Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by Brandon Darnell

Local bicycle product to go into production

2012-02-10T08:38:23Z

On Wednesday, a Sacramento company received the last bit of funding needed to launch production of a unique bicycle storage rack called The Bike Valet.

The powder-coated steel bicycle hanger was designed by local carpenter and owner of Reclamation Art + Furniture Steve Tiller.

“We (in the urban core) live in small apartments, and we need places to store our bikes,” he said Thursday. “This keeps the tires off the floor and keeps the kickstands from scratching hardwood.”

Financing for the first production run of the product came from the website Kickstarter.com. On the site, consumers bought the product at a reduced wholesale rate of $75 plus shipping, which is a discount from the final retail price, which will likely top $160, Tiller said.

Through The Bike Valet’s Etsy.com store, the lower price is being offered through Feb. 24.

After thieves broke into Tiller’s shop in Mansion Flats, he launched his Kickstarter.com fundraising drive, with a goal of $10,000. The story was originally covered by Isaac Gonzales, a community contributor for The Sacramento Press and owner of ranSACkedmedia.com, where he continued to follow the story.

The fundraising drive was partly to replace more than $6,000 in tools that were stolen from his shop, which is not open to the public.

“It’s a great way for startups to get funding for new products,” he said Thursday. “Our drive ended yesterday, and we raised $12,900.”

The kit comes with The Bike Valet in one of six colors with either leather or neoprene padding to protect the bicycle’s frame, lag bolts to mount the rack to a single stud and a template to drill the holes in the wall upon which it will be mounted.

Hanging a bicycle on The Bike Valet works by having the bottom piece support the frame, which serves as a fulcrum point. The top piece keeps the bicycle from tipping out of it, and it can be used either on the top bar of the frame or on the seat post to hang the bicycle vertically.

“It will work with almost any type of frame,” Tiller said. “It holds the bicycle securely, and it lets you keep it off the floor.”

When the production run is complete – expected to be sometime toward the end of March – Tiller said he will set up an online shopping site as well as partner with local bicycle shops.

“I’d most definitely like to carry them,” said John Boyer, owner of Edible Pedal, located at 1712 L St. “I think it’s a great design, and it can be used for just about any bike.”

Boyer said that with the rampant bicycle theft problem in Sacramento, storing bicycles inside is the only way to truly keep them safe from thieves, with even the most expensive locks being more deterrent than security.

“You’re kind of forced to bring your bike inside, and the design of (The Bike Valet) fits the minimalist style of design that’s very popular right now,” Boyer said.

In addition to practicality, Tiller said he thinks The Bike Valet can be used to show off a bicycle that is as much a work of art as a mode of transportation.

“If you’ve got a really nice fixie you’ve spent months working on, that might be something you want to show off in your home,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Midtown's musicians featured in new art exhibit

2012-02-09T01:37:59Z

Art pays homage to art in a new gallery exhibit called “Musicians of Midtown” at Gallery 2110 as artist Brooke Walker-Knoblich exhibits 10 paintings of local musicians playing in Midtown venues.

“I’ve always been intrigued by musicians in particular – not just music, but the performance of music,” Walker-Knoblich said.

The paintings – all done in oil – evoke the emotions she felt in hearing the music, she said, adding that she watched the musicians perform, drawing sketches of them in as little as 30 seconds, then painting the larger works using the sketches as foundations.

Some of the works have shorter brush strokes to fit with the quicker pace of the music, while others are longer, and light and darkness are used to show emotion as well.

Musicians such as Musical Charis, The Nibblers and Clemon Charles are featured in the paintings, and the venues in which they are performing include The Urban Hive and Bows & Arrows, though the musicians are the prominent parts of the paintings.

For the exhibit, 20 sketches and 10 paintings are on display, and Walker-Knoblich said she spent the past year working on the body of work, which could extend into the future if other galleries are interested in the style.

Originally from Nevada City, the 29-year-old Walker-Knoblich moved to Midtown about three years ago. The current show is a departure from her normal style of work, which is Renaissance Realism.

“It was very liberating, and very challenging, too,” she said. “It was very different. I could kind of do whatever I wanted.”

She sketched more than 450 musicians over the past year, but for the show in Midtown, she chose 10 locals to turn into paintings.

“When I moved down to Midtown, I started checking out the scene, going to venues, and I was totally shocked at how great the scene was and how personable the artists were,” Walker-Knoblich said.

Walker-Knoblich said she has been an artist from an early age, but a year spent in Paris when she was 21 was the year when she determined art would be her career.

Clare Bailey, owner of the gallery, said that she would like to see Walker-Knoblich’s work tour to other cities, allowing Walker-Knoblich to add new paintings as some are sold and keep the exhibit evolving and financially successful.

“There are some artists, whose sketches she did, (who) have traveled from across the country to get here, and those haven’t turned into paintings yet, but they could, and this could be an exhibit that travels,” Bailey said.

“I think one of the elements that I love the most is we’re paying tribute to music in a fine art gallery – and it’s all related,” Bailey said.

All works are for sale, and the exhibit will run through March 2, Bailey said.

For more information on Gallery 2110, click here.

The exhibit is currently on display, but a reception will be held Thursday, with Walker-Knoblich available from 6 - 8 p.m. Guitarist Sean Paul Mee will be playing music during the reception as well.

Viewing the show on Saturday will be possible anytime between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., as the gallery extends its hours for the Second Saturday Art Walk. Walker-Knoblich Will be in the gallery from 5 - 9 p.m. Saturday as well.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Nonprofit organization reaches fundraising goal

2012-02-08T02:07:02Z

La Raza Galería Posada, a local nonprofit Latino arts organization, succeeded in reaching its fundraising goals to stay open after Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna helped fill the funding gap with a music event Saturday.

In November, the center announced that it needed to raise $25,000 or face closure.

“We are extremely grateful for Supervisor Serna for his beyond-the-call-of-duty support,” said Marie Acosta, executive director of La Raza Galería Posada. “It’s very rare when an elected official will go out of their way and walk the talk for a nonprofit in need of funding.”

Funding sources for the art gallery and cultural center, located at 1022-1024 22nd St., have been in steady decline since 2005, threatening the existence of the 40-year-old center.

Saturday’s event, titled “Phil Serna Music on a Mission,” raised $30,000, which was split between La Raza Galería Posada, Cottage Housing, Women Escaping a Violent Environment and Roberts Family Development Center, according to a Monday press release.

While the extra push was needed over the past year, Acosta said Tuesday that there are several new funding sources opening up for the center this year, and the organization will apply for funding from places such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sierra Health Foundation, the Sacramento Region Community Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation.

“We are very hopeful that we will be able to receive funding from those sources, but we will always need support from the community, and now more than ever,” Acosta said.

New venue The Cave to host live music, comedy, other events

2012-02-08T02:04:31Z

The Cave is a new music and multi-use venue coming to Stockton Boulevard, moving in next door to the Colonial Theatre.

Formerly a shoe store, The Cave is currently used to hold wrestling events put on by Total Wrestling Federation, and starting Feb. 24, it will be opened to live music, standup comedy, art exhibits and other uses, said Mike Flanagan, who books the venue.

“We want this to be a public space where people can come and see a show, hear some comedy or see an art exhibition,” he said. “We have no intention of getting a liquor license, because we want this to be an all-ages place.”

Flanagan, who owns Bad Current Records and has been involved with the local music scene, said he wants to make the roughly 1,000-square-foot space available to neighborhood kids after school as well.

“I have a friend who refurbishes old arcade games, so we could have some of those, and they could come in here and play them for basically free, and they would have a place to go instead of getting in fights and that kind of thing,” he said.

Flanagan said keeping the cover charge down between $5 and $10 is key, and he wants to provide another venue for local musicians at a low cost. A tentative rental rate of $200 for a day is planned to make it affordable for local acts to get exposure.

The grand opening party Feb. 24 will include music from four musical acts including local singer Autumn Sky, two local comedians and photography exhibits from local photographers. For more information on the event, click here.

While the venue is still waiting on final inspections, Flanagan said he hopes to be able to fit about 100 people into the space in addition to the bands and other performers, who will be on a raised stage.

Total Wrestling Federation will continue to hold training and events at the space, with a removable wrestling rink brought in when the space is not being used for other events.

“I’m excited to be able to expand it,” said TWF owner Jake Sherman. “It’s going to be great to get live music in here, and I really think we can do a lot with the space.”

Flanagan said he wants to be able to offer light refreshments at the place, but it does not have a kitchen or food preparation facilities. Working with local food trucks to provide eats and drinks on event nights is something he said he wants to pursue.

A recent talk at Time Tested Books about the state of Sacramento’s music scene touched on the need for more venues, and while Flanagan said that most agree more medium venues are needed, he hopes to be able to expand the possibilities for local artists and those interested in seeing music shows in more intimate settings.

For more information about The Cave, visit the Facebook page.

The Cave is located at 3512 Stockton Blvd. Shows are anticipated to be held from 8 p.m. - midnight. For booking information, email Flanagan at indiehelpsindie@gmail.com.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "The Red Rabbit opens on J Street"

2012-02-07T20:30:04Z

One note on a change in the article: The "Earth Burger" is actually called the "Farm to Table Burger." There was a change to the menu after the article was written.

Willie's Burgers launches food truck

2012-02-07T08:04:11Z

The locally owned Willie’s Burgers plans to launch a food truck – the Willie Wagon – in Sacramento this week, carrying burgers, chili burgers and fries.

“We’ve always thought a food truck was a good way to get the product and what we do out to people,” said Bill Taylor, owner of Willie’s Burgers. “I’d started developing the idea of a Willie Wagon since 1995, but it’s been in the back of my mind.”

Willie’s Burgers opened at 16th and Broadway in 1991, and a second location opened in Carmichael in 2004. Now, taking the burgers to offices and events with the food truck is proving a good addition to the business, Taylor said Friday.

“It’s been terrific,” he said. “We follow basically the same menu we have downtown, and we will be bringing in shakes once we get the milkshake machine.”

The original idea behind Willie’s Burgers was to bring some of the burger culture from Los Angeles to Sacramento, including staying open late, Taylor said. Currently, Sacramento’s mobile food ordinance requires the trucks to finish serving at 6 p.m., but it is moving to 8 p.m. in April, and Taylor said getting the laws changed is a priority.

“Having a downtown food truck roundup would bring more people downtown, and to the streets, and that would make the streets safer,” he said.

Another benefit to the food trucks, he added, includes giving some local chefs the chance to start small with a cheaper venture to showcase their creations – making a name for themselves without having to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Prices at the Willie Wagon will be between $7 and $10 for a burger, drink and fries, and a few dollars more with a milkshake or chili fries.

Managing the food truck is J.J. Wakamiya, who said Monday that he wants to use the truck to encourage more people to explore the diverse areas of Sacramento.

“I want to encourage people to get out and try new foods and look for new things,” he said.

Final inspections with the city of Sacramento were scheduled for Tuesday morning, and Wakamiya said he planned to start running a downtown route this week.

Currently, the truck is licensed to operate in Rancho Cordova and Sacramento County.

“We’ve done a few events, like a rugby tournament and some office gatherings in Rancho Cordova,” he said. “We’d like to do more events like SactoMoFo 4 on April 21.”

He said that while the main goal is to sell burgers and spread the Willie’s Burgers name, the truck is part of a campaign to change the controversial ordinance that constricts food trucks to operating for only 30 minutes at a time within city limits.

“We want to support the mobile food industry and enhance it from a generic taco truck or roach coach to a branded truck with specialized menu,” he said.

To find out where the Willie Wagon will be, check the truck’s Facebook page.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

The Red Rabbit opens on J Street

2012-02-07T01:47:39Z

The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar is now open in the space that used to hold Red Lotus in Midtown, and a grand opening is scheduled for Friday.

The restaurant and bar aims to bring affordable food and drinks with an international flair to the block and see the same successes that other businesses – Harlow’s, BarWest Burgers & Wings and Centro Cocina Mexicana – have seen, said co-owners Matt Nurge and John Bays.

“We’re going with the globally inspired concept,” said Bays, who is the restaurant’s chef. “We’ve got a little Vietnamese, a little American – a lot of braising going on, and we’ve got some Hawaiian.”

An assortment of cheeses – including Spanish Manchego – will be on the menu, and while those come from overseas, much of the rest of the food is locally sourced.

“We try to get everything from local suppliers whenever we can,” Bays said.

Bays said the food prices are still being tweaked, but he plans on offering salads for around $5 - $7, and entrées range from around $11 - $15, with appetizers falling in between.

The menu itself is still being finalized, but some items, such as the “Bastard Banh Mi” – a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich with lemon chicken, pickled vegetables and chillies on grilled bread – are essentially finalized.

Vegetarian items are included as well, and Bays said it was important to build them from scratch, not just have them as an afterthought.

“These are vegetarian and vegan meals,” he said. “They’re more than just a side of vegetables.”

One of the vegetarian items is the “Earth Burger,” which has beans, rice, almonds, carrots, zucchini, onions and a goat cheese spread on an egg bun.

Brunch – including a Bloody Mary bar – will be held Saturdays and Sundays starting Feb. 18.

Nurge said house cocktails will be about $7, and well drinks such as a gin and tonic will be $4.

Currently, the restaurant is waiting on its liquor license, but all draft beers will be California brews.

“The ABC doesn’t tell businesses when they will get their licenses, but we’re hoping it’s soon,” he said.

“Everything we’re doing is simplified, but with high-quality ingredients,” Nurge said.

The theme of simplification is carried through with the décor of the restaurant, which is markedly different from Red Lotus, but those familiar with the former business will notice some of the same features, including the circular bar inside the doorway and the back patio.

“We were looking at the space, and a lot of it was really nice,” Nurge said. “On the patio, we took out the bamboo, and we really liked what we had left.”

The back patio is an all-weather patio with a roof, gas heaters for the winter and water misters for the summer. A front patio also runs along J Street, and Nurge said the whole restaurant can hold about 150 people comfortably.

One facet of the restaurant that pertains more to the approximately 30 employees than customers is a monetary incentive. A percentage of the restaurant’s profits will be doled out to the workers each quarter, and they will share in the profitability of the business.

“We open the books to them, and they can see exactly how we’re doing financially,” Nurge said. “It’s absolutely transparent, and we want them to feel like they’re more than just workers. We want them to feel like they’re a part of our success, because they are.”

The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar is located at 2718 J St. It is scheduled to be open from 11 a.m. - midnight Sunday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. on weekends, Nurge said. When brunch begins later this month, the restaurant will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. For now until Thursday, it will open at 6 p.m., and then will follow normal business hours.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

The Republic opens

2012-02-04T08:07:30Z

The Republic Featuring Drewski’s opened downtown Friday, bringing a combination lounge, sports bar, video arcade, pool hall and food truck menu to one location.

“I’m excited we pulled it off,” said Andrew “Drewski” Blaskovich, owner of the popular food truck Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen. “I’m 100 percent confident in our staff here, and I know our kitchen crew, wait staff, bartenders and everyone will help make this happen.”

The 6,500-square-foot space opened at 5 p.m. Friday, and it is scheduled to stay open until 3 - 4 a.m. on the weekend nights.

Customers filtered in the doors – including a glass-paneled garage door that opens onto a patio – from 5 p.m. onward Friday, and they quickly took to the arcade games even as workers were on the other side of the building putting the finishing touches on an elevated stage that will be used for live music.

“It’s great. I see this place taking off,” said 37-year-old Scott Abraham of Sacramento. “I love the garage door. It’s one of those concepts that’s really taken off lately, and it reminds me a little of how they do things in Hawaii, with the sliding doors. It’s perfect for Sacramento in the summer.”

One of the anticipated features in the space is a pair of skee ball games.

“It’s huge on the East Coast,” said Andy Duong, a marketer for the establishment. “We also have four pool tables, eight video games, and we brought in some board games – Jenga, Connect Four and Battleship.”

TVs will show sporting events, including mixed martial arts on Saturday and the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Duong said the space doesn’t fit the mold of a sports bar, lounge, restaurant or pool hall, and he referred to it as a “party bar.”

“We’re going to start with some small music acts, and then maybe expand to larger ones,” he said. “We’re here across from Memorial Auditorium, and it’s going to be a great location.”

In addition to entertainment, the space will see the expansion of the menu Sacramentans are familiar with from Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen.

“We’re going to be doing a lot more with the food,” Blaskovich said.

A buffalo chicken melt called the Roadrunner will be added to the menu, and another one will be the Chevelle, which features tri-tip, bell peppers, onions, sauce and provolone cheese on flatbread.

The Republic Featuring Drewski’s is located at 908 15th St.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Local man part of inspiration for 'Red Tails'

2012-02-03T01:43:23Z

Cuba Gooding Jr. might grab the spotlight in the new film “Red Tails,” about African-American fighter pilots in World War II, but one of the men behind the character Gooding plays* was a pilot with Sacramento ties.

George Roberts served as the operations officer in the 99th Pursuit Squadron in World War II, and he was one of the first five graduates out of the group that would later be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Roberts came to Sacramento with his wife, Edith, in the 1960s, where he worked for Wells Fargo. Though he died in the 1980s, Edith, 92, still lives in the area, and she proudly visits local schools and civic groups to educate them on the history of pilots.

“It was a different time back then,” she said Wednesday. “The government had actually done a study after World War I to determine if black people were capable of leading men in combat.”

Battling deep-seeded institutional racism, the young cadets training to be fighter pilots at an airfield in Tuskegee, Ala., wore their uniforms with pride and dreamed of the day they would take to the skies to fight the enemy, Edith Roberts said.

The “washing out” rate was high, with only five of the 13 in George Roberts’ class graduating, and those who graduated continued to train.

George and Edith Roberts married the day he graduated from pilot training, March 7, 1942. George then moved off the airbase to live with Edith, but that wasn’t easy, either.

“There were no places for blacks to rent houses, so we had to stay in a house with another local black family,” she said.

The 99th Pursuit Squadron was put on alert in January 1943, and none of the men were allowed to leave the base, since the order to ship out could come at any moment. But those orders didn’t come until April.

“They stayed on alert there forever,” Edith Roberts said. “The Army didn’t know what to do with them because they were black, and they were fighter pilots.”

George Roberts missed the birth of his first child since he couldn’t leave the base, and it wasn’t until a brief trip home in 1944 that he was reunited with his family.

When the Tuskegee Airmen did eventually get the call to go fight the Germans, they arrived in Morocco, in North Africa, where British Royal Air Force pilots trained them further on combat techniques.

Occasional letters home and stories in African-American publications were the only communications Edith Roberts and the other families of the African-American fliers got.

The Army – at the time, there was no U.S. Air Force, just the U.S. Army Air Corps – was reluctant to send the pilots into combat, and it took top squadron officers appealing to Congress to get the men into action.

“They had terrible equipment,” Edith Roberts said, mentioning that the squadron flew the outdated P-40 Warhawk plane made famous by the Flying Tigers several years earlier. “When they got their new planes – the P-51 Mustangs – well, they loved those planes more than they loved their wives.”

Edith Roberts said that the airmen were being tested – with many in the Army hierarchy looking for an excuse to can the program and take the pilots out of action because of their race.

