardo and Drew Foster as Riff are equally talented stars with Lekties and Ortiz.

Every thing about this production is geared towards taking one of the most enduring works of story, music, voice, and dance that powerfully tells an age old story of forbidden love and transporting it to what was the contemporary time of its creators. What is amazing is how a story set in the middle of the last century and dealing with social issues of that time, both greatly entertains and brings up numerous issues still relevant today.

In the end though it is the excitement of holding a ticket (if you are lucky) to what will be a fantastic evening of entertainment. The
excitement of the crowd. The curtain goes up and you are treated to a most enjoyable performance of an American classic.

Cultures of food around the city: ethnic grocery store roundup

2011-11-02T08:48:35Z

Trying a new dish or exotic cuisine for dinner doesn’t have to mean a trip out to a restaurant. In the greater Sacramento area, many grocery stores and small, often family-owned shops offer all the authentic, hard-to-find ingredients needed to make anything from Italian to Japanese to Mediterranean foods for dinner.

The Sacramento Press hit the streets to round up some of these ethnic grocery stores here in the city.

Sampino’s Towne Foods
1607 F St.
441-2372

Hours:
Monday through Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Sampino’s Towne Foods carries the essential items needed to make an authentic Italian dinner at home as well as foods made from family recipes accumulated throughout the years, said Bill Sampino, the father of owner Michael Sampino who has had many years of experience as a butcher in Sacramento.

For 17 years, Bill Sampino managed the meat department at a Corti Brothers and then moved on to work for David Berkeley Fine Wines/Foods for 19 years before retiring and deciding to open up the small store with his son and daughter-in-law Gabi Sampino.

They hand-make all of their fresh pastas, including ravioli, tortellini and agioloti throughout the day. There are 52 flavors of freshly made pastas with doughs flavored from tomato, basil and spinach to a chocolate dessert pasta.

The glass counters in the store display delicacies such as homemade meatballs, lasagna and timbale – an eye-catching Sicilian dish made with puff pastry filled with penne pasta, meatballs, hard-boiled eggs, salami, provolone, Parmesan cheese and mushrooms. They make a variety of sausages, including Calabrese and Sicilian styles, Bill Sampino said.

The cheeses, sandwich meats and desserts are imported weekly from Italy. Bill Sampino said that 90 percent of the desserts – such as their tiramisu, cannoli filled with authentic mascarpone cheese, frutti di bosco and a chocolate fudge cake – are imported weekly from Italy.

Carmen and Jose Chiapa from Natomas said they have been going to Sampino’s Towne Foods for a couple of years, and they raved about all of the foods they have eaten there.

“They make the best sandwiches,” said Carmen Chiapa, whose favorite sandwich is the Sampanini – a popular sandwich with slices of mortadella, coppa and salami meats and provolone and cheddar cheese on a ciabatta roll.

“The bread is so crispy, and the meat is delicious. It’s not a heavy meal – it’s a very light sandwich.”

Mediterranean Market
1547 Fulton Ave.
972-1237

Hours:
Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Since 1991, the family-owned Mediterranean Market has been providing customers with a variety of Arabic, Greek, Armenian, Turkish, Persian and other Mediterranean food products, said owner Sam Abughazaleh. Ninety-five percent of the products are imported from places such as Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, France, Belgium, Russia and Ukraine.

The Mediterranean Market carries more than 10 types of imported feta cheeses – including Greek, Armenian, Bulgarian, Jordanian and Russian – a large selection of extra-virgin olive oils imported from all over the Mediterranean and many different fresh olives.

An entire shelf is dedicated to different types of halva – a sweet candy made from sesame seeds – and tahini, a sesame product used to make hummus. An aisle is dedicated to different herbal teas and coffees, and there is a refrigerator filled will different types of cheeses. Rose water and pomegranate molasses used a lot in Mediterranean food and drinks can be found as well, Abughazaleh said. There are more than 100 different spices, both in bulk and in small amounts.

The butcher and meat section of the store carries all halal meats because the market caters to many people of Muslim religion that are required to eat halal meat, Abughazaleh said. Halal ensures that there is no torture for the animals when they are butchered by slitting the throat only once and allowing the blood to drain, he explained.

The meat selection includes naturally fed chicken, goat, lamb, veal and beef that are delivered every morning from Dixon Farms. Rice plates with meat and tabouleh salad are also made daily and typically sell out by 3 p.m., Abughazaleh said. Freshly made baklava is shipped to the store every day from Shatila Food Products, a bakery in Michigan.

Kaveri Indian Groceries
1148 Fulton Ave. Suite D
489-1558

Hours:
Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Friday through Sunday 11 a.m - 10 p.m.

Reena Suresh and her husband run Kaveri Indian Groceries, which opened in 2003. Suresh said the items at the store cater toward Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani foods.

Cumin, tumeric, garam masala and curry powder – the popular spices in Indian cuisine, according to Suresh – are just a few of the products that can be found in the aromatic shelves of spices. Suresh said they also carry 25 to 30 different kinds of lentils, a common staple in Indian cuisine. There is a wide variety of different rices, from Basmati to a red rice that Suresh said is lower in sugar and popular for those with diabetes.

Hard-to-find products such as ghee – a lightly flavored version of butter used in many Indian dishes – tamarind, chutney, relish and various kinds of pickles can be purchased at Kaveri Indian Grocery. Suresh said a popular item is the canned mango pulp that can be blended with yogurt to make the mango lassi drink found at Indian restaurants.

Frozen meals, curries and restaurant-style samosas are also available. Products are delivered twice a week from distributors in the Bay Area, which receive them from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, Canada and other places overseas.

Suresh said the store carries fresh fruits and vegetables, including lychee, guava, okra, Thai chili, coconut and bittermelon whenever they are in season.

Corti Brothers
5810 Folsom Blvd.
736-3800

Hours:
Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Corti Brothers started in 1947 downtown and over the years had different locations in Sacramento, and it is now a single store in East Sacramento.

