Hangar 17, a local bar and restaurant that started with valet service and famously huge hamburgers, closed its doors for the final time last Monday, due in part to unresolved tax issues and a floundering economy. Joey Madrid, 40, co-owner of Hangar 17, spoke with The Sacramento Press about the events leading up to the restaurant’s closing. “Everyone thinks we’re terrible people, that we did everyone wrong, but that’s not true,” Madrid said. “We did the best we could, but things got the better of us.” Madrid and co-owner James Lombardi became acquainted when Madrid and Lombardi’s younger brother, Chris, worked together at Chops Steakhouse in Sacramento. Madrid and the older Lombardi bro

DGC/Interscope band Escape the Fate will headline the Dead Masquerade tour at Ace of Spades this weekend, joined by support acts Alesana, Motionless In White, Get Scared and Drive A. Las Vegas-based hard-rockers Escape the Fate are touring in support of their self-titled third album and recently released “Issues Remix” EP, featuring remixes of their first single "Issues" done by Jakwob (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lily Allen), LA Riots (Tiesto, The Ting Tings), Wolves At The Gate (The Cure) and Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Muse, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party). The band currently graces the cover of Outburn magazine, which declares, “the band’s new album is a compelling modern day masterpiece.” Bassist

Sacramentans in the mood for specially made cocktails need to look no further than Midtown this week. The annual Midtown Cocktail Week kicks off on Monday with seven nights filled to the brim with cocktail culture. Co-founder Joe Anthony Savala began the event in 2008 with Erick Castro after attending San Francisco’s Cocktail Week. “We really love the whole Midtown vibe and how it’s growing, so [we thought,] let’s put something together here,” Savala said. After some planning in conjunction with local restaurants and bars in Midtown and some help from San Francisco’s best bars, MCW was born. In 2009, the Midtown Business Association joined in. MCW is more than just enjoying beverages,

For more, visit PublicCEO.com I have a confession. I drink alcohol. I enjoy soda, too. Potato chips? Love ‘em. So why are politicians posing as moral leaders and digging into my wallet over these simple pleasures? Well, simply because their vision is just as simple. Cities, states and the federal government officials have locked into the mindless notion that these "sin taxes" are either morally or economically logical. They couldn't be more wrong. It's easy to find public support when you single out a faction that can be looked down upon as taking part in immoral behaviors, forgetting about individual rights or the ability for the public to make its own moral judgments. But the trut

I visited one of my favorite brew pubs on Thursday evening with my wife and son. Brew It Up which is located on the corner of 14th and H Street in downtown Sacramento. While wine is my first love, I am an absolute freak for hops. If you are not familiar with Brew It Up, let me bring you up to speed. Owner Michael Costello opened the original location in Davis 13 years ago. The first spot was more of a place for locals to do some home brewing. Along the way Mr. Costello decided to go the route of a full service restaurant and move the operation to Sacramento. This establishment is truly one of a kind in the area as it covers all of the bases. You can come in for a beer, glass of wine or a

As civil liberties advocates and city officials debate the city’s plans to implement a new surveillance system, three security cameras are already operating on Del Paso Boulevard. Joann Cummins, district director for City Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy, said the Del Paso Boulevard cameras will be useful for recording evidence to prosecute a couple of liquor stores that are allegedly creating a public nuisance. The Sacramento Press reported in a July 8 story that the local American Civil Liberties Union has raised objections to new cameras that may be installed on K Street and at other locations, arguing that they do not decrease crime. The city plans to buy 32 security cameras, four mobile su