To counter that, the men had strict orders to stay with the bombers they were assigned to escort and not go chasing German fighters across the skies, leaving the bomber formations open to attack.

At the time, American bombers flew daylight raids on strategic targets, dropping explosives on munitions plants, oil refineries and other targets essential to the German war effort.

The British, by contrast, flew at night, preferring to bomb entire cities and use the darkness to hide from enemy fighters. For the Americans flying in the day, raids could be disastrous if the Germans could shoot down the bombers without American fighters flying close for protection.

Every bomber shot down meant its crew of 10 Americans didn’t return to base.

“One of The Tuskegee Airmen’s claims to fame is that they never lost a bomber they were escorting to enemy fighters,” Edith Roberts said.

She added that the film, “Red Tails,” has a scene in which bomber crews see the 99th Pursuit Squadron’s red-painted tails and nose cones. The crews are surprised to see that the fighter pilots are African Americans.

It was after the other fliers began to respect the African-American pilots that their stories started appearing in Life Magazine and other prominent publications.

“The film is good,” Edith Roberts said. “It takes some liberties, but overall they did a good job with it.”

She was invited to the home of George Lucas, who bankrolled the film, and spent a weekend with some of the other people who lived through the time to help the young actors understand what it was like.

“They asked us all sorts of questions, and we spent a lot of time with them,” she said.

Edith Roberts said she was happy to talk to the actors and share the story, and that February – Black History Month – is always a busy time for her. Part of her collection of newspaper clippings is on temporary display at the California Museum, 1020 O St. The rest, she said, she needs to keep as she goes to schools and other functions to share the story.

“When I tell kids today about segregation and the racism we lived through, most of them are shocked,” she said. “It’s good that they’re shocked, because they’re not living it. But we lived it, and it’s important to tell them about it so they know how things were.”

“Red Tails” is currently in theaters. For more information on the film, visit the website by clicking here.

For more information on the Tuskegee Airmen, click here.

*Gooding's character is named Major Emanuelle Stance, the same name as an African American soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor in the late 1800s, according to the National Park Service.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Sacramento job search website to expand nationally

2012-02-02T01:27:50Z

Local job search engine Sacjobs.com is expanding despite the economy and job sites such as Craigslist and Monster, and it launched Sackjobs.com Jan. 2, with plans to expand nationally.

“We’ve got about 1,200 local listings right now, and then our next step is to focus on the Bay Area and Southern California, so we’re going to take our thrust from Sacramento and hopefully by next year take over the West Coast,” said Sackjobs.com owner Ian Coltoff, a 40-year-old Sacramentan.

The site launched in 1999 as Sacjobs.com as an homage to Sacramento, and Coulter said he added the K to appeal to a national audience, with the tagline “Your next career choice is in the bag.”

And to be clear – typing “Sacjobs.com” and “Sackjobs.com” will take job seekers to the same place.

Coltoff said he thinks the site fills a niche in job search engine options by providing as much information to job seekers as possible, not inundating them with advertisements and adding a function that will allow job seekers to comment on postings.

The startup saw initial success in 1999 by charging less than other job search websites to post advertisements, and it brought in more than $30,000 in the first month, Coltoff said.

When Craigslist became popular, it cut deeply into the business, and Coltoff said he had to innovate to stay relevant.

“We’re providing a service,” he said. “You have to keep innovating and coming up with new ideas, and I don’t think Craigslist is innovating. It looks pretty much the same, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what company is posting about a job, or even if it’s a scam.”

Before starting Sacjobs.com, Coltoff ran a roommate referral service that proved successful, and he attributed the same type of innovation to that success that he said he hopes will carry Sackjobs.com forward.

“We let people post on whether they did drugs, their sexual orientation, their cleanliness and those sorts of things,” he said. “That wasn’t something you’d see in The (Sacramento) Bee, or anywhere else.”

After that came Campus Cash, which started as a coupon book for colleges, but employment advertisements generated the most money, and he decided to make an online job search site focused locally.

At the time, he didn’t know what an email was, and he said he is still not exactly tech-savvy.

“I am an idea guy,” he said with a laugh. “I have ideas, and I don’t wait a lot of time to figure out all the details. I just get going. When I need help with something, I find someone who knows how to make it work.”

Coltoff said he is currently in talks with investors to generate funding that will allow him to move forward faster, and a redesigned website is scheduled to roll out next week.

Andrew “Drewski” Blaskovich, owner of Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen and one of the people behind The Republic Featuring Drewski’s – a sports bar and restaurant set to open Friday at 908 15th St. – said he found Sacjobs.com to be the best resource for finding help at the new restaurant.

“Three of my guys I hired – chefs for my kitchen – I hired them off Sacjobs.com,” Blaskovich said Tuesday. “It seems like I got more attraction off of there because it’s local. Craigslist is good, but Sacjobs is more personable.”

Coltoff said he hopes that employers find that to be the case as the website expands.

“I like doing this,” he said. “It sounds cliché, but I like providing the service and helping people. It’s rewarding, and it really feels great.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Co-op eyes new grocery store location"

2012-02-02T00:57:29Z

Thanks for the comments. I Must have written it down incorrectly in my notes, and a correction is being made. Sorry for the error.

Co-op eyes new grocery store location

2012-02-01T01:45:33Z

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is looking at the possibility of moving its store from the current site at 1900 Alhambra Blvd. to a larger location with more than double the parking at the block that borders R, S, 28th and 29th streets ~~24th and S streets~~ .

Members will vote on the potential move toward the end of March or early April, and if approved, the new store could open in 2014, said Wendy Hoyt, an urban planer who works for the new site’s developer, Separovich/Domich Real Estate Development. Ravel Rasmussen Properties is also part of the development team.

Co-op General Manager Paul Cultrera said Tuesday that the proposed move would be advantageous for a number of reasons.

“Our current site is too small, the retail space is cramped and parking is inadequate,” he said. “I’ve been talking about this for a number of years.”

He added that the co-op board and management began seriously looking for a new site about two and a half years ago, and they wanted it to be close to the current store and have more parking.

“Parking is a major complaint we get from our customers,” Cultrera said. “We have 56 spaces for about 2,800 customers coming in every day.”

If approved, the new site will include 61 parking spaces in front of the store and another 55 on the ground floor of a four-story parking garage. Currently, the site is a parking lot, and for the building to be constructed, will need to be moved, as they are used by state workers. The other three floors of the garage would be for them, but open to co-op shoppers on nights and weekends.

The store itself will be able to carry more products, and Cultrera said more space would be added to adequately stock them, though not likely bring in entirely new product lines.

“We certainly could expand the produce market,” he said. “We’d like to feature more local farmers.”

Other areas for expansion include the cheese department and, most notably, the meat department, which was added about five or six years ago.

“The deli is also very busy, and when it was laid out 14 years ago, it was doing $20,000 per week in sales. Now it’s doing about $50,000,” Cultrera said, adding that all the deli products are produced in a small kitchen behind the deli area, and a larger one is needed to keep up with demand.

Another asset to the proposed new space would be consolidating the co-op’s five buildings into one, allowing management offices, administrative departments, the learning center and the grocery store to all be together.

Hoyt said the administrative portion would be on a second-floor mezzanine, and the overall retail space would – under the current preliminary plans – grow about 38 percent from 16,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet. The total building will be about 40,000 square feet.

The developers are planning to spend approximately $15 million up front, and the co-op will spend an additional $6 million on improvements such as refrigeration units, and will then sign a long-term lease for the building, Hoyt said.

~~The total project cost is estimated to be about $15 million, Hoyt said, meaning it will have to be approved by the co-op’s membership.~~

Since the money needed to be borrowed is more than the company’s net worth, co-op members will need to OK it with a simple majority.

Cultrera said that members – who are also owners – will vote on a ballot that will be sent out to the entire membership.

Hoyt said informational meetings will be held with the members and the neighbors starting in March.

The move will not be the first for the co-op, which had its first major store on Freeport Boulevard and moved to the current location in the late 1980s. A second store opened in Elk Grove in 2005, but it shut down in early 2007.

If the membership approves the move to the new site, Cultrera said, the building will be done as sustainably as possibly, but it is not likely that the co-op will seek certification by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

“Everyone knows the standards, and we want to build it to meet the standards, but the certification is $70,000 or $80,000,” he said.

The former Elk Grove store was built to be energy efficient, and the electric bills were about 50 percent less per cubic foot than the current co-op site, Cultrera said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: Corrections were made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information was struck out and the correct information added.

LivingSocial shuts down 'Adventures' in Sacramento

2012-02-01T01:34:26Z

The daily deal company LivingSocial decided last week to stop offering its “Adventures” program in Sacramento and an unspecified number of other markets, but company officials stressed that the daily deals and other programs will not be leaving the Sacramento area.

“Adventures are curated activities that you do with friends around you, like a day where you go tubing on the mountain and then have a beer tasting afterward,” LivingSocial spokesman Brendan Lewis said Tuesday.

He said a few dozen markets across the country offered “Adventures,” and it was in the Sacramento area for approximately one year.

“Daily deals will continue to be there,” he said. “Families, At Home and Escapes will be there as well. We remain committed to Sacramento.”

The final local event in the program is a skydiving event scheduled for this weekend.

The scaling back was “during the ordinary course of business staffing decisions,” Lewis wrote in an email, and he said that two full-time employees staffed the “Adventures” department in Sacramento, bolstered by a number of part-time employees.

“Those employees were released,” he said. “I’m not sure the number of part-time employees, but for us, it’s two full-time, which is a very small percentage of our total workforce.”

The company, based in Washington, D.C., launched about two and a half years ago and employs 5,000 people worldwide, according to Lewis.

One of the employees laid off was part-time Experience Coordinator Drew Garrison, who told The Sacramento Press Tuesday that he and other staff were notified of the decision via a conference call Thursday afternoon.

“There really wasn’t any warning, but I don’t think there’s ever a good time to tell people they lost their jobs,” he said, adding that about 15 part-time employees worked for the Sacramento LivingSocial Adventures department.

“They said we all did a great job, and there was great customer feedback, but the possibility for future profitability just wasn’t there,” he added.

Garrison said LivingSocial closed 17 of the 28 “Adventures” departments across the country.

“Sacramento gets knocked a lot for not being a profitable market, and you hear that with the Kings stuff going on, but they cut places like Dallas, too, and that’s a huge market,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Blackbird to open by end of February

2012-01-28T01:37:16Z

Replacement of a gas line is postponing the opening of the downtown seafood restaurant Blackbird Kitchen & Bar from Valentine’s Day to Feb. 21, but the restaurateurs are still able to work inside, and the iconic graphic on the front is complete.

“The buildout is being done right now, and the menu will be available in a couple of weeks,” said General Manager Shayne “7evin” Iles.

“We’re going to open when PG&E finishes the work, so hopefully it’s sooner, or at least on time,” he said.

Officials from Pacific Gas and Electric did not return messages left on Friday.

Blackbird Kitchen & Bar is located at 1013-1015 Ninth St.

Free workshops to teach circus skills

2012-01-28T01:31:56Z

Did you ever want to be in the circus, swinging around on ropes and juggling? The UC Davis Mondavi Center is hosting three free workshops Feb. 5 where families are invited to learn some basic circus skills.

“They’ll learn to climb a rope, hang from a rope and do aerial work,” said 32-year-old master’s student Kevin O’Connor, who is one of two artists who will teach the workshops. “There will be juggling, too.”

O’Connor is using the workshop as a way to explore how the Mondavi Center can be used to bring people in for creative energy that can then be returned to the outside community, a part of his master’s coursework.

Other skills taught in the workshop will include making human pyramids. O’Connor said there is no risk of high falls, as none of the platforms are more than 1 foot off the ground, and all ages are welcome.

“It’s great if you wear two layers of clothing, mainly to protect your skin from the friction of the ropes,” he added.

O’Connor graduated from the three-year circus program of the École Nationale de Cirque in Montreal – the national circus school that spawned Cirque de Soleil.

Each workshop will be 90 minutes long, and the first one kicks off at 10 a.m. Reservations can be made by emailing ucdavisdance@gmail.com, and class sizes are limited. No more than seven people can be included on one email reservation.

Janice Bisgaard, spokeswoman for UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance, said the the event is the kickoff for the Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance.

The new institute is set up to allow research to be conducted on campus and with direct interaction with the campus community, as well as allow more interaction between the students and performers who make up the Department of Theatre & Dance.

“We’re really excited at the responses we’ve had among the greater community for the workshops,” she said. “It’s a wonderful way to be kicking off our new institute.”

The workshops will be held at the Mondavi Center’s Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, located at One Shields Ave. in Davis.

Mediterranean food coming to K Street

2012-01-27T01:07:29Z

Influences from the Andalusia region of Spain such as Moorish arches and water features will be the architectural highlights of a Mediterranean/American restaurant coming to 925 K St.

The restaurant does not yet have a name and won’t be open until at least June, but Gene Hopkins, the superintendent in charge of the buildout, said it will be a combination buffet and full-service restaurant that will feature Mediterranean cuisine as well as some American dishes.

Formerly Farley’s Soup and Salad, the building has been vacant for about six years, and work began on the new business at the end of last year, Hopkins said.

Customers entering the 4,200-square-foot ground floor will be greeted by a waterfall on the right side, recalling the Moorish architecture prevalent throughout Spain. Two more waterfalls are planned to divide the buffet area with the seating area, and Moorish arches will serve as accents.

“It’s definitely going to be classy,” Hopkins said. “It’s going to fit in with some of the other businesses that are here or going in around here. We’ve got the restaurant and bars down the street (Dive Bar, District 30 and Pizza Rock), and we have Sharif Jewelers coming in across from us.”

While it will likely come after the restaurant opens, a facelift of the façade is planned. At the least, it will be repainted, but if plans are approved, one option is to carry the arch theme to the front of the restaurant and add pillars to accent the doorway.

The menu is still in the early stages, but Hopkins said it will include traditional Mediterranean fare such as hummus and pita sandwiches. No pork will be served, and it’s not yet determined whether alcohol will be served.

The owner, Sam Abukhdair, is from Palestine, Hopkins said, adding that he is bringing the inspiration for the cuisine.

The building itself is historic, and Hopkins said he sees it as a blend of 1820s and 1970s design.

As part of the city that was originally at a lower level, what is currently the basement used to be at street level.

“The entrance to the shop was set back, and if you go down there, you can see where the doorways and windows used to be,” Hopkins said. “They’re concreted over now, but the hinges are still there.”

At one point, the building served as a bank, and a heavy vault door Hopkins estimated to weigh at least a ton will be the new entryway to the walk-in refrigerator.

“There’s no way we can move that out of here,” he said with a laugh.

Despite the historic elements, the interior design will be more modern.

“The wall behind the buffet is going to glow,” Hopkins said, adding that LEDs will be placed behind frosted Plexiglas. The bathrooms are walled and floored in marble tile, and granite countertops will be installed.

A removable stage might be incorporated into the back end of the restaurant to allow for live music, and exterior seating along K Street will be built if plans are approved, Hopkins said.

The second floor of the building is being renovated as well, and it might be used to house events, while the third floor is being built out as offices.

The business, when it opens, will be another in a recent wave of businesses opening along the once-dreary K Street.

“It’s been a huge change here over the past six months, even,” Hopkins said, noting that new businesses and other changes to K Street have brought increased foot traffic to the area. “This is totally turning around.”

Esther Son, who opened Estelle’s Patisserie at the other end of the 900 block about a month ago, said she is happy to be on K Street, and added that she thinks another business will only add to the success she is seeing.

“It’s definitely an aid,” she said. “It’s synergy. I want neighbors. That will bring more people down here, and we’re building a community.”

Son said she wants to see more retail stores open as well as restaurants, but she has gotten support from local workers and customers that she said she is happy for.

“I enjoy being there,” she said. “I’m doing really well, and we get pretty busy during lunchtime. People come in, and they say they’re happy to have more businesses, and they want us to succeed. It’s been really good, and I think more (businesses) need to open up.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Mikuni celebrates 25 years

2012-01-26T01:12:52Z

Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar will celebrate a quarter century in business May 15, and co-owner Taro Arai said that after the touch-and-go nature of the first five years, the business has come a long way.

“The first five years, the more we worked, the more money we lost,” he said. “I still cannot believe it’s been 25 years. We’re so lucky to have all the support we’ve had.”

Now with nine restaurants in the greater Sacramento area, Arai said the business will be expanding in 2012, and while more brick-and-mortar restaurants are likely in store, the next thing people will see is a food truck.

There is no set timeline for rolling out the food truck yet, but Arai said he and his family have already started shopping for a truck.

“If it takes a year, I’ll be pretty upset,” he said.

“We’re working on the menu,” he added. “That’s the exciting part. I think we’re going to change the menu every week to see what people want and what works out there.”

Fitting the menu to be something the customers want and come back for has been key to staying in business for the past 25 years, he added.

When the first restaurant opened in Fair Oaks in 1987, it was due to a miracle, Arai said.

Working in a family member’s Japanese restaurant, Arai’s father was approached by a man who asked for his bank account information. Trusting the man, Arai’s father gave him the information.

A few days later, $300,000 was deposited into the account, and the man said to pay it back whenever it was possible.

“He gave us a no-contract loan,” Arai said Wednesday. “It was crazy.”

That loan enabled the family to open Mikuni, which translates as “kingdom of God.” The family planned to feature sushi, but there was one problem – Arai didn’t know how to make sushi. To remedy that, his father sent him to the bookstore.

“I needed, like, ‘Making Sushi for Dummies,’ ” he said with a laugh. “I learned how to do it, and we kept making new rolls for the people. My father told us to never stop making new rolls.”

Starting as a family of five who arrived from Japan with little more than a dream and the earnings from Arai’s paper route, there are now 17 family members involved in the restaurant, with Arai’s four children working during the summers and for special events.

“Its nice that it’s still a family business,” he said.

Despite success, the restaurant was not immune to the financial troubles brought about during the recession.

“We did struggle from 2007-2009,” Arai said. “My brother-in-law took over as CEO, and he’s just turned everything around, and we’re coming back strong now. He’s done a great job, and my brother is executive chef, and my sister is working in marketing.”

The Sacramento restaurant, located at 1530 J St., was part of the revitalization of the area when it was developed in 2003, said Downtown Sacramento Partnership spokeswoman Lisa Martinez.

“That was a historic renovation of a building that was not the best site before then,” Martinez said Wednesday. “Mikuni and P.F. Chang’s moved in, and it was kind of a turning point for the district. That year and the following year saw a big transformation in a lot of places downtown, and they were on the cutting edge.”

Martinez added that since the restaurant is on the border of downtown and Midtown, it helped create a bridge between the two districts and aided in making the area become more pedestrian-friendly.

“It’s been nine or 10 years since that development, and now downtown is known as a great location to go out and eat,” Martinez said. “Downtown really is the hub, and I think Mikuni and that development really strengthened the district.”

Arai said that being in business to make money is important for the 650 employees and their families, but it isn’t the end goal for the company.

“We’re committed to give back,” he said. “We’ve just reached $1 million in donations to breast cancer research, and we want to make a difference. We want to continue to help the charities in town. That’s another goal we have, and we keep pushing it.”