Corti Brothers Corporation President Darrell Corti writes a newsletter that has gone out to customers nationally for almost 40 years. Through the store's website, customers from all over the country can view and order their products, according to Store Director Rick Mindermann, 51.

Prime rib roast, corned beef, lamb and veal are some of the items that can be purchased from the Corti Brothers meat section.

"We are a true butcher shop," Mindermann said. "Our veal is well-known because of the quality of the product that we have and the quality of the way it's butchered."

The store is also famous for the ravioli that they have been making since 1947, Mindermann said.

Corti brought and introduced real balsamic vinegar to the U.S. in 1982 and it is sold at the store, he added.

A full-service grocer and wine merchant, the store offers more than 1,000 different wines from all over the world, including the country of Georgia, Thailand and China, said Corti.

Occasionally, the store offers its own label of wine, which Corti selects. The store under its own label offers an early landed cognac from the 1970s. These cognacs are bought young in France, and the barrel is sent to England to mature in a government warehouse for decades and then are bottled and shipped to the US, Mindermann said.

"It's a long drive, but it’s worth it," said Kye Phelps, a regular customer from Volcano, Calif. Phelps comes to shop at Corti Brothers monthly, and she said that she used to come weekly when she was still attending a church in Sacramento.

Oto's Markeplace
4900 Freeport Blvd.
424-2398

Hours:
Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Oto's Marketplace is a family-owned Japanese specialty grocery store that has been in business for 35 years. After outgrowing their two previous locations the store has relocated to Freeport Boulevard. The grocery was started by Ted Oto in 1979. His wife, Mollie, runs the kitchen operations, his son Michael manages the meat and fish department and his other son, Russell, serves as the general manager. Ted's daughter, Florence Oto-Wong, helps out with kitchen operations, and his other daughter, Cheryl Inouye, assists with finances of the business, according to the Oto's Marketplace website.

"There are other Asian groceries that has Japanese products, but not as extensive as ours,"Oto said.

A wide variety of fresh seafood products such as shrimp, albacore, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and even octopus are offered in the store.

"We emphasize on the freshness of our fish, so you can eat it raw," General Manager Russell Oto, 53, said, describing the store's sushi-grade seafood selections, which are cut into blocks to be easily sliced into sushi or sashimi pieces.

The store's kitchen offers Japanese bentos – lunchbox-style packaging that has portions of chicken, rice and pickles, Oto said.

At the sushi bar, they offer nine different styles of freshly packed sushi rolls, such as the spider roll, California roll, spicy tuna roll and Unaten roll. Oto’s sushi Chef Ray Yamamoto said that his California rolls – though they may have the same name as the ones offered in other Japanese restaurants and groceries – are different because his are made of 100 percent snow crab, others might use imitation snow crab.

The sushi bar also has an Oto’s roll, an exclusive-to-the-store roll made of tuna, hamachi, salmon, albacore and crab stick roll topped with tobiko and green onions, Yamamoto said.

Specialized meat such as Kobe-style beef and Kurobuta pork are some of the rare items they sell in the store, Oto added.

"The mileage is not too important,” said Fred Furukawa, a customer born and raised in Hawaii who now lives in North Sacramento. “It’s getting what you want so that you can enjoy food and things. Oto's has the kinds of food and things that I grew up with."

Seafood City Supermarket
6051 Mack Road
393-8900

Hours:
Daily 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Philippine-imported shirts and bags, health and beauty products and handicrafts such as the Parol – a Filipino Christmas lantern – are some of the unique items sold at Seafood City, an Asian supermarket that specializes in Filipino ethnic goods.

The Sacramento store opened in November 2003 and is one in a chain of 22 stores in the U.S., said Store Manager Bernard Reyes.

Tilapia, pampano, salmon heads,mahi-mahi and milkfish are some of the fish they clean and fry for free, Reyes said. The seafood is delivered fresh to the store from the distribution center in Pomona, Calif. They also buy from local vendors specially for fresh meat and produce, he added.

Last year, the store opened Grill City, its own restaurant offering Filipino dishes including palabok noodles, lumpia (egg rolls), grilled salmon, grilled mahi-mahi, and even traditional Filipino lechon – roast pig – on the weekends, Reyes said.

Crispy pata – fried pork knuckles, chicken inasal and chicharon bulaklak are some of their ready-to-go hot foods, Reyes added.

Native Filipino condiments such as bagoong – a condiment made of salt and fermented fish or shrimp – and banana ketchup can be found on the aisles of the condiment section with other Asian ethnic condiments from wasabi to teriyaki sauces.

South Sacramento resident Lina Labra, 64, said that she goes to Seafood City to do her grocery shopping because it is the only place she can find all the ingredients she needs to cook her sinigang na bangus, a Filipino dish.

What are your favorite specialty ethnic grocery stores in Sacramento? Share you suggestions and experiences in the conversation below.

This article was co-written with Evelyn Santillan

The Culinary Time Machine

2011-05-31T03:44:18Z

Several days ago I gave in to my curiosity about the restaurant I always drive by, Espanol Italian Dinners. I have always wondered why a restaurant with a name like Espanol would serve Italian food but, tis not mine to judge.

When you walk into Espanol which has been at its current location for over 40 years you can quite literally feel the transformation from modern day to yesteryear. The furniture, artwork and cash register which oddly resembles a slot machine appear as they would in an old gangster film.

As we looked around the crowd was mature and tame. It seemed clear that this concept was brought to life in an era when dining out meant something very different. While we at no point were under the impression this restaurant was fine dining, some of what we experienced was curious to say the least.

As we sat our water was brought in a plastic pitcher and placed in the middle of the table. This is actually not uncommon in a family style environment. I actually appreciate having refills readily available for myself.

