Habibi Hookah Lounge off Fair Oaks Boulevard brought live music and entertainment to Sacramento Thursday. Although smaller in size, the lounge offers customers a more intimate feel for entertainment as well as a great hookah selection. Though it opened five years ago, Habibi has recently taken to hosting "College Thursdays," presented by P-Crew Events. P-Crew Entertainment, a local events group who also works with nightclub The Park, were responsible for booking Starting Six. Coming out of the East Bay, these six guys write music based on what they love doing: partying and having fun. With a sound similar to The Cataracs and Tyga, their music gets everyone of out of their seats and dan

An empty former Starbucks at Seventh and K streets will soon be serving coffee and food as Plaza Cafe Lounge opens next month with an emphasis on bringing a San Francisco-style coffee bar to downtown Sacramento. “We want to make it a lounge place where you can sit on a comfortable couch or out on the patio and meet with friends,” said co-owner Zack Alemi. The 1,800 square-foot space will be outfitted with $10,000 worth of leather lounge chairs and couches as well as free wi-fi. A 1,500-square-foot patio fronting St. Rose of Lima Park will add seating, and Alemi said the coffee lounge will connect to the Antigua night club next door. Six big-screen plasma TVs will be in the space as well

Midtown’s Lounge on 20, known for its all-white décor and dim lighting and as a place to grab a drink and relax, transformed last month to include dining and incorporate a warmer color scheme. “We added almost 100 seats for dining, a new menu and (Executive Chef Pajo Bruich),” said owner Ali Mackani. “There are color changes, new lighting, a freestanding sculpture that’s also a fireplace, and we still have areas for lounging.” He added that a dessert chef, Elaine Baker, formerly of Grange Restaurant and Bar, is also working at the remodeled space. Also included is an elevated stage for live performances Thursday through Saturday nights. Careful preparation enabled the transformation to

Lounge on 20, going on 3 years old, is making a few big changes to its menu and its interior, including two new chefs, an indoor fireplace and the addition of a banquet-style dining room. Owner Ali Mackani said the official reopening is scheduled for May 1. “Many of our customers kept asking for a dining room, and we had the room, so we utilized it,” Mackani said. The largest overhaul of the renovation is the dining room, which will feature several banquet-style tables and chandelier lighting. Mackani said there will be no true separation between the lounge area, which will feature couches and an indoor fireplace, and the dining area. Furniture will be the only barrier, he said. The b

Zen Sushi, located at the corner of 15th and I streets, has re-opened after weeks of construction and renovations. Days following it's grand re-launch, I ventured in and sat down to talk with my favorite sushi chefs: Michael Kwong and Lou Valente, and to meet the owner and Master Chef, Jason Von Hom. Gone was everything. All the orange and brown lacquered wood and Formica had vanished. Short, white leather chairs standing neatly at attention alongside uber-thick marble counters replaced the old, rickety, high-seated counter stools. Large flatscreens behind the new glass sushi cases made the room look bigger and drew more attention to the ceiling. Now affixed to the ceiling of each room

Would a group called Stew and the Negro Problem be at home playing a venue like the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in Davis? Absolutely. The intimate, lounge-like 250-person Vanderhoef Studio Theatre was the perfect setting for musician Stew and his provocatively-titled band, The Negro Problem, on Tuesday evening. The name is meant to challenge perceptions be in-your-face and humorous, which also describes the band’s music quite accurately. Announcing that his band was probably mad at him because he had no setlist, Stew guided the seated older crowd on a musical journey that was insightful, comical and just plain sounded great. The lyrically driven songs were the stars, with ea

Julia Hadley has never owned a restaurant before, but she said she looks forward to opening Hads Steak and Seafood at 19th and J streets and molding it to her image of what a neighborhood favorite should be. Hadley said she has fond memories of growing up with the Fireside Restaurant & Lounge, which was operated by a good family friend. She remembers going in with her father, and the staff affectionately greeting him with, “Hey, Hads.” “I want people leaving full, satisfied and taking half of their meal home with them,” she said. “It’s going to be good food for a really good price,” Hadley said. The restaurant is set to open the first week of November. Local flavor is what she wants to

Tequila is to Mexico what wine is to France, and restaurateur Ernesto Delgado said he will use tequila to showcase Mexico’s rich culture when he opens Tequila Museo Mayahuel later this year. The “tequila museum” will include a restaurant serving traditional Mexican dishes and a wide array of between 50 and 100 types of tequila with a museum and gift shop reminiscent of Napa Valley wineries. “The concept is to showcase Mexican culture through tequila, its history and the process of making it,” Delgado said. With so many Mexican restaurants and tacquerias in Sacramento already, Delgado said he knew he had to come up with something unique. “My whole idea here is to create a new spin,” Del

The 6-piece Americana-Rock phenoms, The Whiskey and the Devil Chaplain, are making their Sacramento debut at Naked Coffee on Saturday, May 22nd. The guys make up a fantastic mix of indie roots, folk and straight ahead Americana music. Formed at the latter-end of 2007, the Whiskey is making a name for themselves one show at a time through their knock-down live performances.  Here is just some of the attention they've been getting: “The fellas that make up this Valley-born folk/bluegrass group played just a handful of songs, but it was enough to make an impression. They opened a February night show at the Cellar Door in Visalia for genre-faves Langhorne Slim and April Smith, and both were

Master Barber Shop was established in 1958 and was acquired by Earlie D. and Mary Brown in December of 1974. During that time, the shop was located on Stockton Blvd. and 7th Ave. Since those early days, Master Barber & Beauty Shop, has had several locations. Each location being better than the last. In 1989, sons Rodney and Marichal, joined the family business. The late owner and master barber, Earlie D. Brown, established business in the hair industry in the mid 1940's with Brown's Barber Shop (two locations, San Francisco and Marin City). What started out as nothing more than a dream and a dime and a nail in his pocket has turned into a family business. He died in February 1998. Mary Br

Good Day Sacramento featured Keg Curling at the Midtown Ice Rink Thursday morning.  Teams from Harvs Car Wash, Golden Bear, Yogurtagogo, Comedy Spot and L Wine Lounge braved the cold and the antics of one Mark S. Allen live on Good Day for some fun, Midtown style! The Midtown Ice Rink is open through Monday, January 18th 10am - 10pm. Photo Credit:  Tyler Waaler - www.Tylerwaaler.com

Happy hour is alive and well in the Downtown Sacramento area on Thursday nights. While there are countless restaurants offering discounts on food and drinks for varying days and times, eight of the grid's Thursday happy hours stood out from the pack. Heading off the list is the Dragonfly Japanese restaurant. Located at 1809 Capitol Ave. and voted "Best New Restaurant" by SN&R, the Dragonfly offers some impressive deals during happy hour. Running from 3 to 6 p.m. and 9 to 10 p.m., the restaurant offers half-off sushi rolls, $2 sake bombs, $3 drafts and half-off well drinks. Another good place to kick back and enjoy some good deals on food and drinks is Level Up Lounge at 2431 J St. Their

The Astro and the Elroy are quickly becoming one of Sacramento's coolest hangouts. The two newly renovated buildings, which were converted from motels, are collectively known as the RetroLodge. Originally meant to house 50 work/live studios, RetroLodge's amenities include bathrooms, conference rooms with kitchenettes, and shared courtyards. The style is meant to evoke 1950's and 1960's Palm Springs, but the most important feature the property boasts are its 50 parking spaces for lease, a rare find in midtown. One of the first tenants in the Jetsons-named Elroy building was Dig Music - the label of notable Sacramento musician Jackie Greene, perhaps the most successful Sacramento musical p