As part of the anniversary celebration, Mikuni is having contests and promotions that include a trip for two to Las Vegas, and someone will win a Honda Fit. For more information, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

New Orleans fare coming to Broadway

2012-01-25T07:28:14Z

Original PoBoys will open Friday at Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard, bringing what owner Eric Crawford said will be an “oasis for anyone from New Orleans.”

Crawford said the restaurant will offer authentic New Orleans food served in a fast food setting, and everything served – from the signature shrimp po’boy sandwich to the beignets – will be something found on menus throughout New Orleans.

“It has that smell you only get in mom-and-pop shops down south, and it has a Mardi Gras ambiance,” he said.

Three generations will work at the restaurant, as Crawford and his wife, Zena, have six children of their own, and Crawford’s mother, Alice Thiel, will help out.

Eric Crawford’s background is in construction, which helped the family save money when preparing the restaurant to open.

“I worked in construction here, but then the housing market fell apart,” he said. “That helped when it came time to open the restaurant, though.”

Originally from New Orleans, he met Zena Crawford in San Francisco, and they have lived in Sacramento for close to a decade. He said the current restaurant, at 3119 Broadway, is the first in what he hopes will be something he can franchise.

The signature sandwich is the shrimp po’boy, which has a medley of Cajun spices mixed in with the breading, but not so much that it overpowers the taste of the shrimp, which he said is what shines on the sandwich.

Sandwiches come “dressed,” which means they are topped with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles.

Sandwiches start at about $4 for an 8-inch smoked sausage and range to about $16 for a 16-inch soft-shell crab po’boy. Most 8-inch sandwiches fall in the $5 - $9 price range.

Those who don’t eat meat won’t be left out. A full salad bar with two types of lettuce, cucumbers, eggs and other toppings will be offered, and a po’boy sandwich with a vegetable patty will be on the menu.

“It was really important for us to have a vegetarian and vegan option,” Zena Crawford said.

A double-roasted beef sandwich is the most complex sandwich, Eric Crawford added. The meat is baked for three hours, then eventually shredded, and beef gravy is poured over it in a process called “debris cooking”. It all then goes back in the oven for another three hours of baking.

But the meat isn’t what makes the sandwich authentic.

“When people hear about a New Orleans po’boy, the first thing they want to know about is the bread,” Eric Crawford said.

Unable to find a supplier that makes the French baguettes to the perfect consistency for a po’boy, he took matters into his own hands and bakes the bread on-site. While he said it isn’t exact, it’s close enough so even those familiar with the real deal will be happy.

Zena Crawford said the restaurant – which will be open from 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. – will have an all-you-can-eat cereal bar, with a bowl running $2.60. Twenty-four pastries will also be available, including beignets, brownies and cookies, and a full range of Seattle’s Best coffee will be available.

All pastries are made in-house, and cereals will include Captain Crunch, Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Special K, Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops.

Waffles, sausages and grits are available for breakfast as well.

Soft-serve ice cream and milkshakes are served as well, and she said ice cream sundaes will likely be available in the summer.

“Anywhere you go in New Orleans, you can get a beignet and a coffee,” Eric Crawford said. “We want to be a part of the community. We’re here at the gateway to Oak Park, and it’s going through a change we want to be a part of.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Sharif Jewelers to open new location on K Street

2012-01-24T00:45:38Z

Sharif Jewelers is the next locally owned business to take a chance on K Street, with a new store expected to open in the former Breuner’s Department Store at 1001 K St. in June or July.

Like the company’s Howe Avenue and Folsom locations, the downtown location will be a full-service jewelry store, with new and pre-owned jewelry, watches, repair and service, said co-owner Mahmud Sharif.

“We have been looking into going downtown for the last three or four years,” Sharif said Monday. “We had the chance to invest in that corner, which we believe is the best corner in downtown.”

He added that he believes people who work downtown and near the Capitol will provide a strong customer base to the store because it is more convenient to the area than the Howe Avenue location, which hosted its grand opening in November after moving to a larger space.

Erica Clark, sales manager, said customers at the Howe Avenue location have given positive feedback, which encourages the company that the downtown store will be a success despite the economy.

“I would consider the space the heart of downtown, and that’s a part of the metropolis,” she said. “We feel very confident it will be a thriving business.”

She added that the development on K Street over the past year reaffirmed the decision to open a store in the area.

“The reopening of K Street to cars solidified us,” she said.

The business will occupy the 5,000-square-foot ground floor of the building, which has, in years past, been home to historic holiday window displays.

Sales of new jewelry will likely be the “driving force” of the store, she added, though repair, modification and custom jewelry will be important as well.

As with the other stores, Turkish coffee and baklava will be offered to customers, Clark said.

Sharif Jewelers has been in Sacramento for more than 30 years, and Sharif’s son, Omar Sharif, said he plans to continue with the business that started with his great-grandfather in Palestine.

“With the jewelry market and industry itself, most families shop at the same jewelry store for generations, so it’s nice to have a jewelry store run by the same family and the same people and always be there,” he said. “People tend to like it, and we get to know our customers that way.”

He added that he grew up in and around the store and is currently studying business administration at Sacramento State.

“Downtown is going to grow, and we hope to grow with downtown,” he said. “I think, personally, that everything is starting to move away from Midtown and back into downtown, and K Street is the heart of that area.”

Store hours have not yet been set, but it will likely open around 10 a.m. and close between 5 and 6 p.m., Clark said.

“We are very excited,” Mahmud Sharif said. “Truly we are blessed, blessed to have that location and be downtown.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

City planning bike lanes on Freeport Boulevard

2012-01-21T00:50:26Z

The city is in the planning stages of bringing bicycle lanes to Freeport Boulevard between Vallejo Way and Sutterville Road – something neighbors and school officials say will make the busy thoroughfare much safer.

“We’ve had several accidents and many kids getting hit on bikes,” said McClatchy High School Principal Peter Lambert on Friday. “As traffic becomes more and more congested, we want to continue to look at ways to ensure the safety of our students as well as those who work and live in the area.”

Students at McClatchy High made a video highlighting the dangers of the street about three years ago, and they and Lambert said the area isn’t safe for cyclists.

The city issued a notice of preparation Jan. 13, which is the beginning of the process to get the bicycle lanes on the pavement – a process that will have to go through an environmental impact report and get City Council approval before work can begin, said Andrea Rosen, chair of the ad-hoc committee for the Freeport bicycle lanes through the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association.

“The SCNA has not taken any position on the Freeport bike lane project because it is at the beginning of the environmental review process,” Rosen said Friday, adding that once the city decides on a plan, the board will then vote to determine whether it supports the plan.

Rosen said that now is the time for those who want to voice their opinions on the project to take action.

The public will have the chance to weigh in on the process at a meeting from 6 - 8 p.m. Wednesday at the McClatchy High School Cafeteria, 3066 Freeport Blvd., said Linda Tucker Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

City Councilman Jay Schenirer, whose district partially covers the area, said he supports bringing bicycle lanes to that section of Freeport Boulevard.

“I’m very much a supporter, and beyond Freeport, I’d like to see us become more bike-friendly in the city,” he said. “We have young people riding to school and in the neighborhood, and what we have around Freeport is currently not a great situation.”

Schenirer said that, since the project requires an environmental impact report and approval from City Council, it won’t be a quick process, but he hopes to see work complete in the next couple of years.

Rosen said the SCNA expects the environmental impact report to be done in October, and that she hopes the issue makes it before the City Council by the end of the year.

“The neighborhood views this as a gap in the bike lanes,” she said. “We’ve been told that the city has long wanted to fill this gap because of the schools (both McClatchy High and Sacramento City College) and the general bicycle safety.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

City celebrates R Street project completion

2012-01-20T05:30:18Z

The first phase of the R Street beautification process was dedicated Thursday with a reception and lighting of the new arch at 10th and R streets in front of the Fox and Goose Public House.

“It’s a renaissance of renaissances,” said Jerry Way, director of the city’s Transportation Department.

“It means 150-plus years ago, this place got started, and today we’re celebrating the brand-new R Street in a way that everyone can celebrate, with artwork and features,” he added.

Completion of the more than $6 million project from 10th to 13th streets on Thursday was celebrated with a lighting of the streetlights and the iconic arch at 10th and R streets.

Way added that the draw to the new R Street is that it’s attractive, and be it artwork, more street lighting or a revamped, pedestrian-friendly streetscape – “everyone can find something to come down here for,” he said.

The next phases of construction down the corridor – beyond 13th Street and continuing to 19th Street, are being lined up for community design grants. The next phases include the R Street Market Plaza, which will open up an area for businesses. To read more details on the plaza, click here.

It’s unclear, however, how the loss of redevelopment funding will affect the upcoming projects, Way said.

“The redevelopment scab, if you will, hasn’t formed over yet, and we’re waiting to see how that will pan out,” he said.

In the meantime, Sacramento designers celebrated the installation of the art, which was designed by a local business.

“We wanted to make sure it matched the historical nature of the buildings already on R Street and kind of reinvigorate the area,” said Brent Rector of Fuel Creative Group, the Midtown design studio that designed the arch.

Fuel Creative Group was also responsible for the signage and menus at Hot Italian and the signage at the McGeorge School of Law.

Rector said it was a team of three that worked on the arch, and it was collaboration with the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) to use older steel power poles as inspiration, which recalls the R Street corridor’s industrial past.

“With redevelopment funds getting eaten up, it’s probably one of the last projects like this that you’ll see in Sacramento, which is a shame,” he added.

Way said that the city expects to see the revamped R Street as a more attractive place for the mixed residential, industrial and commercial growth planners expect to come to the area.

Brandon Darnell on "'Alley house' to open for neighbors Friday"

2012-01-19T20:46:21Z

Ah, I wasn't aware of the update. Thanks for the info.

Brandon Darnell on "'Alley house' to open for neighbors Friday"

2012-01-19T18:07:30Z

It's on the newly named "Blues Alley," which is the alley south of B Street and north of C Street, and it's between 22nd and 23rd streets. The physical address is 2207 C St., which is a little confusing, as it's not actually on C Street. I guess the new alley names won't be known until they get some signage up. Thanks for the comments.

'Alley house' to open for neighbors Friday

2012-01-19T02:05:51Z

The architect and owners of a new house on Blues Alley between 22nd and 23rd streets are looking to bring the controversy surrounding its construction full circle, inviting neighbors to an open house Friday.

Originally proposed as a three-story, 2,400-square-foot building, the house, went through a series of design reviews, eventually getting to the City Council.

The house features a contemporary style and materials including corten steel – an alloy that gives a rusted look without damaging its structural integrity –

Sacramento Press Community Contributor Deb Belt wrote about the controversy surrounding the project, which sparked a flurry of comments on both sides of the issue. Read that article and the conversation by clicking here.

Neighbors who were unhappy with the project in their neighborhood of historical buildings brought the issue to the City Council despite the fact that it met all building codes and had been previously approved, said Architect Stephen Henry.

According to a city report, 10 neighbors spoke at the Sept. 16, 2010, Design Commission meeting, with seven opposed and three in favor of the project.

The report states that residents were concerned that the three-story building was out of scale with the one- and two-story buildings nearby, it didn’t fit the aesthetic context of the area and it was “detrimental to the privacy of the adjacent neighbors.”

Neighbors in favor of the project said that it brought welcome security to the area, which was previously vacant and had security issues.

Last February, the City Council directed the homebuilders to redesign the project, a process Belt – who is married to Henry – discussed in a subsequent article.

“They basically said that the building could be three stories tall if it was redesigned, or it could be two stories tall if it’s in the contemporary style,” Henry said. “That really speaks volumes to what the real issue is.”

The builders opted for a two-story home, bringing the square footage down about 600-650 to a total of 1,750-1,800 square feet.

Much of what can be seen of the home from nearby streets is the blue-painted siding, but driving by it on the alley shows the modern rusted steel alloy facade. Opposite the house is a concrete block wall that houses a plumbing company, Henry said.

“It’s kind of a transitional zone of the neighborhood,” Henry added.

With the house nearing completion, Henry said the open house is to invite nearby residents to see the end result. It will be held from 4 - 7 p.m. Friday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Local businesses collaborate on coffee-infused beer

2012-01-19T02:02:34Z

A small-batch, coffee-infused India pale ale is the result of the collaboration of Old Soul Co. and Rubicon Brewing Company. The month it’s spent on the taps at both businesses has brought good reviews, the business owners said.

“We’ve done coffee beers before, but they tended to be darker beers – the stouts and the porters,” said Rubicon Brewing Company Brewer Aldred Griffin. “We almost scoffed at the idea of doing an IPA, but after trying it the first time, it surprised us, and it was really pleasing.”

Griffin said the bitterness and hops in the IPA complemented the roastiness of the coffee.

Old Soul Co. co-owner Tim Jordan said the coffee used in the beer is Ethiopian Beloya, which is one of the rare reserve coffees.

Griffin agreed, saying, “It’s almost kind of a trick when you’re drinking it and smelling these aromas and seeing the color not really matching up with what you’re drinking.”

“We cold-brewed it, and we picked it because it had a little bit of floral character we thought would complement the hops,” Jordan said. “We’ll do this IPA as long as it makes sense for them to have time to do it in their fermenting tanks.”

He said the beer has a little bit of richness to it. The scent of coffee gives the drinker the impression of a sense of warmth inside.

The beer is offered at Rubicon and the Old Soul locations with beer taps: Weatherstone at 812 21st St. and 40 Acres at 3434 Broadway.

A pint runs $4.50, and Jordan said Old Soul pours legitimate 16-oz pints.

“We’re a cafe and coffeehouse first and foremost,” he said. “We’re not trying to make a bunch of money off alcohol. We like to carry artisanal and craft brews.”

Rubicon Brewing Company owner Glynn Phillips said he enjoys working with Old Soul Co.

“They are a great account of ours that has a very local spin on it,” he said. “We buy a fair amount of their coffee and serve it here at Rubicon. I like the way they run their business.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Arena headlines State of Downtown discussion

2012-01-17T22:43:22Z

San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer compared Sacramento’s efforts to build a new arena to the campaign to build Pac Bell Park in San Francisco, telling a collection of businesspeople and government officials that there is “tremendous opportunity” for Sacramento going forward.

Baer’s remarks were part of the 2012 State of Downtown address at Memorial Auditorium Tuesday morning, in which Mayor Kevin Johnson, State Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg and other officials stressed the “why” of building a downtown entertainment and sports complex.

Baer said efforts to build the downtown ballpark in San Francisco were under way as early as the 1960s, with four attempts at using public funds defeated by voters. When ground broke on the project in 1997, it was for a privately funded stadium.

If Sacramento uses the resources of private enterprises such as the Sacramento Kings and other corporations along with some public funds that do not impact the city’s general fund, Baer said, it can get support.

The March 1 deadline to have a workable arena plan to present to the National Basketball Association is less than two months away, and Johnson said he is confident.

“We’re going to figure out a way to pull it off,” he said. “I think we’re closer than we’ve ever been.”

Key to any plan that will have both political will and the will of the people, he added, is making a plan that protects taxpayers, the city’s general fund – which has recently been plagued by shortfalls, necessitating layoffs for the past several years – and ensuring job growth.

“If we want to accept and live up to the identity of Sacramento, you’ve gotta have a strong downtown core,” he said.

Baer noted that the area around Pac Bell Park was markedly different just eight years after the ballpark opened.

The area around the park previously held disused land, warehouses and some residential neighborhoods. Today, he said, it is a hive of mixed-use activity including more residential, ground-floor retail and corporate offices.

Some of the notable corporate offices within 10 blocks of the park include the headquarters of Twitter and Zynga as well as the San Francisco offices of Google.

Another aspect of the arena that has worked well in San Francisco and can work in Sacramento, Baer said, is making use of the planned intermodal transit hub that is slated for the downtown railyards, next to the proposed arena site.

Half of the visitors to Pac Bell Park drive, but the other half take public transit, walk, bicycle or come by boat, he said.

Sacramento City Councilman Kevin McCarty spoke to The Sacramento Press after the event, saying that while the two projects have some parallels, there is still much to consider.

“It really has transformed that area of San Francisco, so if we can get that kind of energy here, of course the devil is in the details, but it certainly shows that a venue like that can make a major difference as far as being a catalyst,” McCarty said.

He pointed out that the San Francisco ballpark was privately financed, whereas the Sacramento plan relies on an expected 50/50 public/private partnership.

“We are still trying to figure that out as far as if it is a good decision for the city of Sacramento,” McCarty said.

One of the major decisions for the City Council will be whether it should lease control of the city’s parking for the next 50 years.

The event was hosted by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, and Executive Director Michael Ault commented on a variety of successes in the downtown core over the past year.

Long-term projects such as bringing cars back to K Street and beginning redeveloping the 700 block of K Street happened in 2011. Additionally, 40 new businesses opened downtown, and the ice rink at St. Rose of Lima Park drew an all-time record of more than 30,000 skaters.

Another example of success in the downtown core was the recipient of the annual Visionary Innovators in Building Excellence (VIBE) award: California Musical Theatre Executive Producer and CEO Richard Lewis.

Ault said in a press release that Lewis and CMT are instrumental in attracting hundreds of thousands of people downtown each year, which provides economic activity.

During his acceptance speech, Lewis pointed out that 2012 will be another strong year, with “Wicked” almost sold-out already – only 5,000 tickets remain to be sold of the 75,000 originally available, and he said they will sell quickly.

Photos by Ron Nabity.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: A correction was made to this story after it was published.

Drewski's combines food truck fare, sports bar

2012-01-17T01:24:21Z

After less than a year on Sacramento’s streets, local food truck Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen is adding a brick-and-mortar establishment at 908 15th St. that blurs the line between sports bar and food truck.

The Republic Featuring Drewski’s is set to open the week before the Super Bowl (Feb. 5), and Drewski’s owner Andrew “Drewski” Blaskovich said he’s excited to be part of the growth in downtown Sacramento and to offer a late-night food and entertainment spot, closing around 3-4 a.m. on the weekends.

“It’s going to be a sports bar,” Blaskovich said. “We’re going to have 12-15 TVs, pool tables, video games and – we’re hoping – skee ball.”

The four pool tables will complement old-school video games such as Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, and entertainment will be provided by live bands as well as DJs.

Moving to add a traditional restaurant and bar is something many food truck owners aspire to, but Blaskovich said he has no plans to rein in the food truck aspect of the business.

“The trucks are my babies,” he said.

And that is trucks – plural.

“We’re going to be adding another truck, and we’re shooting for about two months,” he said.

One of the biggest problems that comes with operating the trucks is solved by opening the brick-and-mortar establishment, Blaskovich said.

“For the truck, I don’t have any storage, so I have to shop every day,” he said. “Now, I have a place to prep all the food, take deliveries and store it so I have to shop only once a week, plus I can save money by getting discounts on things in bulk.”

Blaskovich is partnering with a bar operator, whose name he is not yet releasing, and he will focus on the food.

The cuisine will include the menu from the food truck, but the full kitchen will allow an expanded menu.

“We’re going to have some street tacos, and we’re doing a variety of burgers, different hot wings, chicken sandwiches and all kinds of good stuff,” he said.

Meals will run about $10, he added.

Appetizers, including garlic rosemary tater tots, will be included, as well as salads and other sandwiches. A variety of sauces such as Thai peanut sauce, a tangy barbecue sauce and others will accentuate the dishes.