Our server was a seasoned woman named Deborah who was both attentive and courteous. Things however began to turn slightly when we received our bread. Bread is delivered at Espanol in a wicker basket which is fine, not fine is the fact the basket is not lined with linen or anything else. If the guests in the restaurant had their hands all over that basket half as much as my son did there is an issue. Next we noticed the teenage bus girl snapping gum in the dining room as she was clearing tables which I suppose is also fine if the owners don’t mind? Next we witnessed our future leader of tomorrow picking up glassware four at a time by truly sticking her fingers inside of the glasses exposing her to whatever germs the guests might have left behind. Our hero then stopped at the next table, pulled out her cell phone and began texting away.

I realize this was a casual atmosphere but does this also mean there are no standards? The original location of the restaurant opened in 1923 at 114 J Street. Clearly many of the practices at Espanol were put into play before the Department of Health was invented.

As for our meal I will skip ahead and say it was indeed food. My son ordered Spaghetti and my wife and I had Ravioli with meatballs. I will admit the sauce was quite tasty but will also say the Ravioli gave off hints of freezer door. All two of the meatballs were absolutely delicious, it is a shame they were both the size of large marbles.

Please know I generally will go into great detail about service, flavors and the experience as a whole. I pride myself on being fair as a writer as I see things through the eyes of both the patron and employee. Espanol did not meet our expectations on any level which is why I choose to stop the review here before I unveil a colorful selection of adjectives describing our visit.

Espanol has been in business for many years and has withstood a down economy when many of Sacramento’s other restaurants have fallen. It would seem they are doing something right somewhere. My theory is the customer base at Espanol is made up of loyal regulars and locals. If this is indeed the case the owners should start to think about what to do after this generation of diner is no longer around and the people entering through the doors have actual expectations. It is unfortunate but I predict a sad end for a restaurant family that has been a part of Sacramento history for many years unless they can at least bring themselves into the 1990’s.

Espanol is located at 5723 Folsom Boulevard. Parking is available on property and all major cards are accepted. 916-457-1936. As always, please know I am in no way affiliated with this or any restaurant I review. My goal is to go out and slowly experience different aspects of the Sacramento dining scene then share those experiences with you.

Andy Soto

Jane’s Walk in Southside Park

2011-05-10T06:07:57Z

On Sunday, author of “Sacramento’s Southside Park” and board member of the Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) William Burg led a walking tour of Southside Park and the surrounding area.

“The tours stemmed from Jane’s Walk USA, a national organization that began in 2007 using neighborhood walking tours as a way to help people get in touch with their environment,” said Kay Knepprath, event coordinator and fellow board member of SOCA.

This is the event’s second year in Sacramento. The tour of Southside Park was one in a series of five tours that occurred throughout Sacramento on Saturday and Sunday.

While the morning was a bit gray and chilly, a group of about 20 gathered together just inside Southside Park at Callahan Bandstand – the designated meeting point – near Seventh and T streets for the two-hour event.

As the group was waiting for a few more walkers, Citrus Heights resident Maria Burg, mother of William Burg, explained that while she was there in support of her son, she was also very interested in the history of the area being toured.

“I used to work downtown near this area, and we would always take walks during lunch, but we never quite made it over here,” Maria Burg said. “So, I’m really interested in walking around the area and hearing all about the history of the place and the neighborhood.”

William Burg began the walk just a little after 10 a.m. by saying, “The theme of the walk today, and all other walks, is how neighborhoods function and work. Jane Jacobs was not an urban planner, rather just a woman who, after moving to New York, had fallen in love with the sidewalks and streets that people walked and lived on.”

“In the past, urban planners such as Robert Moses felt that cities were places to work and shop, not live, and the areas they built often reflected that,” William Burg said. But he also noted how the people of a neighborhood greatly contributed to the growth and development of the areas they lived in, as was the case with Southside Park.

He said that it was in the early 1900s when Southside Park first really started to grow and professionalize. It was then that a group of local immigrants, wanting to make the neighborhood a better and safer place to live, formed the Southside Improvement Club.

The organization worked to accomplish a number of things, including closing down the old city incinerator on Front Street and removing the R Street levee to build a new one on Broadway. The club also encouraged the streetcar company to extend a line to Southside and, of course, convinced the city to create a park.

William Burg said that the area where Southside Park was built was originally made up of a vegetable garden, small peach orchard and small depression that stayed damp most of the year.

The owner of the latter portion, G.O. Hayford, wrote the city of Sacramento when he heard that planners wanted to include a pond in the park. Hayford thought that particular area of land would be easiest to convert, as it was already waterlogged.

The city began acquiring land for the park in 1906, and it was essentially completed by 1912.

“While development and redevelopment are large contributors to the change and growth of a neighborhood, transportation is also a strong factor,” he said. “Our own California Robert Moseses decided that the block between W and X streets would be an excellent place for Highway 50. The freeway now covers what was once a quarter of the park, which also took out two blocks of the neighborhood and a number of local community venues.”

William Burg said that while the freeway took away so much of the park, the neighborhood has adapted by making use of the large space under the freeway for the biggest farmers market in the city of Sacramento, which is held every Sunday morning.

As the group walked along, just past the freeway entrances near Sixth and W streets was a Japanese Tenrikyo Church next to an Italian and Portuguese club known as Tony Beretta’s. It was there that William Burg discussed how the neighborhood was a sort of League of Nations made up of various immigrant cultures including Italians, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and more.

Because it was one of the few areas where non-whites were allowed to buy property, William Burg pointed out that many immigrant groups were able to form longstanding ethnic neighborhoods here.

While on the walk, the group was invited into a local mosque, which turned out to be the oldest mosque in the western United States, built by immigrants from what is now Pakistan, according to an imam there.

“Southside in the ’50s was changing a lot, and you’ll notice that all of these areas are mixed up. Some of them changed over time, but for the most part, this is a neighborhood where people were pretty much cheek-by-jowl,” William Burg said.

Farther down the street, the group was introduced to the different forms of housing. William Burg said that in the mid-19th to mid-20th century, land was very expensive, and people got around by walking or horsecart. So, an efficiently built neighborhood needed small and narrow lots for homes, which is where the Italianate row house style came in.

He then pointed out how, as the the area developed for electric streetcars, the neighborhoods became wider and got more bungalow-style housing, which had a broader roof and wider lot, which were apparent just across the street.