Plates won’t be used, with all the food served in the cardboard boats with paper linings that those who frequent the food truck are familiar with.

Those who want to challenge themselves will have the option of facing down a massive burger, getting their photo on the wall and a T-shirt if they’re up to the challenge.

The 18-Wheeler will be a 4- or 5-pound burger that Blaskovich said will be a meal for about three people, but anyone who finishes it in a set time, possibly 20 minutes, will earn a spot on the wall.

Formerly Dream Ultra Lounge & Restaurant, The Republic Featuring Drewski’s is getting a facelift with black ceilings, a roll-up door facing Memorial Auditorium that leads to one of two patios, and interior décor of faux brick and wood molding with either mirrors or stained glass artwork.

Downtown Sacramento Partnership Marketing Director Lisa Martinez said it’s unique to see a food truck open a brick-and-mortar establishment in Sacramento, and the location should be a successful one.

“They’re in the middle of an entertainment district, and it’s a great amenity,” she said. “I think the beauty of it is they already have a successful following, so the business is coming in with an established clientele.”

Across the street from Memorial Auditorium, the business is close to the Torch Club and not far from the Wells Fargo Pavilion, the newly opened Maydestone apartment building and the future site of Coyote Tap House.

Blaskovich said he is looking to appeal to the after-work happy hour crowd, opening around 4 or 5 p.m., as well as anyone looking for late-night eats and entertainment, or people leaving Memorial Auditorium after a concert. Sunday brunch will be served and will likely feature a dish of waffles and fried chicken, which is growing in popularity.

“I’m from Sacramento, and I’ve always been a big supporter of downtown Sacramento and the growth we’ve experienced in the past,” Blaskovich said. “I want to be a part of that, and this gives people downtown the chance to have Drewski’s if the truck is out in Roseville or Elk Grove or something.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "J Street Yummy Yogurt Cafe on hiatus"

2012-01-14T01:55:33Z

448-3844 is the number of the Downtown Plaza store, where Jason Yee can be reached. He told me he's open to bringing on a new business partner.

Muhammad Ali featured in Oak Park gallery show

2012-01-14T00:37:47Z

Boxer, entertainer, activist and undisputed champion Muhammad Ali is being celebrated by artists from across the nation at Oak Park’s Evolve the Gallery, with 24 works of art on display through Jan. 28 to celebrate the boxing legend’s 70th birthday, which falls on Jan. 17.

“Every piece except for three was created specifically for this show,” said Evolve the Gallery co-owner A. Michelle Blakeley.

Blakeley and her husband, Brady Blakeley, put the call out to artists in August, and Brady Blakeley selected those who now appear in the show, titled “Ali: The Greatest.”

“From 1960 to 1981, Ali won 56 of 61 matches, 37 by knockout,” A. Michelle Blakeley wrote in a press release. She added that the boxer was also an important social activist, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Michelle Blakeley said the turnout from artists was strong, but not unexpected, with about 20 taking part.

“Who wouldn’t want to paint Muhammad Ali?” she asked. “A lot of these artists are huge fans, and they were excited to honor him on his 70th birthday.”

The works on display are mostly paintings, though some are mixed media, and one is a jacket hanging in the front window, painted with images and quotes of Ali.

Five Northern California artists have pieces in the show, including Sacramento resident Gerry “Gos” Simpson.

“The piece I have created is of acrylic paint, enamel pens and gold leaf,” Simpson said. “What I tried to depict was the entertainment side of Muhammad Ali. I knew everybody else was going to focus on the sport, so I included circles that, for me, represent the spotlight and the color in his personality.”

The chance to pay homage to Ali was an honor, Simpson said.

“I knew it was going to be amazing, and it’s also the chance to celebrate someone who, as a kid, I watched and was amazed by his ability to see who he was, what he wanted and to be able to do what he did.”

Simpson said that the African American art community can often be insular, focusing on themes or traditions that tend to appeal most to other African Americans, but that is not the case with the current show.

“Muhammad Ali attracted people from all over the world,” Simpson said. “This show is a great show to have in Oak Park because it brings people together from all different cultures.”

A. Michelle Blakeley said the inspiration for the show came from a conversation in August among friends that eventually turned to boxing.

“We’re huge boxing fans, and I thought, ‘I wonder if Muhammad Ali has a major birthday coming up,’ ” she said.

With the show attracting artists from as far away as Georgia, it will travel to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and possibly San Francisco once it finishes its run in Sacramento, she said.

The opening reception will be held Saturday from 6 - 10 p.m. at Evolve the Gallery, 2907 35th St. The show can be viewed anytime Thursday through Saturday by calling 572-5123.

“We say, ‘by appointment,’ but it’s just to make sure we’re here and haven’t stepped out,” she said.

Next month’s show at Evolve the Gallery, which opens Feb. 4, celebrates Black History Month with a series of spiritually uplifting works of art, and the gallery will be open on Sunday afternoons for those who want to drop by after church, Blakeley said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

J Street Yummy Yogurt Cafe on hiatus

2012-01-14T00:06:57Z

The Yummy Yogurt Cafe at 19th and J streets closed Dec. 1, and though it was expected to reopen by the end of the year, owner Jason Yee said it will remain in hiatus for a while longer.

“Right now, we’re working on a new plan, and we just really haven’t gotten to the point to expose the plan yet,” Yee said Thursday, adding that he is still looking for ideas or anyone who wants to partner with him for a new concept.

The idea is to have the space up and running again in a couple of months.

Yee said he didn’t shut down the space because of lack of sales, but because he wants to revamp the store itself to provide something more than frozen yogurt.

“It’s a great location, and that’s part of why we decided to close,” he said. “The location is great, so we want something greater in there. We want something more unique.”

The original Yummy Yogurt Cafe in Westfield Downtown Plaza remains open, and there are no plans to close it, Yee said.

Groundbreaking for new mixed-use development in Midtown

2012-01-13T01:49:29Z

Ground broke on a new mixed-use retail and residential development in Midtown Thursday, and work is set to be complete on two vacant former state lots at 16th and O streets by mid-2013.

“We’re going to get 84 market-rate apartments, 13,000 square feet of retail, and we’re going to have another chunk of Sacramento with a nice infill, pedestrian-friendly development,” said City Councilman Rob Fong, whose district contains most of downtown and Midtown. “It’s the kind of live-work space that really is a nice fit for the city.”

The project – with one four-story and one five-story, mission-style building – is a partnership between the Capitol Area Development Authority – a joint powers group between the state and city formed in 1978 – Ravel Rasmussen Properties and Separovich/Domich Real Estate Development.

The approximately $24 million project includes $1.5 million in funding from CADA, which also provided the two lots. The developers brought in $5 million and financed another $17 million, said Scott Rasmussen of Ravel Rasmussen Properties.

“We’re hoping to get some small public improvement grant money from SMUD as well,” he said.

Across the street from the Fremont Building and a few blocks away from Fremont Park and the popular restaurant Hot Italian, Rasmussen said the location is a prime spot.

“It’s a dynamic location, and it may be kind of the new center for downtown and Midtown,” he said.

The 84 apartments are expected to rent for between $1,200 and $1,500 and will be one- or two-bedroom units. The 13,000 square feet of retail space will likely house between five or six tenants, Rasmussen added.

Rasmussen declined to comment on the nature of the tenants, saying that while some outreach to businesses has been made, it is too early to speculate on which ones will eventually be a part of the project.

“I hear one of the retail users is going to be some sort of restaurant with patio dining,” Fong said, adding that it’s too early in the process for specifics.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui was in attendance at the groundbreaking, saying the project shows progress for the city.

“It shows that we’re doing things in Sacramento, and we know that we’ve had a hard time, but things are getting better slowly,” Matsui said. “It’s going to provide a livability and a sense of community.”

She added that the new plan in urban development – reverting to plans from a century ago – is to make living and working space that is walkable and easily accessible to bicycles.

“I think that by next year, we’ll find real progress,” Matsui said. “People (will be) walking around and enjoying themselves here. That’s the goal.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Coyote Tap House to take old Brew it Up! spot

2012-01-13T00:27:46Z

Coyote Tap House, a new bar and restaurant serving Asian cuisine complemented by 50-60 beers on tap, is in the works to take the spot at 14th and H streets vacated by Brew it Up! last year.

“It’s going to have a full bar and live entertainment,” said Valerie Mamone-Werder, business recruitment manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The owners, brothers Ken and Ming Le, own and have run Oshima Sushi and Fugu Lounge in Natomas since 2004, Mamone-Werder said.

“They’re really good operators,” she added. “We met with them when the news came out that Brew it Up! was leaving the space. It didn’t take long to have a lot of interest. They’re going to be a fantastic addition for that area.”

The Music Circus is located nearby, and Mamone-Werder said the new tap house will complement the area by providing a place where she expects a crowd of those in their late 20s to their 40s will frequent.

“We want everybody to continue to succeed in that area, and having someone come into the vacant space helps,” Mamone-Werder said.

The Le brothers were not available for comment Thursday afternoon. Mamone-Werder said she expects that the pair will make improvements to the interior, and possibly the exterior of the space, and that she hopes to see the business open by spring or summer, depending on how long it takes to make the improvements.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

How do bookstores survive in the digital age?

2012-01-12T04:44:15Z

From increasing availability of digital content to online shopping and a still-sluggish economy, independent bookstores are finding it harder to survive. The Sacramento Press checked out three central city bookstores to see what is working for them.

When Borders Books and More closed last year, emails to the store’s Borders Rewards members cited surges in electronic readers as one of the major reason’s for the bookstore giant’s collapse. Locally, Newsbeat – a Midtown indie newsstand – shut down in November, with the owner pointing to the availability of digital content.

Beers Books, The Book Collector and Time Tested Books – all located within the grid from 24th and J streets to Ninth and S streets – emphasize selling used books.

“We buy and sell as many used books as possible,” said Bill Senecal, manager of Beers Books, located at 915 S St. “We haven’t focused on new books in a long time.”

What new books are sold at Beers are typically ones that are sought after or popular new releases, but 90 percent of the store’s sales come from used titles.

Peter Keat, owner of Time Tested Books, located at 1114 21st St., said that while he sells some used books, the secondhand books give him and his staff greater control on pricing.

“Given the fact that people price check on Amazon.com and other Internet sites, we really have to be pretty careful with our cost and the price of our books,” he said.

Sales have been steady for the past year at Time Tested Books, but Keat said that translates more to “hanging in there” than prospering.

While Beers Books and Time Tested Books carry a mix of new and used, The Book Collector, located at 1008 24th St., only carries new books when they’re from local authors and poets.

“Our focus is still on being an inexpensive, general-use bookstore,” said owner Richard Hansen. “We sell used books and focus on the overall pricing to stay competitive.”

Hansen said the main goal in staying competitive with discount online or secondhand booksellers is to price books to compete with the cost of the title and the shipping.

“People will buy a book for 99 cents and then pay $3.99 in shipping from Amazon,” he said. “The sellers are making their money on the shipping, since it only costs them $1.50, but it’s still costing the buyer $5 to get it to their door.”

Senecal, Keat and Hansen all said the reason they don’t focus on new books is because they can’t compete with nationwide chains, but nationwide bookstores aren’t the biggest reason.

“The big box stores will kill you,” Senecal said. “You’re up against Costco, Target and Walmart.”

Hansen said the markup on new books is so slight that it makes it impossible to compete with the larger stores, which can often negotiate better deals with publishers by buying in bulk.

Each store has its own strategy for staying relevant and profitable in an era dominated by digital media.

“For us, it’s partially the mix of books that we have and the level of customer service we provide, and also the general atmosphere with high ceilings and a lot of light,” said Keat of Time Tested Books.

Keat said one of the strategies Time Tested Books uses is searching for books that customers are looking for, even if it means buying them online.

“It’s a matter of getting what the customer wants in terms of condition and the proper edition,” Keat said, pointing out that online sellers might have a different idea of what “excellent condition” means than a reader.

“We assume the risk for the customer if they aren’t happy with it,” Keat said. “That means they’re not stuck with something they don’t want.”

Keat also hosts regular events, such as author appearances and book signings.

Beers Books keeps customers coming back with competitive prices, a high turnover rate of books and weekly sales – including storewide sales during every Second Saturday Art Walk.

“I think the wide variety of merchandise is really important,” Senecal said. “Some people come back every few days to see what’s new, and also, not every book is on Kindle (and other e-readers).”

Senecal, of Beers Books, and Hansen, of The Book Collector, also mentioned the bookstore’s role in being a place for the “serendipitous find” that only a bookstore can offer.

“When you go to a bookstore, you get the experience of browsing,” Hansen said. “You see things you otherwise wouldn’t look for, and you find new authors that way.”

Hansen said he draws customers into the store with books out front on sale for 25 cents or $1, and hosting events featuring local authors and poets are popular as well.

“We’re going to have a book art workshop here later this year,” Hansen said, adding that the bookstore is not just a place to sell books, but a venue for book-related events.

Another way the bookstores keep in business is by selling online through various outlets, including ABE Books.

All three booksellers mentioned that having a bookstore in an urban area is one of the key ways of keeping culture alive and allowing people easy access to an environment where they can leisurely peruse books, and all three mentioned that the number of bookstores is dwindling.

“It remains to be seen what will happen to the physical book,” Senecal said. “I hope there’s a place for the physical book in the future.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Work finishes on The Porch"

2012-01-11T18:10:51Z

No, it's a sloped roof. That would be nice in the spring, though.

Photo essay: Track 7 Brewing Co. now open

2012-01-11T01:39:50Z

Gallery photo is exterior shot

Track 7 Brewing Co. opened Dec. 31, and co-owner Geoff Scott said he knew Sacramentans embrace new businesses, but the 1,000 people who showed up opening day – causing a line out the door for three hours – surprised him.

The microbrewery and tasting room is located at 3747 West Pacific Ave. in Curtis Park and currently serves beer in the 30-seat tap room at the front of the brewery. The owners are working on partnerships to serve it at other local restaurants and bars.

“There’s definitely a growing awareness for specialty and craft beers,” Scott said. “People like to experiment with the different beers.”

Beers are brewed in seven-barrel batches – 200 to 220 gallons – and there are four mainstay brews with two rotating seasonal brews.

The four beers are the Alkali Wit, a Belgian-style white beer; the Daylight Amber, an American amber; the Big 4 Strong Ale, named after the four railroad barons of Sacramento; and the Soulman Stout.

The brewery only serves beer, but Scott said he and Graham are looking at partnering with food trucks, which can park outside. A garage door can be opened in good weather for easy flow in and out of the establishment.

“We wanted to pay tribute to Sacramento’s railroad history, and my family has been here since the early 1900s," Scott said. "We wanted to pay respect to the history and the community. The second part is track seven is the furthest from the main line, and if you’re stuck out on track seven, you’re having a bad day. So now, if you’re down, come over to Track 7 and cheer up.”

Local artists including Skinner and Jesse Baggs designed the labels for the beers, larger images of which are hanging on the wall in the tasting room.

The railroad-based bar – with actual railroad rails – was created by René Steinke, a local artist and glassblower.

Beers are available in 3-ounce tastes, half-pints and pints, and the 64-ounce growlers will be available in three to six weeks.

The Big Four is sold in half-pints for $3.50 due to its 10 percent alcohol content, Scott said. All other pints cost $4.

The beer is heated with a steam sleeve setup during the brewing process, which heats the beer more evenly than a burner on the bottom, similar to a large stove, Scott said.

Track 7 Brewing Co. is open from 5 - 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, from 2 - 9 p.m. Saturday and noon - 4 p.m. Sunday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: A spelling correction was made to this article after it was published.

Work finishes on The Porch

2012-01-11T01:28:25Z

The namesake of The Porch, a southern-style restaurant and bar that replaced Celestin’s Island Eats & Cajun Cuisine, is now finished.

Completed last week, the front patio area seats 16, and a back porch is planned, though construction likely won’t begin for at least a month, said Olivia Pinto, a host at The Porch.

The restaurant, located at 1815 K St., opened in December. To read more about the restaurant, click here.

Mongo Mongo Mongolian BBQ opens in Midtown

2012-01-10T06:52:12Z

Mongo Mongo Mongolian BBQ restaurant at 19th and J streets opened Saturday, and owner Jonathan Ng said he is pleased with the customer turnout.

“It’s been good, we’re really excited to be open,” Ng said Monday.

Much of the interior design still needs to be finished, Ng said, but getting the restaurant open and focusing on the food was the top priority.

“It’s kind of barren, but we’re working on it,” Ng said, adding that interior décor details are being worked out.

In order to keep the garage doors installed when the business was Garlic Shack – which shut down after only three months – Ng said a unique setup had to be made to meet health department regulations that stipulate the kitchen can’t be open-air.

Customers walk in along the left side of the restaurant, go through sliding glass doors and prepare their bowls for the chef. The chef then cooks the food on the Mongolian barbecue – a circular device originating from the shields used by Ghengis Khan’s army – and customers can go to their tables, to have the food delivered when it is completed.

Dinner bowls cost $10.95, and lunch bowls – weekdays until 4 p.m. – are $7.95. The restaurant takes cash only, but an ATM is inside.

The enclosed kitchen allows the garage doors to be opened when weather permits, and customers can sit on the patio once the furniture is installed.

Jenifer Estrada, a 20-year-old Sacramentan who works in retail, said Monday that she enjoyed the food, and it stacked up well against other Mongolian barbecue restaurants she has tried.

“It’s my first time here, and I really liked it,” she said. “The food was very good, and I hope they stay around longer than the last places that were here.”

Estrada said she had pork with noodles, vegetables and teriyaki sauce.

Another Sacramentan, 35-year-old construction worker and musician Chris Orozco, agreed with Estrada’s take on the restaurant.

“It’s pretty good, and I think the fact that they stay open late is nice,” he said, referencing the 3 a.m. closing time for Friday and Saturday nights.

“It’s fresh, and everything was crisp,” he added. “People need to make it out here and support the new local eateries.”

Mongo Mongo, located at 19th and J streets, is open from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. - 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Favorite sandwiches star in new food truck

2012-01-10T03:09:38Z

Coast to Coast Sandwiches – Sacramento’s newest food truck – brings what the owners say are some of their favorite sandwiches from across the country, including a South Philly cheesesteak and a Reuben.

Co-owners Robert Ramos and Sean Figueroa – not able to find an exact match of their favorite sandwiches from east of the Mississippi – decided they had a niche, and they looked to open a business.

Both graduated from culinary school, where they initially came up with the broad strokes of the Coast to Coast Sandwiches idea. Ramos was born in New York and lived in Florida, while Figueroa’s family is from Louisiana, and the Louisiana po’boy sandwich is his mother’s recipe.

“The Reubens here don’t compare to the ones in New York, and the cheesesteaks aren’t the real thing, not that we’ve found,” Ramos said. “We had both lived in different parts of the U.S. and loved the foods from those areas but could never find an exact match out here.”

Initially, the plan was to open a restaurant, but Ramos said lenders weren’t willing to take a chance on loaning money to a couple of chefs without restaurant ownership experience.

“I went four to five months looking for a location,” Ramos said. “It was pretty frustrating.”

Finally, the pair decided to focus on an idea that was originally an offshoot of the brick-and-mortar store: a food truck.

“We found a truck, went through the hurdles the city and county like to put in front of you, and in November, we started doing small engagements and gatherings,” Ramos said. “We started going out on the streets right before Christmas.”

As the name implies, the fare focuses on sandwiches. There are five types, and each is $7.

Sandwich types include a South Philly cheesesteak, Louisiana catfish po’boy, NorCal BLT, New York City pastrami and a Reuben.

The sandwiches are served on rolls or sliced breads, and both hot and cold options are offered.

Two sides are available – sweet potato fries and bacon macaroni and cheese – and a combo meal includes a sandwich, a side and a drink for $10.

“I really like the staff,” said Angela Marbay, a 42-year-old Sacramentan who is a manager for the state. “They’re very nice and personable.”

Marbay bought a Reuben sandwich on Monday near the DMV offices, saying that the quality of the food the first time the truck came by brought her back, and she is happy to have the food truck option in the area.

“The South Philly cheesesteak is really, really good, too,” she said. “I like when the food trucks come by, and I think people should support the small businesses.”

John Glaeser, a 48-year-old association manager from Sacramento, said Monday that he recently took an interest in local food trucks and wanted to try Coast to Coast Sandwiches.

“I like that you can get in and out fast at lunch,” he said.

Ramos said the ultimate goal is still to build a traditional restaurant, with a much-expanded menu.

“We don’t have the space on the truck to do everything we want to, and there’s a lot more we’d like to offer,” he said. “Right now, we’re hoping to build our brand, and the truck is a great moving billboard for it.”

The side of the truck is decorated with graphics of the Golden Gate Bridge meeting the Brooklyn Bridge above the Gateway Arch from St. Louis. Ramos said it shows some of the different parts of the country that the food comes from.

To keep up with Coast to Coast Sandwiches’ whereabouts, check its website, which has a schedule of appearances as well as a live Twitter feed.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Selland's Market-Café expands to El Dorado Hills

2012-01-07T01:15:34Z

East Sacramento’s popular Sellands Market-Café restaurant is expanding to El Dorado Hills, with an opening in the posh Town Center shopping area set for Jan. 30.

“It’s exactly the same format as our Selland’s Market-Café in East Sacramento, and it’s a bigger space,” said co-owner Randall Selland.

The 4,200-square-foot location is 1,000 square feet bigger than the Sacramento store, and it can seat 100 people inside and an additional 50 on the patio.

“It’s basically got food my wife grew up on,” Selland said. “You’ve got meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, different chicken dishes, roast pork, pulled pork and pizzas out of a wood-fired oven.”

Also available are cookies and other desserts, and Selland said everything is made fresh daily.

One of the most popular options at the Sacramento location will also be a staple at the new space: dinner for two and a bottle of wine for $25.

Wine will be offered on draft, coming out of 5-gallon kegs that Selland said are new to the market, but that numerous wineries are already embracing.

The restaurant is family-friendly, something Selland said is integral to all the restaurants he owns.

“We’re a family, and whether it’s Selland’s or Ella or anything, we make sure it’s a place we’d want to go with our family – with our children and grandchildren,” Selland said.

Chef Jordan Davis will run the kitchen, and Selland said he is a veteran of Animal in San Francisco and another restaurant in Mill Valley.

“We want to have a chef at each location, not a corporate chef,” Selland said, adding that he and his family believe that investing in an individual chef will help maintain quality food and diversity at the various restaurants.

The Selland family has been thinking about opening another restaurant for a few years, Selland said, adding that unlike some corporations that look at demographics, income levels and other factors, he and his wife, Nancy Zimmer, make their decisions based on the space.

“This one just happened to work out really well for a number of reasons,” Selland said. “The biggest thing, though, was we just saw the space and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it.’ ”

He said the shopping center has a European feel, which fits with the restaurant’s décor and ambiance, and it is westward facing, so it has a good view of the setting sun. Just off Latrobe Road, the Town Center is one of the first areas visitors encounter when they enter El Dorado Hills from the freeway, and anyone going to the nearby movie theater will drive right past the restaurant.

“It’s wonderful to have them here,” said Debbie Manning, president and CEO of the El Dorado Hills Chamber of Commerce. “They’re already involved in the area, and we are hearing nothing but good things – people are so excited about them.”

Manning said she thinks Selland’s Market-Café will draw in people familiar with the Sacramento location and expose them to all that El Dorado Hills has to offer – including a number of new restaurants and bars.

“It’s a win-win because the El Dorado Hills community is excited and wants to support them, and they are going to bring in traffic because of their name, and those people will now get to see El Dorado Hills,” Manning said.

The El Dorado Hills Town Center is located at 4364 Town Center Blvd. Selland's Market-Café will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

G Hum Parade through Midtown, Southside Park

2012-01-06T01:26:56Z

Southern Midtown will be its own “G” Street Saturday as an experimental musical event composed of an expected 100-plus people all playing the G chord on various instruments winds its way from Bows & Arrows at 19th and S streets to Southside Park.

Daniel Trudeau, a 26-year-old musician from Placerville, said he wants to create a community and play a pleasant sound walking through Sacramento, calling it the G Hum Parade.

“It’s basically just for our ears,” he said. “Ambient noise is pleasing to the ear, and when you’re part of the energy of what’s going to be going on, it’ll be really special.”

He said he’s had the idea since he was a teen, thinking it would be a funny experiment, and in the age of Facebook, where an event can be created with a few mouse clicks and keyboard strokes, he decided to make it happen.

“The G chord was the first chord that came to mind,” he said. “It was the first chord I learned, and it’s the first chord most people learn.”

Starting in Bows & Arrows, the group – toting guitars, clarinets, battery-powered keyboards and anything else its members want to carry – will play the G chord for 15 or 20 minutes before heading off to Southside Park.

The continuous sound won’t be directed, so it is expected to be an ongoing hum, Trudeau said.

“It’s going to be played as sporadically as possible,” Trudeau said. “It’s a rising tide. It’ll rise, and we’ll hear how it sounds in Bows & Arrows, then we’ll hear how it sounds on the move, then we’ll hear it stopped outside at Southside Park.”

Bows & Arrows co-owner Olivia Coelho said the event fits with the store’s idea of unifying people into a community around art.

“I like the route,” she said. “It’s a beautiful part of Midtown that is under construction right now, so it’s sort of being born into its new identity, and there’s lots of amazing businesses already located there, even though other parts of Midtown have been getting more attention.”

Coelho said she thinks events like the G Hum Parade are necessary to bring people together in an era where they are increasingly separated by technology.

The parade starts at 1 p.m. Saturday at Bows & Arrows, 1815 19th St., and is scheduled to end at 4 p.m. in Southside Park, 2115 Sixth St. The timeline is loosely set, with the first 15 or 20 minutes taken to gather and get things going at Bows & Arrows, and some time at the end in Southside Park. For more information and to sign up, click here for the Facebook page.

“It’s totally artsy,” Trudeau said. “It’s going to just be about how the people are feeling about it.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Elizabeth Studebaker leads MBA

2012-01-05T03:45:10Z

The Midtown Business Association kicked off the new year with a new executive director: Elizabeth Studebaker, who took over the position that has been vacant since Rob Kerth left in October.

Studebaker, 33, officially took the helm of the MBA on Monday, with an operating budget of about $650,000 per year. Most recently, she spent almost five years as executive director for a similar organization in San Diego, the North Park Main Street Business Improvement District. The Sacramento Press caught up with Studebaker to ask her some questions about what she has in mind for Midtown.

The Sacramento Press: What are your immediate goals for Midtown?

Elizabeth Studebaker: My immediate major goals are pretty much all focused on the sidewalks and street appearance. I think they are in pretty dire need of increased attention. We need the installation of new trash cans, more aggressive litter removal and graffiti abatement. We also need increased nighttime security patrols.

I have meetings set with several of our contractors already to get a more thorough explanation of what we get from them. I will then determine if they are the right fit or if we should go with someone else. I’m in the process of doing a complete organizational overhaul, revamping and retooling where I see the need.

SP: What are some of your long-term goals?

ES: One of my next priorities is creating stronger relationships with our counterparts in neighboring districts. There are lots of economic development groups, including the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the Metro Chamber, River District and Broadway District. There are a lot of lessons that we can learn from each other.

SP: Some have said there is an “us versus them” mindset between Midtown and downtown. What are your thoughts on that?

ES: I think the identity of Midtown is pretty obviously different from that of downtown. As adjacent neighbors, we’re better-served if we’re working together and in close communication. If nothing else, I want to be attending their meetings, and I hope they’ll be coming to mine and meeting with each other’s staff on a regular basis. A lot of learning comes from peer-to-peer communications. I had a lot of success with that in San Diego, where we all met on a monthly basis.

SP: What drew you to Sacramento and Midtown?

ES: I moved to Sacramento as a result of my husband being offered a new job. We moved up here a few months ago, and the timing happened to be pretty good in terms of the position opening at MBA. The district I was the director of in San Diego had about the same number of businesses, with 500 small- to medium-sized businesses and very few national chains and corporations.

I am also very excited about the history and nature of the district and its buildings. The character of Midtown is one of the most exciting things, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the trees. Coming from San Diego, we had a very unhealthy tree canopy pretty much everywhere. I still get giddy when I go for a walk in Sacramento under all those trees.

SP: Some longtime neighbors have been at odds with restaurants and bars that put a heavy emphasis on alcohol sales. How do you plan to balance business activity with residential livability?

ES: The MBA does not have the authority to set (alcohol) licenses or set conditions on those licenses. From the perspective of an organization like the MBA, I was in a similar situation in San Diego. I would hope I have a similar relationship here in Sacramento, with regular and aggressive education for business owners and staff about being a good neighbor. I need to meet with resident groups, and those are some of the meetings I will be having soon. I’ve requested to be on the NAG (Neighborhood Advisory Group) agenda, and I’ve met with a few of the residents. It’s still too early to say anything direct about how I’m going to work with the residents.

Basically, I want to keep the lines of communication open. If there are specific problems that need to be addressed, I’ll do my best to address them. I understand this is an area densely populated with residential and commercial uses, and we all need to get along.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

River Cats to hire about 200 people

2012-01-05T01:31:20Z

The Sacramento River Cats organization is hiring for about 200 stadium jobs starting next week, and unlike previous years, this year’s jobs are being filled online – not at a job fair.

“There’s a wide variety of positions we’re hiring for,” said River Cats spokesman Nick Lozito. “They’re all positions that involve interaction with our fans, so we’re looking for people who are friendly and people who can help maintain what we’ve created here.”

Positions include grounds crew, ticket sales, in-game promotions crew, kid’s corner attendants and parking attendants.

Applicants don’t need to be experts on baseball, but they must be at least 18 years old, Lozito said. Before hiring, applicants will be drug tested and given a background check.

“The most important thing we’re looking for is someone who will fit in with the environment we’ve created here over our first 12 seasons,” Lozito said. “It’s a family environment, and we want someone who enjoys interacting with the community and helping others create a fun place.”

All jobs will be at Raley Field in West Sacramento, and none of them involve traveling with the team for away games. The first home game of the season is April 13. While there is no set deadline to apply, Lozito said the positions tend to fill up fast.

This year doesn’t bring any significant change in the number of positions open for the season, he added.

The creation of 200 positions – even though temporary – represents “an economic shot in the arm,” said West Sacramento Economic Development Coordinator Diane Richards.

“It’s a great entry-level job, and it’s a great asset to have Raley Field and the River Cats, especially with unemployment being so high,” she said.

Yolo County – where West Sacramento is located – has an unemployment rate of 12.2 percent, according to the most recent numbers, Richards said. West Sacramento itself has 18.6 percent unemployment. She added that unemployment in Sacramento County is 11 percent.

“These are tough times,” Richards said. “During the season, a lot of economic activity is centered around Raley Field. We have people from all over the region come here, and it’s definitely great to capture those dollars here.”

To apply for a position with the River Cats, visit the team’s website and click on the employment opportunities tab.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Midtown gets its long-awaited Squeeze Inn

2012-01-04T01:43:01Z

A long line of eager Sacramentans arrived at 17th and K streets Tuesday looking for the perfect skirt. But it wasn’t apparel they were after – it was the “cheese skirt” that cloaks the meat patties on burgers at The Squeeze Inn.

Owner Sabrina Nicola said this is the eighth Squeeze Inn location, and the first day of business went well.

“Everyone seems to be really happy,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “I think we had about 150 people for the lunch rush, and they’re a lot of locals and nearby workers who are happy to see us.”

Nicola, who previously worked at the original Squeeze Inn on Fruitridge Road, said she wanted to bring the feel of the original space and combine it with contemporary artwork.

To read more about Nicola's efforts to open the restaurant, click here.

Pricing is about the same as the other locations, but varies slightly due to taxes being included in the list price. Single burgers range from $6.25 to $8.75.

Customers eating lunch on Tuesday said the new location measures up to their expectations.

“I’ve been to the old one, and I’m happy this one is here,” said Ann Monson, a 58-year-old state worker from Sacramento. “My office is right next door.”

She said she’s been anticipating its opening for the past few months and described the cheeseburger as “outrageous cheesy goodness.”

Another local happy to see the restaurant open was 29-year-old KC Caitano, who works at the Artistic Edge art gallery, 1880 Fulton Ave.

“I couldn’t be happier that they’re in Midtown,” he said, adding that he lives nearby. “To finally have one here and close to home – I’ll probably be in here every day.”

He said he was happy to see an option on the menu that appealed to his Hawaiian roots: a Squeeze with Cheese with spam.

“If you’ve never tried (The Squeeze Inn) before, you’ve got to,” he said. “It’s one of the things you should do before you die.”

The restaurant can seat about 55 people at a combination of tables and a counter, and a railed-off front patio will be added to the seating area when the weather warms up, Nicola said.

Midtown’s Squeeze Inn is located at 1630 K St. It is open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sunday. It is closed Monday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

The Sacramento Press on 'Insight'

2012-01-04T01:10:43Z

On Capital Public Radio’s “Insight” program on Tuesday, host David Watts Barton and I talked about new laws in effect for the new year, businesses scheduled to open in the near future, the upcoming elections and other local issues.

The beginning of the year typically brings in a number of new laws, and 2012 is no different. Some of the notable changes include mandatory child booster seats in cars for kids under age 8 or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches, the banning of openly carrying unloaded handguns and a new law that states police can no longer impound a vehicle at a DUI checkpoint if the only offense is the driver not having a license.

Click here to read about those and other laws that went into effect Sunday.

Also new this year will be several businesses. A sports-themed restaurant and bar, Mongolian food’s arrival on the grid and a new bicycle share program have all been covered by The Sacramento Press in the past and will soon be open for business in the central city.

To read about some of the new businesses coming in the next few weeks and months, click here.

If the mayor’s office has its way, it won’t be business as usual in Sacramento’s political future. A charter reform proposal could be on this summer’s ballot, and it would reshape the way Sacramento’s government works. An executive – or “strong” – mayor, an independent redistricting commission and an ethical review process are all parts of the reform measure being discussed at City Hall.

It’s a big year for Mayor Kevin Johnson, as he and the City Council members from even-numbered districts campaign to keep their seats in this year’s elections. While some districts – including District 4, which covers the central city – are full of competition, others currently only have a couple candidates, and Kevin McCarty currently has no challengers to his District 6 seat. But the deadline to enter the political race isn’t until March, so the competition could heat up even more.

One of those in the running for a City Council seat is Rob Kerth, former executive director of the Midtown Business Association. The MBA position was filled by Elizabeth Studebaker on Monday, and The Sacramento Press will follow up with her to learn what plans she has in store for Midtown.

The California Supreme Court’s upholding of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to eliminate redevelopment agencies – and its dismissal of legislation that would allow them to continue with significant payments to the state – mean many projects in blighted areas of Sacramento won’t get done, and those that haven’t been finished might be in jeopardy too. Look for Sacramento Press reporter Melissa Corker’s latest update on redevelopment Wednesday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

2011 roundup recap

2011-12-31T01:12:24Z

Throughout the year, The Sacramento Press compiles roundup articles to let readers know where they can score anything from vintage clothes to coffee to comic books.

Where do you go for your favorite cup of Joe? The Sacramento Press checked out the central city’s coffee bar selection in October, compiling a list of caffeinated hangouts. Whether for studying or hanging out with friends, there’s something for everyone.

In addition to those mentioned in the roundup article, Insight Coffee Roasters opened in Southside Park in December.

Fashionistas looking for something from a bygone era might want to scour the clothing racks in Sacramento’s thrift and vintage clothing stores, listed here. From charity storefronts to local boutiques, shoppers can find classic fashion or a hipster’s paradise.

One area where digital media hasn’t made many inroads is the comic book market, and Sacramento has enough options that it took two articles to gather them all. Some shoppers might be surprised that the stores aren’t full of guys resembling the cast of “The Big Bang Theory.” Click here for part one and here for part two.

Those looking to spend their weekends in relaxed culinary heaven need not cook their own breakfasts: sleep in and, when getting out of bed doesn’t seem like a bad idea, head out to brunch. The Sacramento Press looked at a number of local restaurants’ brunch offerings in this article.

For anyone looking for food from foreign shores – be it for a new dish or something to recall a homeland or vacation destination – The Sacramento Press searched out some of the area’s ethnic grocery stores, listed here.

Anyone looking to show off knowledge of the inane, the obscure or just have fun might look to pub trivia night events. Local watering holes provide an array of options for trivia competitions, and this article outlines many of them.

New businesses coming in 2012

2011-12-30T04:51:12Z

As 2012 approaches, there are several new businesses preparing to open, from much-anticipated restaurants to a privately funded bicycle share program. Below is a list of some of the new businesses Sacramentans can expect to see in the new year.

Those who frequent the downtown area will have a new place to eat and drink in late February or early March as the Firestone Public House opens with 60 beer taps in what the owners said will be a new take on the sports bar theme.

The Wong family – which runs Mix Downtown, Cafeteria 15L and the Park Ultra Lounge – is teaming up with the de Vere White family – of de Vere’s Irish Pub – for the new business that will replace the old California Pizza Kitchen spot at 16th and L streets.

Midtown will be getting a Mongolian barbecue restaurant, with Mongo Mongo Mongolian Barbecue due to open in the next few weeks. Previously the home of the ill-fated Garlic Shack, owner Jonathan Ng said he plans to stay open for the late-night crowd that frequents the area.

Also in Midtown is a restaurant that will be replacing Hangar 17, at 17th and S streets, which closed earlier this year. The owners of The Golden Bear restaurant and bar are opening Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., which co-owner Kimio Bazett said will be a “grown-up” version of The Golden Bear.

Brian Mizner, formerly of Hot Italian and L Wine Lounge, will be the chef at the restaurant, and Chris Tucker, from The Golden Bear and Shady Lady Saloon, will be the beverage manager, Bazett said Wednesday.

The restaurant is expected to open in late March or early April.

Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar, an Asian restaurant at 2718 J St., closed in September, allowing Shady Lady Saloon bartender Matt Nurge and his business partners to open their own space, which will serve peasant-style food from multiple cultures.