The group then made its way to Fourth and T streets, and William Burg said that in the mid-1960s many displaced people from downtown neighborhoods affected by redevelopment moved to the area.

A part of that population included prostitutes, who helped to give the corner the nickname “Hooker Hollow.” During that time, the neighborhood pulled together to combat prostitution and improve the living environment for the whole community.

Catherine O’Brien, director of business development for Stanford’s television station, was also on the tour that morning and mentioned that she had recently moved back to Sacramento.

“My husband is an artist and has a studio in the area,” she said. “So when we were looking for homes, a Realtor showed us property here, which we were really opposed to initially based on the history of the area. In the end, we realized what a different place it was now and currently live in a newly built infill home not too far from here.”

The group walked on working its way back to the original meeting area, where William Burg pointed out how the construction and development of Southside Park is similar to a number of other areas in Sacramento and across the nation, which was about building a heart – a desirable location such as a park – for a neighborhood to grow around.

For more information on the walks, visit the Jane’s Walks USA or SOCA websites.

Paesanos celebrates 15 years in Midtown

2011-04-10T22:26:50Z

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 late 1800s, it was home to a machine shop and then a Studebaker dealership.

Since the mid-1990s, restaurants have become more concentrated in Midtown, and Scarpulla said that has made it more of a destination for Sacramentans and suburbanites alike, which has helped Paesanos stay in business and thrive.

“When they moved in, Midtown was quite a different place,” said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth. “The vacancy rate on commercial properties was far higher, and it wasn’t a destination for anything.”

Kerth added that restaurants are hard businesses to run, and to be able to stay in business for 15 years as the area grew to more of a destination and more restaurants sprang up is a testament to quality.

“In so many ways, they were pioneers here,” he said.

Owners David Virga and Mark Scribner opened a second location in Elk Grove in 2005.

“Paesanos is Italian slang that loosely translates as ‘friends,’ ” Scarpulla said, adding that the name is descriptive of the restaurant’s goal.

“We’ve always tried to be a place where people could come and hang out and be friendly,” she said. “We’re great for large groups, and the quality of our product has kept them coming back.”

A few regulars were having lunch at the restaurant Friday afternoon.

“A friend brought me here a year ago, and I’ve been coming ever since,” said Andrea Hoyt, who brought her mother for lunch. “The food is really good and fresh, and the people are really friendly.”

She said her favorite dish is the smoked salmon linguini.

Hoyt said she lives in South Sacramento but finds it’s worth the trip to Midtown, though she does have an ulterior motive.

“I want to meet my future husband here,” she said.

Reuben Gonzales has been going to Paesanos with his wife, Paulina, since just before their 2-year-old daughter was born.

“We come in here every Friday,” he said. “They always make us feel like family here, and it’s really great food.”

Scarpulla said two weeks of specials, starting April 16, will be offered as a thank-you to customers.

Those specials include everything from 15-cent sangrias all day on April 18 to “Throwback Thursday” on April 21, when some of the original menu items such as the carbonara and Stromboli will be offered at their 1996 prices.

Three nights will be dedicated to raising money for charity, with 15 percent of gross sales going to nonprofits including Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary (April 20), CARES Sacramento (April 25) and Women Escaping a Violent Environment (April 27).

For a full list of promotions and offers, click here.

Server Erika Fuentez has worked at Paesanos for eight years and said she enjoys the atmosphere and the camaraderie.

“I’ve worked for so many restaurants, and it’s so much fun here. If they were a bunch of jerks, I’d have left a long time ago,” she said with a laugh.

Paesanos is located at 1806 Capitol Ave. The Elk Grove restaurant location is located at 8519 Bond Road.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Automobilia! Exhibit Sponsored by Ferrari of San Francisco

2010-11-06T03:59:04Z

The California Automobile Museum is proud to announce that Ferrari of San Francisco will be the title sponsor of its newest exhibit, Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design.

"I thought this Automobilia! exhibit was the perfect fit for the area and an exciting opportunity to support the Ferrari brand by our presence in the community that has shown its love for Italian motor cars," said Greg Minor, general manager of Ferrari of San Francisco, who noted the growing number of Ferrari owners in the Sacramento area. The project is the most ambitious ever undertaken by the California Automobile Museum and the sponsorship by Ferrari of San Francisco marks the Museum's first support for a large exhibit from the Bay area.

Automobilia! Celebrating Italian Automotive Design opens November 13, 2010 and adds an international flair to the Museum's current exhibits by showcasing some of the auto industry's most exotic cars and men who have become legends for creating them. The project includes construction of a piazza-style exhibit complete with murals that reflect Italian art and architecture to showcase the cars. Featured marques in this long-term exhibition include Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa. The exhibit will also give viewers a glimpse into the lives of men whose names have become synonymous with their cars, such as Enzo Ferrari and Ferruccio Lamborghini, and others such as De Tomaso, Pininfarina, Bertone and Bizzarrini, whose creativity and passion for performance made these cars among the most elite in the world for their speed, handling and styling.

"With Automobilia! we want to do more than simply display beautiful cars," explains Karen McClaflin, Executive Director of the California Automobile Museum. "We want people to see the Italian culture that influenced the creation of these cars and for them to get to know the men whose styling and engineering are reflected in them, in much the same way that people want to know more about the artist when they admire a painting or a piece of sculpture," added McClaflin. "We think the exhibit will be a unique experience for everyone."

A wide variety of cars and special events are planned throughout the run of Automobilia!. The cars expected in the piazza on opening day include:

• a Ferrari 275 and Ferrari Testarosa
• an Alfa 1750 Spyder
• a Pantera De Tomaso
• a Lamborghini Diablo
• a 1973 Moto Guzzi scooter

For more information, call (916) 442-6802 or visit www.CalAutoMuseum.org.

Kaela Nelson is the Marketing and Education Coordinator for the California Automobile Museum

CAM goes Italian with "Automobillia"

2010-09-13T04:41:01Z

Sacramento, CA | Automobillia opens at California Automobile Museum (CAM), November 13th.