Named Red Rabbit – partly inspired by the new artwork at the airport – the restaurant will share profits with its employees. That aspect is something Nurge said he believes will help show the workers they are valued as well as give them an incentive to keep working there, saving costs on training new staff in an industry that has high turnover.

City Hall Garage will be getting a new restaurant: Big Joe’s BBQ, which will replace Fog Mountain Cafe at the corner of 10th and J streets. Fog Mountain Cafe closed in April, and Big Joe’s is expected to open early next year.

The beer business in Sacramento will have a fresh face next year as well, with the New Helvetia Brewing Company expected to open in late February or early March on Broadway.

Owner David Gull said he will initially open as a brewery and tasting room, and a restaurant may be added to the space about six months later, though there is no set timeline on it.

Bicycle enthusiasts won’t need to bring their own set of wheels to Midtown once The Last Mile launches in the first quarter of 2012. The Last Mile is a privately funded bicycle share program owned by Aaron Zeff, who also owns Priority Parking.

With the new business, cyclists will be able to rent bicycles by the hour for a little more than $1. Zeff, a board member for the Midtown Business Association, said that most programs of the kind are funded with public dollars, and The Last Mile won’t have its bills footed by taxpayers.

Are there more businesses opening next year that you know about? Share them in the conversation below.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: A spelling correction was made to this article after it was published.

Year in review: Food vs. government

2011-12-29T02:23:45Z

Two city ordinances regulating food were the subject of debate in Sacramento in 2011, and while backyard keeping of egg-laying hens was allowed, the other, more volatile issue rages on – the controversial ordinance governing food trucks.

The ordinance limiting food truck operation within city limits to 30-minute intervals has been a source of contention for more than a year, but it heated up in 2011 with the inaugural SactoMoFo mobile food festival in April.

At the festival, Fremont Park was occupied by thousands of foodies who dropped by for a taste of gourmet on the go, and it achieved its goal of bringing widespread awareness to the issue.

Owners of “brick-and-mortar” restaurants were split on the issue, prompting a series of talks between them, restaurant advocacy groups, city officials and mobile food vendors.

The issue came before the City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee most recently in November, but the issue was postponed.

City Councilman Jay Schenirer, chairman of the Law and Legislation Committee, said Wednesday that while the issue will be on the agenda in 2012 – and he hopes it will be in the first quarter, there are no firm plans on when that will be.

In the meantime, regular food truck gatherings are held outside the city limits, because the county has no ordinance limiting operators to 30 minutes.

Backyard chicken keeping was allowed in the city in 2011 after a long discussion and series of public meetings, with advocates writing about it on The Sacramento Press as far back as 2009.

Those in favor of keeping chickens for egg-laying purposes argued that they wanted to have control of their food supply, ensuring food to their standards, and they pointed out that numerous other cities already allowed chicken keeping.

People opposed to allowing backyard chicken keeping said they feared the chickens would be noisy and possibly be conduits for avian flu.

The issue was almost killed in 2010, but City Councilman Steve Cohn walked out of a meeting to prevent what would likely have been a vote to end it.

The ordinance, which went into effect Nov. 1, did not please everyone, as it placed several restrictions on keeping chickens in backyards, including limiting the number to three and keeping them at least 20 feet from an adjacent residence.

The ordinance only allows the keeping of hens – as roosters don’t lay eggs and also crow, and it remains illegal to slaughter chickens in backyards. A $15 licensing fee per chicken is collected to pay for enforcement of the ordinance.

Gina Knepp, manager of the city’s animal shelter, said Wednesday that only about 20 chickens have been licensed in the past two months, but far more than that live in the city.

“We just cited a gentleman who had 30 chickens in his yard,” she said, adding that there has been no decrease or increase in calls since the ordinance passed.

“It’s still premature to tell,” she said. “I plan to go back to the council after six months and recommend some changes to the ordinance.”

Some of the recommendations she said she is considering include a flat licensing fee so owners don’t license each chicken as well as the ability to pay licensing fees online, which she said is probably discouraging some people from licensing their chickens.

Another change in food laws was the state-mandated food handler card, which requires most restaurant workers to pass a state test on food safety before being allowed to work.

The law went into effect July 1, though enforcement was delayed to allow time for restaurants and their workers to get the cards and come into compliance.

The state government got involved in funding garden boxes this year, with the local nonprofit organization Ubuntu Green working with low-income families to build boxes where they can grow healthy foods.

Community gardens were also a part of Schenirer’s WayUp Sacramento program, which promotes healthy living. It was launched in Oak Park in October.

Even schools got involved in small-scale farming this year, as Sacramento City College started a city farm project to “teach with dirt.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Year in review: Business comings and goings

2011-12-29T02:18:58Z

The past year saw quite a bit of businesses come, go and expand in the central city area, and The Sacramento Press covered many of those happenings. Below are some of the major expansions and changes as well as some of the most-viewed stories on businesses closing.

A favorite Sacramento lunch spot changed hands this year as Chef Daniel Pont handed over ownership of La Bonne Soupe Café in late April. The 72-year-old chef said he still enjoys cooking, but running the one-man shop by himself was too much. He has since opened another restaurant, this time in Folsom, where he has a staff to help run it.

New owners Ed Stoddard and Leah Brown reopened the restaurant in the same location in May.

The popular Bows & Arrows vintage clothing store closed its spot at 17th and L streets in April and moved across from Safeway on 19th Street. As part of the move, owners Olivia Coelho and Trisha Rhomberg partnered with Davis-based Fat Face Cafe to add food and drinks to the new spot as well as art shows and musical performances.

Curtis Park’s Pangaea Two Brews Cafe expanded its business from being a taphouse and cafe to include a bottle shop. Owner Rob Archie said he wanted to offer locals the chance to grab individual bottles of less-common brews at to-go prices.

The Downtown 24 Hour Fitness club completed an extensive remodel in October, a $10 million project that added 31,000 square feet to bring the total to 50,000, which now includes a basketball court, a racquetball court and new cardio machines.

A couple who started a donut business called Doughbot Donuts from home in May 2010 added a Southside Park storefront in September. Owners Bryan Widener and Dannah O’Donnell said they sold 700 donuts on the first day and 1,000 the next.

Temple Coffee was a fixture in an old bookstore on 10th Street between J and K streets since 2005, but it moved a block east in September, reopening in a larger location. Owner Sean Kohmescher said the new, more open space allows for more conversation and personal engagement.

The owners of Tuli Bistro opted for a downtown location, opening Restaurant Thirteen on the ground floor of the Sterling Hotel at 1300 H St. in March. The new restaurant is intended to have an atmosphere similar to a fine-dining establishment, but without the stigma, said Chef Adam Pechal.

Shoki Ramen House also opened a second location in May, this time bringing the Japanese noodles to R Street. The ramen is all made from scratch in-house.

Despite many restaurants doing well in 2011, there were some that closed – with closures due to retirements, a bad economy or any number of other reasons.

Newsbeat, a newsstand that stocked a wide range of hard-to-find magazines, closed its doors in the MARRS Building in Midtown in November. Co-owner Terrence Lott attributed the closure to high rents and the decreasing demand for print media as digital media continue to grow in popularity.

Perhaps the biggest flop in central city business in 2011 was Garlic Shack, which was much-anticipated and kept delaying its opening date. When it did open in July, it was to mixed reviews, and by mid-October, it was gone, with no word from the owners.

The unique Hangar 17, a restaurant in a Quonset hut in Midtown, shut down in March. Owner Joey Madrid said the economy cost the business its viability, and workers left with a bitter taste in their mouths, saying their final checks bounced.

Next-door Midtown businesses Aura and Red Lotus also closed in 2011, and Aura was replaced by BarWest Burgers & Wings, while Red Lotus will be replaced by another restaurant, Red Rabbit, in 2012. Aura closed in March, and Red Lotus closed in September.

Despite the popularity of bicycles in Midtown, the bicycle-themed Spin Burger Bar at 16th and K streets wasn’t able to make it, closing in July. The closure, however, opened the space for a new Indian restaurant, which was up and running in December.

The 52-year-old Capitol Aquarium also closed in 2011, calling it quits in July as the owners were unable to find a buyer for the business.

Another veteran business, Brew it Up!, wasn’t able to make it at the corner of 14th and H streets, shutting down in late July. Owner Mike Costello said debt piled up and not enough customers came in to pay the bills, so he had to call it quits.

Not all restaurant closures were due to the economy, with Celestin’s Island Eats & Cajun Cuisine being one example. The 28-year-old business closed when owners Patrick and Phoebe Celestin decided to retire. They said they didn’t want to sell it, and the space reopened in December as The Porch, a Southern-themed restaurant run by the owners of nearby Capitol Garage.

Do you have a favorite business that expanded or closed in 2011? Let us know in the conversation below.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Year in review: Up-and-coming R Street

2011-12-28T01:55:25Z

The R Street streetscape improvement project that broke ground in 2010 finished in the fall, and several other changes to the R Street corridor signal it as an up-and-coming district heading into 2012, with more improvements on the way.

Improvements to R Street between 10th and 13th streets came in at less than the allotted funding, allowing the city to add a few more amenities, including 13 more benches for pedestrians.

Other improvements included creating uniform sidewalks, new pavement and new streetlights. Rail lines were left in place in a nod to the area’s history.

The construction stayed on schedule, coming to a close in the fall.

Completion of the first phase is just one step in the process that includes more than 20 blocks of improvements, and The Sacramento Press took a look at what else is in line for the area, including the R Street Market Plaza.

It wasn’t just government-funded infrastructure improvements that brought changes to R Street over the past year.

A popular local eatery, Shoki Ramen House, opened a second location near 12th Street on R Street. The owners told The Sacramento Press that they had always liked the R Street area, so when the space became available, it was a natural choice.

The Fox and Goose Public House, a longtime business at 10th and R streets whose owners applauded the infrastructure improvements, added a patio seating area, allowing customers to eat outside for the first time in its 36 years in business.

The owners of the restaurant took ownership of the Fuller Building in which it is housed, allowing them to convert the front ramps to seating.

A few blocks up R Street – on the heavily trafficked block between 13th and 14th streets – Top This Yogurt closed, allowing Burgers and Brew to significantly expand its draft beer selection.

Co-owner of both businesses Philippe Masoud said the yogurt shop didn’t work in the area, so he expanded Burgers and Brew into the space, using the storage for more beer kegs in a move other local businesspeople said helps strengthen the block’s draw for nightlife.

The Ace of Spades nightclub next door to Burgers and Brew also opened in the beginning of 2011, and numerous bands have played there since, drawing more attention to the R Street corridor.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Year in review: Changes to K Street

2011-12-28T01:30:41Z

K Street was a fixture in local news this year, with the most noteworthy event being its reopening to vehicular traffic for the first time since the 1960s – a major part of the city’s plan to revitalize the area. Other revitalization efforts included redevelopment and the moving of the Greyhound station.

The section of K Street between Seventh and 12th streets known as the K Street Mall has long been blighted, and city officials argued that much of that blight was the result of the failed pedestrian mall concept for the area.

That led to a long process of returning it to vehicular traffic, which was well under way by the middle of the year.

By mid-September, there were noticeable changes to the streetscape as crews dug up old paving and prepared the street to handle light rail and cars.

K Street officially reopened to cars on Nov. 12, to much fanfare.

Though it is now legal to drive down the street, Sacramentans have been slow to start using it. In early December, about a month after the street reopened to vehicles, The Sacramento Press asked businesspeople on the street if they had noticed a change. While most said they had not, the general feeling was that it is too soon to tell, and some were hopeful for a revitalized K Street in the near future.

One large-scale redevelopment project is under way on the south side of the 700 block. D&S Development, Inc., which worked to redevelop the historic Maydestone Building at 15th and J streets, partnered with CFY Development, Inc., on the 700 block of K Street.

The $47.7 million project is seen by city officials as a catalyst to turn the street into something the city can be proud of.

The City Council approved the project in July, and in late August, The Sacramento Press took a tour of the buildings that are scheduled to be redeveloped starting in 2012.

Another move in changing the face of K Street was the moving of the Greyhound station from nearby L Street to Richards Boulevard. After the move, police reported seeing approximately 60 percent fewer calls in the area around the station, including K Street, and D&S Development, Inc., representatives concurred.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "I Street Bridge turns 100"

2011-12-27T20:06:29Z

Geoff, the bridge is not too far from the end of its intended lifespan, but with renovations and upgrades, it can keep going. If all the major parts are replaced piecemeal, that can be considered a replacement as much as replacing it all at once.

Year in review: Business milestones

2011-12-27T05:29:55Z

The Sacramento Press covered many stories in 2011 of businesses coming and going, but there are a number of Sacramento businesses that celebrated milestones, withstanding the test of time and recessions big and small.

Midtown Italian restaurant Paesanos – Italian for “friends” – has been in business for 15 years, since April 1996. Director of Operations Dana Scarpulla told The Sacramento Press that Midtown has undergone major changes since the restaurant’s founding, and most have been positive.

Pastas, pizzas and salads top the list of favorites at the restaurant, which has since expanded to Paesanos Pronto and a couple other locations. There’s also word of another location opening in 2012.

The Kitchen, owned by husband and wife Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer, has been in business for 20 years, starting in May of 1991.

Known for its presentation dinners that are highly interactive, The Kitchen caters to an upscale crowd with $125 four-course demonstration meals. Selland is expanding as well, opening another restaurant in El Dorado Hills in mid-January.

Another restaurant in business for 20 years is Ernesto’s Mexican Food. The Midtown eatery weathered recessions by focusing on quality and service, said owner Pauline Jiménez.

It opened in November 1991, and top dishes at the restaurant include tortilla soup, chile rellenos and carnitas. Of course, the margaritas play a big role in the restaurant and bar as well.

Biba Restaurant celebrated its 25th birthday with a reopening and makeover in July.

"Just like a beautiful woman, you don't stay beautiful forever unless you do something," owner Biba Caggiano told The Sacramento Press. "This place needed something: color, other things. I'm very, very, very happy."

Caggiano ws born in Italy, and the name might be familiar to those who watch The Discovery Channel and The Learning Channel, as she hosted more than 100 episodes of “Biba’s Italian Kitchen” on the networks.

The nonprofit cable TV Access Sacramento turned 25 in March, marking a quarter century of covering local life, including entertainment and cultural events as well as high school sports.

Local officials including Assemblyman Roger Dickinson and City Councilman Steve Cohn attended the organization’s birthday party, and Sacramento Press Community Contributor Kati Garner was there to take photos.

Locally owned Lofings Lighting sits in an unobtrusive spot on J Street most noticeable when driving by at night, and the business marked its 50th year in November.

Over the past half-century, the Lofing family has become renowned in the industry for expertise in lighting fixtures and technology, serving both residential and commercial clients across the country. The Lofings routinely test new technology and give input to manufacturers before the products go to market.

The American River Parkway is often called “the jewel” of the region, and for the past 50 years, the Save American River Parkway Association has been working to preserve it and encourage its use by local residents and tourists alike.

The nonprofit group has more than 600 members and keeps tabs on the 23-mile stretch of parkway, which hosts 5 million visitors each year doing everything from bicycling and running to boating.

Are there any other businesses that celebrated milestones this year? Let us know in the conversation below.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Seven recipes for holiday treats

2011-12-24T00:54:13Z

The holidays are a time for family gatherings, but let’s face it – sometimes dealing with Awkward Uncle Andrew is best done with something sweet in-hand.

The Sacramento Press talked to local bloggers and pastry chefs about their favorite holiday desserts and compiled the following recipes.

Ginger Elizabeth Fudge Brownies – Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates

“It’s one of the first recipes I learned to make in restaurants when I was younger, and throughout all the different bakeries and schools and everywhere I’ve been, it’s still my favorite brownie recipe,” said Ginger Elizabeth, owner of the Midtown chocolate shop. “I think it’s the perfect blend of cakiness and fudginess.”

The following recipe will make about two dozen brownies

1 1/4 cups + 1 tbsp. butter
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 pound Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates Bulk Chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F (325°F for convection ovens). Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole pan and set aside.

1. Melt Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates Bulk Chocolate and butter over a double boiler on low heat.
2. Using a Kitchen-Aid mixer with a paddle attachment or by hand, mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix for 1-2 minutes until a little frothy. Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix to combine.
3. Add the sifted flour and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared casserole pan.
4. Bake the brownies for 35-40 minutes.
5. The brownies will cut best if allowed to cool overnight.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies – Selland’s Market-Café

“This is one of our favorite cookies,” said owner Randall Selland. “It’s really kind of fudgy in the middle and crispy on the outside.”

Selland said all cookies and desserts at the East Sacramento business are made fresh daily, and it’s a recipe that’s working, with a new location scheduled to open in El Dorado Hills in mid-January.

Pastry Chef Kristine Bertram shared the following recipe:

1 pound of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
4 eggs
1 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup of white chocolate chips

In a large bowl, place the bittersweet chips and butter. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until melted, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until a ribbon forms. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt until just incorporated. Add in chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.

Using a small scoop, scoop onto baking pan. Bake at 325°F for approximately 18-22 minutes.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies – Poor Girl Eats Well

Kimberly Morales, the voice behind the Poor Girl Eats Well blog, said her chocolate chunk cookies have been in her recipe binder for 15 years, but she recently rediscovered them.

“They’re a chocoholic’s cookie, basically,” she said. “It’s almost a cross between a cookie and a brownie. Because they’re so decadent, I feel they’re perfect for gift-giving.”

Her blog focuses on eating well on a budget – taking into account everything from the actual cooking to shopping for ingredients on a budget. She said the cookie recipe below can be prepared for $2.75 per dozen, and the recipe makes about two and a half dozen cookies.

“I started writing because people knew I was broke, and they saw I had better meals than they did, and I figured I’d write about how I did it,” she said.

One thing to note, she said, is that the dough will have a runny consistency similar to brownie batter, and that’s normal.

8 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into chunks
½ stick (4 Tbsp.) butter
2/3 cup of flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of sea salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 large eggs
¾ cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate morsels

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (nonstick baking mat). Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the first 8 oz. of chocolate with the butter and cayenne pepper. Melt slowly over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth. Do not overcook.
3. Combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer (or a whisk) until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the melted chocolate. Then, working in small batches, fold in the flour gently, until the mixture thickens to a thick, batter-like consistency. Lastly, mix in the chocolate chips until completely incorporated into the batter.
4. Using a teaspoon, drop spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared cookie sheet (make sure they’re a couple inches apart). Bake until glossy and crackly on top and soft in the center, about 10-12 minutes (do not over-bake!).
5. Cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes, serve with a tall glass of ice-cold milk, and enjoy!

Chipotle Gingerbread Cookies – Vanilla Garlic: Stories from my Life in Food

Blogger Garrett McCord said the recipe for chipotle gingerbread cookies is based on one given to him by Kate Washington, former restaurant reviewer for Sacramento News & Review and contributor to other local publications such as Sactown Magazine, who got it from a woman she met in a grocery store.

“The chipotle adds a nice, warm spice at the end,” he said. “It acts the same way as ginger and adds a little bit of smoke flavor to the cookie.”

McCord’s blog focuses mainly on food essays and stories, and he said he is currently working on a cookbook featuring macaroni and cheese recipes using artisan cheese. In January and February, he will be teaching food writing and cheese tasting classes at Whole Foods Market. For more information on the classes, check the Whole Foods Facebook page.

The following recipe makes 4-6 dozen, depending on size of the cookies.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup molasses
1 egg, beaten to blend
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom, until light and uniform.

2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix in the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until the entire thing comes together in one uniform batter.

3. Divide the dough into two equal parts and put them on a swath of plastic wrap. Roughly form each piece into a disc. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for three or more hours. The dough will still be somewhat soft for a chilled dough.

4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Generously flour a flat work surface and the dough and roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick; cut into shapes and place on a cookie sheet, preferably lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Do not let brown. Cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gluten- and Sugar-Free Ginger Cookies – Cakegrrl

Kristy DeVaney said she switched to the gluten-free Paleo diet in March, and doesn’t think processed flours and sugars are needed to eat tasty foods. The Paleo diet emphasizes organic foods and lean meats to mimic what humans’ hunter-gatherer ancestors ate, according to the diet’s website.

“This is a modified ginger snap recipe,” she said. “I really enjoy them because they’re not too sweet. Around Christmas, there’s always an overload of fudge and overly sweetened things.”

DeVaney began blogging in 2005, when she used to bake on the side and used it to showcase some of her creations. Since then, it has morphed into a food, wine, entertainment and travel blog, and she said it now has numerous Paleo diet-friendly recipes.

She recommends baking the following recipe, then dipping it in melted organic dark chocolate. Though the chocolate has sugar, she said the small amount, and the fact that it’s organic, fit within her diet, but it is also possible to use sugar-free chocolate.

3 cups blanched almond flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp clove
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cracked black pepper
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh ginger or ginger paste

2 Omega 3 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup molasses

1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil
1/4 cup unsalted organic butter

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (including lemon zest).
In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs, honey, molasses and vanilla extract with a hand mixer.
Pour wet ingredients into dry and beat with hand mixer until combined.
Add coconut oil and butter into batter, and continue to blend until combined.

Drop balls of dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about a tablespoon in size.
Bake cookies for 15 minutes at 375°F.
Let cool completely. To dress them up, you can melt some organic dark chocolate and dip half the cookies into the chocolate. Line on parchment and allow chocolate to set up.

Nana’s Tea Tossies – Undercover Caterer

Writer, blogger and foodie Sarah Singleton said her grandmother’s tea tossie recipe is a family favorite, and the treats resemble miniature pecan pies.

“This is probably a recipe from the mid-’40s,” she said. “I have probably 10 copies of it because it was copied so many times, so this was obviously a very well-loved recipe.”

She said the tea tossies are not hard to make, and her blog stresses the fact that anyone can bake or cook anything, even complicated 30-step recipes for French pates.

Armed with her grandmother’s recipes, she makes a weekly post centered on one of them, explaining that her grandmother and her father were her first teachers when it came to cooking and baking.

3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sifted flour

Soften cream cheese and butter to room temperature and blend. Stir in flour. (I do this in a stand mixer and sometimes double the amount for a thicker crust). Wrap in plastic and chill slightly. Shape in 3/4-inch balls. Place in small (1 3/4") mini-muffin tins (ungreased). Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the tins. Fill with the following:

1 egg
3/4 cup brown sugar
Dash of salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup broken pecans

Beat the egg, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla until just smooth. Divide half of the pecans among the muffin cups. Fill with sugar and egg mixture. Top with remaining pecans. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes.

Nana says this recipe freezes well, though Singleton said she never has any left over to freeze.

Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting – Pretty Yummy Foods

Melissa Vanni said she started blogging about eight months ago because she was always being asked for recipes, and her husband suggested a blog would be easier than emailing them, but it went beyond recipes.

“It kind of became almost like a diary,” she said. “It includes the story behind why I came up with the recipe. I discovered there was more to the food than just the food itself.”

Her cinnamon roll recipe came from a cookbook she discovered in an antique shop, and she said she thinks it’s perfect for a family gathering.

“I like to make them with family on Christmas,” she said. “They’re something that takes a little bit of time to make, and that’s the fun part of it. It makes them really special, and I look forward to them every year.”

1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 stick of butter
1/2 cup of warm water
2 packages of dry active yeast
2 eggs beaten
4 1/2 cups flour

In a pot heat up 1/2 cup of milk and stir in 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of butter.
Cool to lukewarm.
In a large bowl measure in 1/2 cup of warm (not too warm!) water, and sprinkle in 2 packages of active dry yeast.
After the yeast has dissolved add lukewarm milk mixture to the bowl.
Now add two beaten eggs to the bowl and 2 cups of flour and stir before adding the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour.
Stir it until it becomes a slightly stiff dough.
Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and kneed it until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Now place dough in a greased (Pam or butter) bowl. Cover and let your dough rise in a warm place for about an hour.
When dough is done rising it should be double in bulk and if you poke it with your finger the dent should remain. If the dent disappears give it another 10 minutes to rise.
Now punch dough down and fold the edges of dough to the center to make another ball.
Separate dough into two and turn it out on a lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle.
Grab a stick of room-temperature butter and slather half of it on dough.
Now sprinkle a few handfuls of brown sugar over the butter and top it with a few shakes cinnamon and top with a handful of pecans.
Carefully roll and slice into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices
Place rolls in a greased 9-inch by 12-inch baking dish. Cover and let these rise and double in size for about an hour.
Bake for 25 minutes at 375°F.

To make the frosting:
In a bowl combine 4 ounces of cream cheese with 1/4 cup of melted butter and 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of milk and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, mix well and spread on top of the cinnamon rolls.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

I Street Bridge turns 100

2011-12-23T02:16:48Z

The 75-year-old Tower Bridge connecting Sacramento and West Sacramento may be one of the area’s icons, but the more industrial steel-truss I Street Bridge is older – built 100 years ago.

“The I Street Bridge is a very important part of our business today,” said Aaron Hunt, spokesman for the Union Pacific railroad, which owns the bridge. “We run trains across it every day of the year.”

The I Street Bridge is 363 feet long and weighs about 7 million pounds, according to a fact sheet distributed by Union Pacific.

When it was built, the swinging center of the bridge was the heaviest of its type in the world, and though it no longer holds that distinction, it remains the heaviest in the United States, according to the Sacramento Old City Association.

The bridge swings about 90 degrees on a central pedestal that is 42 feet in diameter and 84 feet high. Opening it allows boat traffic on the river, and Hunt said a Union Pacific staffer stays on-site every day to operate it. The swinging operation takes about two and a half minutes, he added.

When the bridge was renovated in 1993, some major components were replaced, including the disc upon which the bridge rotates. The controlling mechanisms were also changed over from direct-current electrical systems to hydraulic ones.

The first bridge on the site was a wagon bridge built in 1858, which was replaced in 1869 by the area’s first railroad bridge, built by the California Pacific Railroad. It, too, allowed for wagon traffic.

Construction on the current span began in 1910 by the American Bridge Company, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, according to Hunt.

Union Pacific took ownership of the bridge when it merged with Southern Pacific in 1996, Hunt said, and the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento maintain the highway portion of the bridge.

Though dated, the bridge still pulls its weight, handling about 80 trains per day in addition to vehicular traffic on its upper deck.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

New Texas barbecue spot on Broadway

2011-12-22T08:57:49Z

T & R Taste of Texas opened on Broadway near 36th Street in late October, and Chef Rodney Ray said he thinks the barbecue restaurant will be able to last in the spot that has seen several businesses come and go in past years.

“It’s simple, good, home-cooked food,” he said Wednesday. “It’s great barbecue, and we don’t grill it – we smoke it.”

All meats are smoked a minimum of five hours in an on-site smoker, and four types of wood are used: apple, hickory, mesquite and cherry, Ray said. Meats and other ingredients come from local restaurant suppliers, and he added that he wants to work with farmers markets to bring in local produce during harvest season.

Ray, who is a longtime friend of owner Clarence Pughsley Jr., said he got much of his experience with barbecue cooking as a freelance chef – including time on cruise ships.

“I travel all over, and Sacramento has been my home base for the past 10 years,” he said. “I really like going to the Caribbean. They’ve got a lot of great barbecue there.”

Both Pughsley and Ray have Texas roots, and Ray said he likes the Texas style of barbecuing, with a heavy emphasis on ribs.

“Our pork ribs are our most popular,” he said. “We’re working on a boneless beef rib, too, and tri tip is really popular here.”

The 1,300-square-foot restaurant holds 30 people, and there are plans to build a patio starting in March or April. Prices range from $6 - $10 for meals, with a combination platter of two meat types with two sides for $7.99 available from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Before T & R, the space was briefly Johnny Broadway’s, another barbecue restaurant, Ray said.

Sides include coleslaw, barbecue beans, potato salad and tater tots.

In addition to walk-in dining, T & R also caters, and Ray said he can cook a multitude of types of food – not limited to barbecue.

“We’re a barbecue restaurant, but we can do a lot more,” he said.

Sandra VanHook, owner of the Images & Beyond sign-making and silk-screening business a block away, said she has eaten at T & R several times since its opening nine weeks ago.

“When I tasted their pulled-pork sandwich for the first time, it was really good,” she said. “I think it’s the first time I’ve tasted it done right, with coleslaw on top.”

She said she has liked all the food she has tried, including the pulled pork, fried wings and hot links.

“The hot-link sandwich is unusual, but delicious,” she said.

She added that the restaurant is a good addition to the area, with food options predominantly being fast food.

Norma Henderson, owner of the Norma J’s Place beauty salon less than a block away, said she thinks that once the restaurant gets established, it will help draw business to the area.

“It’s very good, and the hospitality is really nice,” she said. “I’m glad to see a business there.”

T & R Taste of Texas is located at 3621 Broadway. It is open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sunday from noon until the customers stop coming in, Ray said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Photo essay: Estelle's Patisserie

2011-12-21T08:39:56Z

French pastries arrived on the corner of Ninth and K streets Dec. 8 when Estelle’s Patisserie opened without fanfare to gauge the market before adjusting and doing a grand opening sometime in January.

“The customers have been so supportive,” said owner Esther Son, whose first name translates to Estelle in French. “I’ve owned other businesses, and this group down here is just so dynamic and supportive.”

The staff of about 12 starts baking as early as 3 a.m., and the bakery offers about 35 items – from fruit tarts, puff pastries and croissants to soups, sandwiches and baguettes.

Cream-filled puff pastries, raspberry and blueberry tarts, buttery croissants and Madeleines in various flavors from chocolate to poppyseed top the pastry selection. Also available are shortbread cookies, caprese sandwiches – tomato, mozzarella and basil on a baguette – and a host of soups and quiches.

All items are made in-house, including sauces.

The most popular items so far have been the croissant sandwiches and the puff pastries, Son said.

Danielle Blacet, a 35-year-old Folsom resident who works across the street from the bakery at a political trade association, said the tomato bisque soup was excellent and reason enough to go back.

“I’m glad to have something here again,” she said, noting that the space previously housed Danielle’s Creperie and La Bou. “People in our office like to try new things, and having this on K Street is great.”

Sacramento real estate developer Kipp Blewett, 46, said he had Estelle’s Patisserie cater an event for him, and he was pleased with the pastries, returning Tuesday afternoon for lunch.

“What Temple is to coffee, Esther (Son) is to pastries,” he said. “We have little pieces of Paris on K Street. Who would have thought?”

Teo Judal, a 65-year-old retired Woodland resident, said he came to the pastry shop looking for a rum baba – a pastry he said is hard to find in Sacramento – but wasn’t able to get one at Estelle’s Patisserie.

“I had the almond tart instead,” he said. “It was good, and I think they have a good location.”

Linda Anderson, a 63-year-old Sacramentan who works with Blacet, has been to the pastry shop multiple times.

“The potato leek soup was the best I’ve ever had, and I make it at home,” she said. “I also had the vegetable quiche, and the crust was impeccable. The quiche was a perfect consistency.”

She said the prices aren’t the cheapest – they range from $1 for a Madeleine cookie to about $4.50 for a fruit tart – but they are a good value for the quality.

“I had the shortbread cookie, and it was the perfect mix of flour, butter and sugar,” she said. “It’s really good, and you can tell they pay a lot of attention to detail.”

Son said she is building up a following for the catering side of the business, with free deliveries throughout downtown Sacramento for orders of $80 or more, and a fee of about $10 for orders less than $80.

The pastry shop is located at Ninth and K streets and is open from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Expanded bike share program to launch early next year

2011-12-17T01:19:08Z

Midtown’s Ride Your Own Way bicycle share program wrapped up its six-month trial period this week with an average of 20 bicycle rentals per week and plans to significantly expand it under a private company in 2012.

“I think the bike share is a really great program to have in Midtown,” said Midtown Business Association Streetscape Program Manager Niki Fay. “It obviously gives people a way to get around businesses quicker and easier, and the environmental benefits are great.”

The bicycle share program launched in June and provided two locations with six bicycles each that were rented to riders via automated systems. Similar programs are successful in cities such as Washington, D.C., Montreal and Paris.

After a six-month pilot program that saw some vandalism and bicycle theft, MBA and business partners concluded that the system should expand, but under the control of a private business.

The new business, named The Last Mile, will launch in the first quarter of 2012, said founder Aaron Zeff, who also co-owns Priority Parking – which housed the kiosks for the pilot program.

“We learned a lot from the MBA trial, and since MBA doesn’t have the funding ability, we thought we’d try it as a private enterprise to come up with a bike share that would be complementary to our customer base as well as something good for the community.”

The program will use smartphone applications to allow riders to take a bicycle from one area and ride it around the city, dropping it off at any other location, Zeff said. There are plans to have 30 locations with 10 bicycles each, but they will be rolled out slowly throughout the year as the bugs get worked out.

The app will work similar to the way in which Zipcars are rented, he said.

Pricing – though not final – should be around $1 per hour and $10 per day, Zeff said.

“The idea is to promote short use of the bike to get to a destination,” he said. “We don’t want to be competition to a bike rental company for recreational bikers.”

He added that he thinks this is the first program to be privately funded and operated in the country. Most bicycle share programs receive government subsidies or infrastructure, and the end cost of the bicycles can be $6,000 each.

“We’ve drilled that down to under $1,000 because of our system not having infrastructure other than bikes and existing parking facilities,” he said.

Unlike heavy steel bicycles in other cities, bicycles from The Last Mile are all-aluminum three-speeds with internal hub gearing.

The major problems during the pilot program, according to Ikon Cycles owner Adrian Moore – who purchased the bicycles to be used in the pilot program – was that they were targets for thieves because they were not overseen.

To combat that issue, the bicycles will now be housed in parking garages with attendants as well as businesses, so someone can always see them.

“Theft was not a surprise,” Moore said of the pilot program. “The system was not good enough to prevent it.”

Ikon Cycles, near 23rd and J streets, will be one of the early businesses to host a bicycle station in 2012, Zeff said. Another place will be Mexican restaurant Zócalo, where Priority Parking handles valet services, and riders will be able to hand their rented bicycles off to the valets for safekeeping.

“If you have an Internet connection, you can put (a station) in your store,” Zeff said. “It’s a universal locking system, and it’s essentially an iPhone or Android app.”

Initially, the stations will be located in the downtown and Midtown areas, and expansion throughout the city is possible, including stations for college students at Sacramento State.

The Last Mile is named after the problem many users have when using public transit – how to get the first and last mile to their destinations if they are not located near a bus or light rail stop, Zeff said.

With the initial 30 locations to be rolled out slowly, he added that it’s a good opportunity to let the free market influence something for the public good.

“It’s up to the consumer to decide if they want it,” he said.

Fay said she expects the program to be popular, especially with the bicycle culture being a large part of Midtown life.

“The first benefit is how it makes it easier for Midtown residents and visitors to get around town,” she said in an email, adding that other benefits include the air quality of having multimodal transportation and solving the problem of how public transit commuters get from their stops to their final destinations.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Airport provides music to travelers

2011-12-16T01:59:59Z

Sacramento International Airport’s new Terminal B echoes with the sounds of local musicians this holiday season, with airport officials saying they want to add to the flying experience, especially since travelers are recommended to arrive earlier.

“Under normal circumstances, we advise them to get here 90 minutes earlier,” said airport spokeswoman Laurie Slothower. “For the holidays, we’re saying two to two and a half hours early because there are so many little stresses that can be alleviated if you get here early.”

Travelers who haven’t been to the new terminal – which opened in October – should check the airport website to be sure they know where their airline is located.

Anyone traveling with gifts might want to leave them unwrapped, as Transportation Security Administration officials may search the packages, and Slothower said snow globes are another holiday item to be wary of, as they typically cannot be taken in carry-on luggage due to their liquid content.

Bustling holiday traffic has a new soundtrack on Thursdays and Fridays – more harmonic than the typical footsteps, clacking luggage wheels and security announcements.

A number of local musicians perform on the third floor of Terminal B Thursdays and Fridays, giving travelers on layovers – as well as people waiting to meet passengers – something to listen to before they jet off.

For a schedule of all performers, click here.

“It’s something the airport wants to do to sort of thank customers,” Slothower said. “It’s something that’s pleasant for them.”

Ron Goldberg, a musician from Davis, sang and alternated playing a ukulele, guitar and mandolin Thursday afternoon.

Goldberg said he has been playing at the airport during the holidays for five years.

“My music is varietal,” he said. “I’ve tried lots of different styles in my lifetime, and I try to mix it up as best I can – folk and blues and country, reggae, calypso and a couple other directions.”

He added that the new terminal is quieter than the baggage return in the older Terminal A, allowing the music to be more pure.

“This is really a lovely spot,” he said. “This is a musically much more conducive sight.”

Passengers listening to Goldberg Thursday said the music gave them something to do during their downtime.

“If you’re not in a hurry, it’s a great thing to take a minute with,” said Mike Kolesar, a 55-year-old salesman from Elk Grove who travels through the airport about three times per week.

“This was perfect,” he said. “(Goldberg) interacted well with the audience and engaged us and asked us what we liked to hear.”

Kelly McDonald, a 50-year-old saleswoman from Seattle, said she thinks airports with live music provide a better experience.

“It’s a must,” she said. “It adds such a great level of charm to the atmosphere. Not a lot of airports are doing it, but it seems like more and more are, and it’s very enjoyable.”

The musicians performing at Sacramento International Airport are paid for their performances, with a total entertainment budget this holiday season of $18,500.

Ticketed passengers in Terminal B can spend their layovers or preflight waits getting free photos with Santa Claus at gate B17 until Dec. 23, Slothower added.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Indian restaurant opens on K Street in Midtown

2011-12-15T02:30:48Z

Indian cuisine arrived at the corner of 16th and K streets last week when Monsoon Indian Bar & Grill opened Dec. 8, and the response has been positive, co-owner Paul Singh said.

“I go to Yelp, and we’re getting reallygood reviews,” Singh said. “I think it’s a good barometer, and it also gives you feedback. People take the time to go and write, and I take them seriously, even though it’s only about 10 or so so far.”

Some of the most popular dishes so far, Singh said, are thechicken tikka masala, lamb Vindaloo and the samosa pakora appetizers – vegetarian-friendly pastry wraps of peas and rice.

“People are coming back for additional visits, and that gives me confidence,” Singh said.