The ears are greeted with that uniquely distinctive note of the finely tuned exhaust system, you can tell even from a distance with your eyes closed “That’s a Ferrari coming”. The clean fluid body lines inspired by the racing legends, it just screams high performance. That’s a Ferrari.

It was a rare opportunity to view some 15 of the finest examples of the famed Italian sports car which were on hand for the special preview event at the California Auto Museum in Sacramento. The event, which ran from 11am to 2pm was a kickoff celebration for the upcoming Automobilia “Celebrating Italian Automotive Design” car exhibit which will be at the museum opening November 13th, 2010. The exhibit, sponsored by Ferrari of San Francisco, featured the unveiling of the plan for the event which will be staged inside the museum. A special display from the Ferrari Club of North America helped round out the décor.

The exhibit will feature vehicles with “Italian Pedigree”. Various cars from private owners and collections are being rotated in and out of the exhibit for variety. Approximately 15 cars will be on display at any given time.

After some photo opportunities provided by MaverickPhotography.us, the drivers separated out of the crowd to their vehicles in anticipation of the upcoming cruise through the streets of Sacramento. The engines lit up to the delight of onlookers. A 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS and a 246 GTS Dino, which were on display in the museum, fired up their engines and headed out to join the caravan followed closely by a race prepped Ducati, a fine example of Italian performance on two wheels. A lonely vintage Vespa scooter was left to watch over the empty space.

People in attendance gathered outside to listen to the variety of wonderful sounds as the cars exited the parking lot and proceeded to get up to speed down Front Street. Their destination was Hot Italian Restaurant at 16th and Q, to continue the festivities.

The mission of the California Automobile Museum is to educate and entertain while preserving and promoting the automobile and its influence on our lives. The Museum is open daily from 10am - 6pm (last admission 5pm) and every 3rd Thursday until 9pm

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Festa Italiana brings together Italian American community

2010-08-09T04:34:07Z

This weekend marked the 25th annual Festa Italiana celebration of Italian heritage in Sacramento.

Sponsored by the Sacramento Italian Cultural Society, Italians, Italian Americans and beyond gathered at the Croatian American Cultural Center Saturday and Sunday for a festival resembling a two-day-long Italian wedding.

Under the hot Sacramento sun, shaded by large canopies, festival-goers enjoyed musical entertainment by the likes of Italica and Moreno Fruzzetti and dancing from the society’s Balliamo dance troupe.

Husband and wife Victor and Eva Musammam have been attending the festival for 20 years and are big fans of Fruzzetti.

“I have all of his CDs,” Eva said.

Eva was born in Bari, Italy, and moved to Hoboken,N.J. (birthplace of Frank Sinatra) at age 11. Victor, who was wearing a T-shirt that said “Pray for me, my wife is Italian,” has Italian grandparents, although he is from Palestine.

“We come here every year with these friends, family,” Eva said. “Actually, we look forward to it. I enjoy coming, seeing people and listening to the music.”

“Every year they add more to the festival,” Victor said. “I think this year is the best organized. They improve every year.

Throughout the day, the main stage outside held raffle prizes announcements, singers and dancers. The inside of the cultural center had vendors selling everything from Venetian glass jewelry, to olive oil.

Walking through the mercato, the smell of fried calamari and pasta was apparent as local businesses advertised their products. One booth sold varieties of mushrooms, while the booth next to it sold Italian license plate frames with phrases such as “Happiness is being Italian.”

Activities for children were also available, such as an arts and crafts booth, face-painting booth and rides. Applicants for the 2010 Festa Queen pageant helped out in the children’s area.

Toward the late afternoon on Saturday, Jennifer Caruso Stone invited former Festa Queens on stage from the last 25 years for the coronation of the 2010 Festa Queen.

Jacqueline Traverso Hamilton, a UC Davis graduate, won this year’s title.

“My favorite part about the festival is working with the kids — it’s my passion,” she said. “And of course, spreading the Italian spirit.”

Applicants are judged based on an essay, panel interview and participation in the festival.

Nora Biundo-Salazar was one of the first Festa Queens, crowned in 1987. She said they also had to write an essay, but the interview was done on stage and in Italian if possible.

“We were escorted by Italian Marines in uniform” she said. “And the cars that were on display, the owners let us ride into the festival on them. Mine was a red Fiat.”

Today, the queen receives a $1,000 scholarship, although in 1987 the sum was much smaller. Biundo-Salazar, who now has three children, said the society has grown in these last 25 years.

“I’m proud to be Italian and grateful to have been a part of the society since 1985,” she said. “I’m thankful that this opportunity still exists and hope that it continues for at least another 25 years.”

For more information on the Italian Cultural Society, visit italiancenter.net

Photos by David Alvarez.

Venetian Glass Bead Trunk Show & Sale in Sacramento

2010-08-06T10:14:16Z

August is a special month for fans of glass in general and Venetian glass in particular.

Piece of Mind, a local bead and jewelry studio on Truxel Road, is presenting a Venetian Glass Bead Trunk Show and Sale from August 13th through August 20th at 4321 Truxel Road. The phone number is 916 921-2323.

Kicking off the Trunk Show and Sale is a special display of Venetian glass from the collection of Kim Osibin.

"My collection represents Venetian works of art from the early 1800s to the present day," says the internationally-known glass artist.

Kim Osibin has traveled extensively throughout Italy working for glass factories, teaching and demonstrating bead making in Venice and Murano.

"These wonderful pieces represent a type of artistry rarely seen in Sacramento", says Gretchen Schueller, owner at Piece of Mind. She adds, "Venetian glass is renowned around the world for it's beauty and craftsmanship".

A special selection of Venetian glass beads not typically in stock will be offered for sale during the Trunk Show and Sale.

The exhibit of the Venetian glass collection of Kim Osibin starts Friday, August 6th and continues for the rest of August at Piece of Mind..

With Festa Italiana happening this weekend, the exhibit of Venetian glass art at Piece of Mind adds to the celebration of all things Italian.

Disclosure: Ms. Osibin is married to this reporter.

Italy comes to Sacramento this weekend at the Festa Italiana

2010-08-06T01:57:27Z

Everyone can be Italian this weekend at the Italian Cultural Society of Sacramento’s Festa Italiana.

The 25th annual Italian festival has much more to offer than the stereotypical spaghetti and meatballs. Once held at the Cal Expo, the fair is now at the Croatian-American Cultural Center at 3730 Auburn Blvd. This year’s Festa Italiana is set up to represent authentic festivals in towns across Italy.

It started as a small picnic in the park by the society’s Gioventú young people group, the festival has grown to an average 6,000 visitors per year.

Bill Cerruti, executive director of the Italian Cultural Society, said the Italian-American community of Sacramento wanted something to celebrate its culture.

“During the 1970s, we didn’t have much going on,” Cerruti said. “That was one of our goals: to recreate an Italian festival and take pride in our heritage.”

Festivalgoer’s can take a stroll down the marketplace, or mercato, while listening to Italian bands such as Italica, play on the main stage.

Staying true to Italian tradition for their love of food, visitors can taste selections from Sacramento’s best Italian restaurants, such as Il Fornaio and the new Fair Oaks branch of the San Francisco favorite, Dianda’s Bakery.

Attendees can also witness Italian folk dancing by the society’s two dance troupes: Balliamo,and the Bambini Dancers. Bambini means children, as the group is made up of kids no older than 12.

For those interested in Italy’s motor achievements, Italian cars, bicycles and motor scooters will be on display. Past festivals have featured Maserati’s, Ferrari’s and Vespa scooters from private owners and local car dealerships.

This year’s festival will continue to offer the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship for young women of Italian descent ages 16 to 22 through the Festa Queen Pageant. Jennifer Caruso Stone, coordinator for the competition, said this is not a typical beauty pageant.

“In villages in Italy, when they would have their annual festival, they would crown a festa queen. It has to do with how they honor their women in their culture,” Stone said. “It is something that’s traditional from Italy that we tried to recreate here.”

Applicants are required to write an essay, go through a panel interview and participate in both days of the festival. Stone said the panel members — which are made up of past queens, members of Gioventú and the board of directors for the society — make their decision based on these requirements and the person’s interest in Italian culture.

“It gives [applicants] an opportunity to meet others who are also interested in the Italian culture,” Stone said. “I think its important for the Italian Cultural Society to have that connection with the youth and to get them excited and want to give back to their culture.”

Stone’s husband Matt runs the salami toss at the festival — a crowd favorite. The object of the game is to try and hit a whole swinging salami hanging on a rope.

A potato wedge is traditionally used to hit the salami, though Stone said in years past the Sacramento heat made the potatoes brown. The prize, of course, is a salami.

“Some people take it very seriously,” Stone said.

“There was that one kid that won about 12 in one year,” said board member Julie Radke.

Cerruti described the festival as a two-day big Italian wedding. His favorite part is the outdoor setting with “all the people sitting around eating, drinking and enjoying themselves.”

Raffle tickets will be available for the chance to win a two-person round-trip to Italy.

Festa Italiana will take place from 11 a.m-10 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10, and those 15 and under are free.

For more info on the festival, visit italiancenter.net

Angela Ruggiero is part of the 2010 Festa Queen Pageant panel. She was Festa Queen in 2008.

The Hot Italian story, as told by Fabrizio Cercatore

2010-07-27T04:11:31Z

Fabrizio Cercatore is not a chef. He is not a baker. He was trained to specialize in one thing only: pizza.

Born in Verbania, Italy, Fabrizio has been a pizzaiolo — a pizza-maker, for 14 years. His knowledge of pizza stretches beyond a typical chain pizza shop around town.

The Man
Cercatore, co-owner of Hot Italian in Sacramento, has lived in the city to pursue what he calls this “project” of opening an authentic pizzeria restaurant abroad. He studied at a culinary school in Lerici, Italy. His familiarity with pizza hailed from working at his restaurant in La Spezia called La Tavernetta (The Little Tavern), which he owns with his sister.

It was always his dream to open up a restaurant abroad. This dream became a reality when he met now co-owner Andrea Lepore through a mutual friend, Ruthie Bolton. Bolton — a former WNBA player for the Sacramento Monarchs — would come in to his restaurant in Italy with her team.

“Ruthie got engaged to my friend, and they invited me here for a vacation. When I was here, I met Andrea, and we became friends. I invited her to Italy to see the Cinque Terre, the restaurant. Then, speaking more profoundly with Andrea, she told me ‘Come on, let’s truly do this thing’ and slowly, slowly, we constructed this project.”

The restaurant opened Feb. 14, 2009.

“It was always a dream of mine to open a restaurant abroad. Perhaps a bet with myself,” he said. “And when I met Andrea, it was the perfect balance because she has the marketing aspect, something I lack. It’s the perfect equilibrium.”

Cercatore said he plans to stay in America for at least five years to see the project through.

“But, you never know with the life,” he said.

He recreated a typical Italian atmosphere at Hot Italian — large communal tables, no hostess, Italian music playing, and a soccer match on the big screen.

“At first, people feel a little timid to eat next to people they don’t know. But, when they continue to return, they feel a rapport of familiarity, of friendship,” Cercatore said. “They start sitting next to each other, getting a little more comfortable. It’s like this in Italy, and because of this, I don’t feel the absence of Italy.”

The Pizza
Cercatore, a tall, rather thin man in his 30s with a warm smile, spoke of the difference between a typical American-style pizza and a more traditional Italian pizza.

The dough he makes at Hot Italian is kept to rise for 24 to 48 hours, whereas typical places may let the dough rise from morning to night time.

“When you eat pizza at certain places, you get thirsty when you go to sleep. This is because the yeast retains liquids,” he said. “Instead, with a long leavening...the humidity becomes matured in the fridge. So, when one eats, it is much more light and digestible.”

Cercatore said the concept of strictly a pizza-maker does not really exist in the United States.

“There are lots of people who call me chef, but I don’t like it, because I don’t have the knowledge of a chef. I have the knowledge of pizza. It’s a trade that is well-known in Italy.”

This made it difficult for him to find people who could make his pizzas just right. He spent several months interviewing and then training suitable pizza-makers. During that time, he made all of the Hot Italian pizza himself.

“When we looked for personnel, there were plenty that were chefs that had good experience in the kitchen, but had never worked with pizza before. So at the beginning, it took awhile,” he said.

Currently, there are four “let’s call them pizzaiolo’s” and four in the process of learning. Cercatore said it can take around three weeks to teach basics on how to make pizza, but up to five months for complete training.

“Our pizza is the true Italian pizza. The difference is in the crust, dough and toppings. In the American pizza, there are much more toppings, they become heavy. Even the tastes are more strong. Perhaps the Italian version is something more simple.”

Cercatore and Lepore spent a year researching products for the restaurant. They use a combination of local produce and specialty items and imported specialty items. Speck prosciutto, for example, is imported from the Alto Adige region of Italy, while they purchase their ricotta cheese from a local family-owned shop in Sacramento.

All the pizzas are named after “hot Italians” — people who are perhaps not only good-looking, but prominent and current figures of Italian culture and society. Most on the menu are Italian soccer players.

Cercatore’s favorite pizza? La Fiori, with prosciutto Parma, mushrooms, arugula and mozzarella.

Yes, he eats his pizza every day, but he said he never gets tired of it.

“I change the toppings,” he said.

Note: Fabrizio Cercatore’s quotes have been translated from Italian to English by Angela Ruggiero.

For more information about Hot Italian and to view their menu, visit hotitalian.net

Photos by Angela Ruggiero. Photo of pizza courtesy of Hot Italian.

The Old Country Meets Carmichael

2010-04-09T03:47:47Z

It's been a while since I've had time to dine out much less write about it however this article is long overdue. I visited Serritella's Italian Restaurant on Fair Oaks Boulevard tonight and rediscovered why I enjoy dining out.
This restaurant has been around for the better part of 40 years which is an achievement in itself in this market. Our young but knowledgeable server Bianca had all the steps of service down to a science. The decor was contemporary Italian with artwork reflecting the world of French and Italian wines. I was a bit concerned when noticing how sleepy the dining room was but decided to give everything a fair chance.

I love this place. While some of the menu items may seem like something you can get anywhere, I doubt they would be prepared with as much love. We started with Gnocchi pasta covered in a creamy pesto sauce (8.99) which was more filling than I anticipated but I could not stop eating it.

We then ordered a 12 inch pizza with sun dried tomatoes and linguica which was perfection (17.00). The best was certainly saved for last when we ordered the pasta combination dinner which we got with Lasagna, Tortellini and Ravioli (16.99). After taking my first bite of the Lasagna I was quickly taken to a small Italian village where an old woman might have been chasing neighborhood children with a rolling pin. All of the pasta was delicate, fluffy and full of authentic flavor. To accompany our meal we ordered a half liter of house Chianti which was a perfect pairing with our pasta. The Chianti also had quite a bit more character and charm than the old Chianti in a basket we remember from the old days.

It is easy to see why this local favorite has withstood the test of time. Hats off to the chef and the staff. Seritella's is open for lunch Wed - Fri 11am - 2pm and open for dinner Mon - Thurs 5-9PM, Fri 5-9:30 PM and Sat 4:30-9:30PM. Reservations accepted and parking available around back.

As always, please know I am in no way affiliated with this or any restaurant I review. My goal is to go out and slowly experience different aspects of the Sacramento dining scene then share those experiences with you.

Andy Soto

Traces of Italy in Sacramento

2009-08-01T03:17:50Z

Sacramento's Italian community is known to produce gourmet food, but there's much more to the community than Biba, Sofia's and Hot Italian.

With this weekend's Festa Italian opening Saturday and running through Sunday at The Croatian Culture Center, we take a look back at the role Italian immigrants and their descendants played in Sacramento's history.

Italian Americans have a long history in the Sacramento area. Agriculture and food processing are just some of the many successes of Italian Americans who settled in the area in the early 1850s, but their successes are hardly limited to that.

Early Italian Americans

Many of the earliest Gold Rush settlers who migrated in the "Mother Lode" area surrounding Sacramento were from the Liguria region of Italy -- specifically the city of Genoa. That was followed by a second wave of Italian immigrants from other areas such as the Veneto region.

By 1880 an estimated 10,000 people from the area around Genoa began to dominate the farming industries to meet the demands of the local population. The people are known as "The Genovese," which also refers to the regional Italian dialect they speak.

By the end of the century, Italians were one of the largest groups of immigrants working in the deep gold mines. But they were also masons, woodcutters and ranchers.

The Italians continued to thrive after the Gold Rush, Italian farmers produced large amounts wine, olive oil and other crops. Italian fishermen established themselves on the Northern California coast.

After the Gold Rush, Ligurians Antonio Cerruti and Marco Fantana founded the Del Monte canned food label. Giovanni Lombardo built the Lombardo Winery in El Dorado County, which is now the award-winning Boeger Winery.

Domenico Ghiradelli, who had traveled through the Gold Rush towns selling chocolate and candy, settled in San Francisco and built a chocolate empire. Many local Italian Americans shared similar stories of success.

"Italians in Sacramento had a concentrated community," said Bill Cerruti, founder and executive director of the Italian Cultural Society. "Many had farms and lived in East Sacramento near East Portal Park."

By the mid-1900s, the community, now unofficially referred to by elders as "Little Italy," had a weekly newspaper called La Capitale, which ran from 1906 to 1945, as well as festivals and dinners.

Men were known to play bocce ball in East Portal Park. The group is now the East Portal Bocce Club.

Italian American Internment

As America’s involvement in World War II became imminent, many Japanese, German and Italian immigrants in Sacramento were detained and forced to relocate. Italians, who were at the time the largest immigrant group in the United States, were interned, restricted and taken from their homes.

"Ten thousand were forced to relocate," Cerruti said. "The Exclusion Act used on Italian Americans destroyed the [Northern California coastal] fishing industry."

After the end of the war, Italians built East Sacramento's St. Mary's Catholic Church in 1948. This was the "golden era" of the community, according to Cerruti.

Italians from other areas in the city moved to East Sacramento, and the community reached new heights. But in the 1960s, Cerruti explained, many second generation Italian Americans looked to drop their "foreign" identity to assimilate into a more "American" identity. The next generation, in the '70s and '80s, wanted to learn about their Italian roots again.

Italian Cultural Society

In 1981 Cerruti created the Italian Cultural Society (ICS) with several goals in mind. His dream was to create a newsletter, have a location where Italians could gather and learn to speak Italian and hold a cultural festival. All of these dreams were realized in the first five years of the ICS' operation, which was originally headquartered in a room at the Sierra 2 Community Center in Curtis Park.

As the ICS grew, so did the need for new facilities. The group used a second classroom in the Sierra Center and other facilities such as Cal Expo and the Croatian Cultural Center, for its festivals.

Then, in 2007, the ICS moved into a building in Carmichael, near Carmichael Park.

Complete with custom marble flooring, a library, four classrooms, a full kitchen, a ballroom with multimedia equipment and alabaster chandeliers and a patio overlooking Carmichael Park, the Italian Cultural Center is a sight to behold.

Cerruti took out a mortgage for the center, located at 6821 Fair Oaks Blvd. The biggest question is how to pay it off.

"Basically we figured to pay it off in 10 years," Cerruti said. That was before the economy tanked. Now the ICS must cut costs and hold more fund-raising efforts, he said.

Currently the ICS has more than 1,000 members, and its monthly newsletter Altre Voci (other voices) is sent to nearly 11,000 households. Annually, more than 1,000 students attend 13 levels of Italian language classes at the center.

The original location in the Sierra 2 Community Center still holds half of the ICS' language classes.

Lately, Cerruti said, traditional dinner dances have become less popular. In order to increase community involvement, a youth group named Gioventú formed to bring together a younger 18- to 40-year-old Italian American crowd.

"I'm amazed at the activity in the Italian American community," Cerruti said. "Right now there's more activity than ever before, due to a revitalization in Italian American culture."

A "Hot" Italian

Igor De Angelis is one young Italian immigrant from Milan who wants to bring an authentic Italian flavor to the community. Currently working as a waiter at Hot Italian, Igor's dream is to be a successful rapper.

"It was an obsession," De Angelis said of his love of hip hop. "My dream was always to make my music."

As a teenager, he became a member of a graffiti team, break danced and studied the lyrics of American emcees. After moving to the United States to pursue his dream, he bought a laptop and began making beats.

By chance, De Angelis ran into an old friend of 2Pac's, who listened to his music. She told De Angelis that his beats were better than many other musicians’ who had been in the industry for years.

This motivated him to find a recording studio, and he eventually record an album. In 2008, De Angelis was finally able to achieve his dream of creating his own album, called La Nona - The Ninth District of Milan, rapped almost entirely in Italian. It was recorded under the stage name "Rigo of Di Casa Nostra."

"Rigo" was his nickname name back in Milan, when he was in a graffiti crew called Di Casa Nostra, or DCN for short. It means "our house."

A single from the album, "Grand Prix," was recently played on Yuba City's KRYC 105.9. Having a friend tell him, "I heard your song on the radio," De Angelis said, was a great moment.

Festa Italiana

This weekend, everyone is Italian at Festa Italiana. The ICS' 24th annual celebration of all things Italian will be held Aug. 1-2 at the Croatian Cultural Center at 3730 Auburn Blvd. (The Italian Cultural Center would hardly hold the estimated 3,500 attendees)

The highlights include an Italian marketplace, car show, children’s activities, festival queen pageant, bocce ball, music and dancing. The festival features food from Northern California's Italian restaurants and caterers. On the menu is calamari from Monterey Bay Calamari, lasagna from La Famiglia and Gelato from Hot Italian, among other dishes. The ICS describes the festival as "like attending two-day wedding reception."

Festa Italiana will take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10. Visit italiancenter.net for more information.

Hot Italians, bicycle rims and instant pizza

2009-01-28T06:08:07Z

A year in the making, the new home of pizza-with-style - Hot Italian at the corner of 16th and Q in the downtown Sacramento Grid - will be opening inside of three weeks. The owner's self-declared deadline: the Amgen Tour of California on Feb. 14.

"That's Valentine's Day as well," says Andrea Leport, the woman who has managed this eatery from concept to near-fruition. "And the next day is St. Faustino's Day, the holiday for the single."

Sounds like they're expecting business those days. And tying it to the big international bike race fits perfectly the theme of Hot Italian.

“We’re all about the two wheels,” says Andrea Lepore.

Hot Italian is a concept place that aims to serve lifestyle as well as food, says Lepore. The business really wants to serve cyclists and bikers of all stripes, and beyond its layout and such details as barstools made of old bike rims, has gone out of its way with the city to make it’s parking bike-friendly. The city has changed a couple of car lengths of parking into parking for motorbikes only, with more parking for bikes on the sidewalk.

And eventually, the pizza will be delivered – perhaps even on two wheels.

Hot Italian is also punnily named for charming head chef Fabrizio Cercaione, an Italian immigrant with a quick smile who was there when a group of us from SacramentoPress.com stopped by. He didn’t hesitate to toss a pizza up (literally) and fire it in the wood stove in a flash.

My interns got a taste, but I wasn’t quick enough; they assured me it was delicious.

But there will be plenty of chances to try Hot Italians’ pizza; the place opens in mere weeks, and is a very good bet to turn into one of the key hangouts in what is still a booming downtown Sacramento.