Many of the nearby buildings house state offices, and some of those employees were in the restaurant for lunch on Wednesday.

“This is my first time trying Indian food,” said Nadine Jordan, a 50-year-old state employee from Sacramento. “It was an awesome experience. I’ve never tried it in my life, and it was absolutely good.”

Farzana Buksh, a 27-year-old state worker from Sacramento, is from an Indian background and said she thinks the food is authentic, though not necessarily what her mother would make at home.

“The food was really delicious,” she said. “I had the chicken tikka masala, and it was good.”

Erik Sweeting, a 28-year-old state worker from Rocklin, said he tried the mango prawns and enjoyed them as well as the naan.

“The service was very friendly,” he added. “I’ll definitely come back.”

Those unfamiliar with Indian cuisine are given samples of the food, Singh said. A new dish is in the works that will provide three samples of three different foods during lunchtime.

“We currently have a lunch deal that is very popular,” Singh said. “We call it the two for 20, and you get an appetizer, two meals of your choice, rice and naan bread for $20.”

Though the soft opening was last week, Singh said the grand opening will likely be the first week in January.

“We wanted to wait until after the holidays since everyone is so busy,” he said.

The interior décor, which Singh said he originally envisioned as being more traditional, is more modern – a result of the restaurant’s large window space.

Stockton-based interior designer Kathleen Jennison worked with Singh and his business partners.

“They wanted it to be Indian but also contemporary,” she said. “They were looking for a nightclub feel, but also a family-friendly atmosphere.”

Jennison said she wanted to evoke a sense of rain, given the restaurant’s name, and the gray and blue walls are accented by crystal light fixtures to give a feel of cloudiness with lightning. The concrete floors were polished to give a sense of shiny water.

One wall is red, which Jennison said is an homage to the colors of Indian spices.

Monsoon is open from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

The Porch opens in old Celestin's spot

2011-12-14T02:21:24Z

The Porch, a southern-style restaurant, opened Thursday and is celebrating its grand opening this week in the space built to hold the popular Celestin’s Island Eats & Cajun Cuisine, which closed in September.

“We’ve had a really nice response,” said co-owner John Lopez. “Everyone has said good things so far, and we have several people who have been back multiple times.”

Popular food items include shrimp and grits, fried chicken, homemade brisket and a shrimp purloo – andouille sausage, bell peppers, onions, shrimp, rice, blue crab gravy and grilled chicken.

Customers familiar with the layout of Celestin’s will notice several differences in the remodeled space. The floor-to-ceiling walls have been chopped to much lower heights, giving the restaurant a more open, less-compartmentalized feel. Bamboo floors cover the entire dining area, and a faux fireplace on a wall adjacent to several faux windows looking out to a Charleston plantation’s grounds give the feeling of being in a southern home.

“We wanted to open it up and make it feel welcoming,” Lopez said. “We took one of the server stations and turned it into a 12-foot family table that people can reserve now.”

The restaurant can seat about 110 people inside, and the namesake front porch is still under construction, with work expected to wrap up within the next week.

“We have gas lamps, and it’s going to look like a porch with white pickets along the railing,” Lopez said.

Grand opening events with drink specials will be continuing through Friday, with representatives from vendors such as Sudwerk, Lagunitas and Big Sky Brewing Co. coming.

A cocktail menu was devised by a bartender the owners met on a research trip to Charleston, and there are 12 beers on tap.

The custom-built wooden back bar area is designed to show off the restaurant’s whiskey and bourbon selections, and Lopez said he plans to add tastings with several flights – multiple small samples – of the spirits in the coming weeks, as well as with beer and wine.

Much of the ingredients in the menu items are locally supplied, with fish coming from farms in Sloughouse, sandwich bread from Old Soul Bakery in Sacramento and cornmeal from Grass Valley Grains of Wheatland.

Lopez, who also co-owns the nearby Capitol Garage, said brunch will be added to The Porch in January, featuring southern fare, though the menu is still being determined.

Approximately 30 employees work at the new restaurant, including four of the employees from Celestin’s. When Celestin’s closed in September and the co-owner Phoebe Celestin agreed to lease the space to The Porch, she said the new restaurateurs’ willingness to interview her former staffers made her happy.

Gregg Hill, a 47-year-old software developer from Rocklin, said during lunchtime Tuesday that the barbecue pork sandwich was good.

“The restaurant is big, and it’s nice and clean,” he said.

Another diner who stopped in for lunch was 32-year-old state worker Bentley Jorgenson of Sacramento.

“I liked to eat at Celestin’s, and I was sad to see it go,” he said. “(The Porch) is great. I was amazed with how they redid this place. It looks great.”

The Porch is located at 1815 K St. and is open from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and from 11 a.m. - midnight Thursday through Saturday. The “social hour” is from 3 - 6 p.m. daily and includes $1-off drink specials.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Ikon Cycles moves to larger Midtown location

2011-12-13T05:19:45Z

The 3-year-old Ikon Cycles bicycle shop recently relocated from its 18th Street location to a new spot on J Street, finishing construction last week.

Owner Adrian Moore, originally from Portland, came to Sacramento in 2004 and shortly thereafter decided to open a shop similar to the ones in his hometown.

“In Portland, there’s a lot of fiercely independent local stores,” he said. “I think of this shop as being like some of the locally owned ski and snowboard shops.”

The original location, 1126 18th St., was a 500-square-foot space, and Moore said some were skeptical that he could fit a bike shop inside, but it worked well.

Deciding to move to the new location, at 2318 J St., took the shop from what Moore called the best corner in Sacramento, but it meant a space about three times the size for the same price.

“It’s not quite as good for visibility, but it’s a high-traffic area, and I’m hoping as things get better, the foot traffic picks up, too,” Moore said.

The first thing customers see upon entering the shop is a large pipe sculpture Moore created. Coming out from the left wall, the PVC pipes stretch to the ceiling and branch out like a tree, and many have LED light fixtures in red, white and green – the colors of the Italian flag.

“We sell a lot of Italian products in here, so that made sense,” Moore said.

The industrial look to the space is complemented by bamboo benches suspended from the ceiling. A trio of bicycles are set up in the corner to provide state-of-the-art training to cyclists preparing to race or keep up their skills through the winter months.

“The trainer stations are amazingly popular,” Moore said. He added that unlike the more rudimentary Gold Sprints, where riders pedal a stationary bicycle for all they’re worth, the trainer stations at Ikon Cycles accurately simulate terrain, steering, wind resistance and a number of other factors, and video screens in front of the riders give the feel of a virtual tour of some of the famous cycling areas in the world.

“They have a lot of the major climbs, and they have several stages of the Tour de France,” Moore said.

Moore said his shop includes an eclectic mix of bicycles and gear, adding that customers can get everything from introductory bicycles all the way up to professional-grade cycles hand-built in Italy with carbon fiber frames.

“One thing we do that really no one else is doing is custom-fitting you for your bike,” he said, adding that an adjustable bicycle frame allows him to determine the proper size bicycle needed for a customer.

“If you’re riding for four hours, the fit of the bike will really determine whether you keep riding or whether you hang it up in your garage,” he said. “If you’re not comfortable on that bike, you’re not going to ride it.”

A seating area in the front of the shop underscores what Moore said is his priority when it comes to running a business – customer service.

“The only way to survive is by really being there for the customer,” he said. “We give them a place to sit, and we spend probably eight hours with a customer buying a bike before we ever get any cash handed to us.”

Kimio Bazett, co-owner of The Golden Bear bar, said he is a customer of Ikon Cycles and thinks the shop has a personality to it.

“The emphasis on people’s comfort and the feeling of welcoming is something you don’t really see too much of these days,” he said. “Having the living room lounge area where people are encouraged to hang out and get a feel for the place is better than the feeling of ‘buy something or get out.’ ”

Bazett said he bought a used bicycle and took it into Ikon Cycles for a tune-up, and he’s been going back for the past year and a half.

“Adrian (Moore) is part of this new breed of Sacramento entrepreneurs,” Bazett said. “I actually believe he’s not chasing the dollar, but he’s chasing the vision. He’s more interested in the aesthetic and the experience than he is about the bottom line.”

Moore said he enjoys being a part of the community, and he was the purchaser of the bicycles for the Midtown Ride Your Own Way bicycle share program.

Ikon Cycles is open 10:30 a.m. to at least 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 2318 J St.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Firewood supplier roundup

2011-12-10T01:14:38Z

As temperatures dip with the approach of winter, Sacramentans are turning to their fireplaces for added warmth. The Sacramento Press checked out a number of vendors who sell and deliver firewood as well as the regulations and safety of burning in your home.

Firewood is usually sold in cords or fractions of cords, and a single cord of wood is stacked 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet and can typically be held in two pickup truck beds.

Firewood vendors and fire officials stressed the need to burn only seasoned wood in fireplaces so it burns at the correct temperature and doesn’t cause damage to chimneys or stoves.

“Only burn approved products – no cardboard or paper products,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Bill Mendonca.

He also recommended getting a chimney inspection or cleaning at least once a year to ensure there are no obstructions or layers of creosote buildup – a byproduct of burning wood in fireplaces – that can be a fire hazard.

When it comes to Christmas trees, Mendonca recommended keeping the tree a safe distance from a fireplace so sparks can’t reach it and set it alight. He also emphasized that Christmas trees should not be burned at the end of the Christmas season because they aren’t seasoned, and the high temperatures from quickly burning needles can damage fireplaces and chimneys.

According to Cal Fire, people can cut their own wood with permits obtained through the federal government or in certain Cal Fire forest areas, but the wood needs to be seasoned a year before it is burned.

Once wood is seasoned – let sit in a dry space – it can be stored outside or inside, and it does not need to be covered, but should be dried for 20 minutes before burning.

In the Sacramento Metropolitan area, it is illegal to burn on certain days, so check the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s notices before burning.

M&M Firewood & Quality Cookingwood
6217 32nd St., North Highlands
614-9000

Secretary Leticia Mejia said the business has been around for more than 10 years and sells many different types of firewood.

“We have oak, almond and an almond mix, as well as lots of odds and ends,” she said. “A lot of people buy the oak or the almond for smoking meats, and we sell a lot of firewood to downtown restaurants and the public for heating purposes.”

M&M delivers in the Sacramento area, and prices vary depending on location, with delivery fees starting at $44. All firewood sold is seasoned for at least one year.

“We do offer kindling, and we’re open to the public so they can come in and pick up firewood,” Mejia said.

Tony’s Firewood
6000 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights
969-9663

Started in 1970 by husband and wife Tony and Connie Dorado, Tony’s Firewood sells oak, walnut, cherry, eucalyptus, cedar, pine and mixed woods, according to Linda Noe, daughter of the Dorados.

“We sell a lot of wood to restaurants as smoking wood and also to homeowners not only with wood-burning fireplaces but with inserts and stoves also,” she said. “We’ve been keeping Sacramento warm since 1970.”

Deliveries of wood are $35, and free delivery is offered in May and June. All wood carried this time of year is seasoned for at least a year. The wood is split and sold in 16-inch lengths with diameters of 5 to 7 inches.

NPC Firewood
8320 Hazel Ave in Orangevale and 11257 S. Ridge St. in Rancho Cordova.
853-9541

Owner Jeff Hadden said NPC Firewood carries a wide range of firewood including the common oaks, cedar and pine.

“We turn some of it into lumber, but most of the firewood we sell is seasoned about a year,” he said. Unseasoned wood is available as well.

NPC Firewood delivers throughout the Sacramento area for a $60 delivery fee for up to a cord.

Pak & Save Firewood
8385 Jackson Road, Sacramento
381-3143

Manager Javier Hernandez said popular types of firewood offered at the business include pine, walnut, almond, white oak and black oak.

All firewood sold is seasoned at least one year.

“We keep our wood covered, so it is always dry and ready to go into the fireplace,” he said. “A lot of our almond wood is used for people who smoke meats, and the rest is usually used for heating.”

Pak & Save delivers in the Sacramento area. Delivery fees start at $50 and vary depending on location.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Copper thefts hit city neighborhoods hard"

2011-12-09T21:25:52Z

I was just wondering what the cutoff date was before they put the pot metal or steel inserts in them.

Brandon Darnell on "New website focuses on Sacramento videos"

2011-12-09T21:25:04Z

Casey, It's all of the above. Alex Cosper made some of his own videos, some are user-submitted and others are preexisting ones such as the ones from the "A Place Called Sacramento" film festival that are going to be posted after permission is granted.

New website focuses on Sacramento videos

2011-12-09T01:46:50Z

SacTV.com, a website aiming to showcase videos that give a “virtual tour of Sacramento” launched Monday, with local radio veteran Alex Cosper at the helm.

“Basically, it’s like the YouTube of Sacramento, minus all the garbage,” he said Thursday.

The 49-year-old founder of the site said that “garbage” consists of videos with bad audio and recording qualities as well as really shaky camerawork.

“It’s a chance for anyone in Sacramento to voice an opinion or post a review that’s relevant to other Sacramentans,” he said.

Videos currently on the site include clips of Mayor Kevin Johnson’s pitch to keep the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, an aerial video of Folsom Lake and several musical performances.

All videos will actually be hosted on YouTube, but SacTV.com serves as a filter to ensure the videos shown add value to the site.

Topics can be on anything from the local music and arts scene to business and political issues or funny videos. Video reviews of restaurants and music events are some of the things he said he expects will be submitted the most.

Anyone can submit a video via a form on the website, and Cosper then determines if it’s a good fit. His long experience at the now-defunct radio station KWOD 106.5 allowed him to understand the types of things that appeal to locals, he said.

He started at KWOD in 1984 as an intern, then became assistant music director and music director before taking over as program director in 1991, a position he held until 1996 when he left the station.

“In that time, we went from one of the worst-rated stations to a top-five station,” Cosper said.

Cosper said he hopes to take the sense that helped him play a part in the radio station’s success to his current venture.

It’s an idea that’s been in the works for more than a decade, as he bought the domain name in 2000, but he only began building the site from scratch in mid-November.

The films currently on the site are his work, but he is partnering with local videographers and production companies to bring in more content.

One of those partners is the locally owned video production business The Studio Center, which primarily produces TV commercials and informational videos but also works with local creative filmmakers.

“I’ve known Alex from back in the days when he was in broadcast radio and I was in marketing and advertising,” said Frank Casanova, owner of The Studio Center. “He’s one of those creative people in town that’s always looking for where there’s a void that can be filled.”

Cosper approached Casanova earlier this week to talk about bringing some of the films The Studio Center worked with in relation to a cable access film festival called “A Place Like Sacramento.”

“We’ve produced about 30 short films and two feature films,” Casanova said. “He wants to put those films on the site, and it’s really a win-win for all of us, since the filmmakers get their work viewed by a wider audience.”

Casanova added that he thinks the site will be “a wonderful open venue” for Sacramentans to post videos that affect other local residents.

“Alex took KWOD from a nothing radio station to a powerhouse in its day,” Casanova said. “This is going to be something of value into the future. He really knows the Sacramento audience.”

Cosper said he wants the site to serve not only as a resource for locals, but as a place where others can learn about all the city has to offer before traveling to it or, possibly, before deciding to move to the city.

“I really want this site to be a virtual tour of Sacramento,” he said. “This is my hometown, and I know it better than any other city, and it’s a great place to be.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Windstorm destroys tree, not spirit

2011-12-08T01:06:38Z

A windstorm that destroyed the Christmas tree in Old Sacramento didn’t get the last laugh, as the company that provided the tree worked over several days to replace it out of pocket.

“There is really not a good explanation for what happened to the tree,” said Chris McSwain, district manager for the Old Sacramento Business Association. “The immediate cause is wind damage. I’d say two-thirds to three-fourths of the needles blew off.”

Last weekend’s windstorm might have turned a once-full tree to a skeleton, but that’s when the tree provider, Carlton Christmas Trees from the Redding area, stepped up to replace it.

“They’ve never seen anything like this happen in 40 or 50 years,” McSwain said. “They insisted on replacing it at no additional cost. They even brought people down here to undecorate the old tree and redecorate the new one.”

James Carlton of Carlton Christmas Trees said Wednesday that there was no question of replacing the tree, which sits at 100 K St.

“This is an unprecedented event that was caused because of the storm, and the last thing we wanted to do was see one of our customers deal with something beyond their control and ability to rectify,” he said. “We took it upon ourselves to do everything we could in our power and in a tight time constraint to try to restore it.”

The company, which also supplies trees to Union Square in San Francisco, Jack London Square in Oakland and the Bellagio in Las Vegas, harvests its trees from the area around Mount Shasta.

The first tree was a 60-foot white fir that weighed 7,500 pounds when it was delivered. It cost $13,000 and was paid for by sponsorships from businesses and residents. The new tree, though shorter at 54 feet, still weighs more than 3 tons and is fuller near the top, appearing taller to some, McSwain said.

“It’s bigger than the one at the Capitol, which is around 40 feet, but it’s smaller than the one at the U.S. Capitol, which is about 65 feet,” he added.

Replacing the tree was no small task, Carlton said, adding that all the tree-cutting and hauling equipment had been removed from the mountain, as it was late in the year to be getting large trees in place – something typically done by mid-November.

“We had to first locate a tree, and once we located it, mobilize our equipment to get it up on the mountain, and then we applied a preservative to the tree, and we cut 24 hours after that,” he said. “There’s a lot of logistics that had to occur over a short period of time.”

Workers from Carlton Christmas Trees began removing decorations from the old tree Monday morning, and the new tree arrived on Tuesday morning. They spent Tuesday taking down the old tree and putting up the new one, and Wednesday was spent redecorating the new tree.

“Our goal is to be done by noon (Thursday),” Carlton said Wednesday afternoon.

Video by Chris McSwain

Nick Marks, a 50-year-old Sacramentan who works in fugitive recovery for bail bonds companies, said he thinks the tree company is doing a good job.

“I was here after the storm, and the old tree just looked like it was bent,” he said. “This one’s a lot fuller, and it’s nice that they’re taking care of it for free. It looks really nice.”

The tree is part of the Theatre of Lights show, and Kelsey Leaird, a 23-year-old supervisor at the Steamers bakery and cafe at 101 K St., said it’s important to business.

“It brings in a ton of crowds,” she said, adding that the tree is an important part of the draw.

“The old tree was pretty scraggly after the storm,” she said. “Before, it was a beautiful tree. Unfortunately, we had the huge windstorm, and it fell apart.”

She said the new tree is something to once again be proud of.

“Some people had some ideas to fix the old one, like taking greenery from tree farms and wire-tying it on, but this is a lot better,” she said. “Once the company came out and saw it, they brought a new one in right away.”

McSwain said the unfortunate incident showcased the holiday spirit.

“Carlton is a family-owned business,” he said. “It’s really one of those good business stories about the way businesses really look out for their customers. Some people were calling the old one a ‘Charlie Brown Christmas tree,’ but it’s really about the spirit of Christmas, not the tree. And now we have both.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Man on the Street: business after cars on K"

2011-12-07T20:29:26Z

You're right. It will take a long time and more than just cars if it is to change. Police calls for service are down since the same time last year, a fact they attribute to the new location of the Greyhound terminal. If the 700 and 800 blocks are successfully redeveloped and start to thrive, I think K Street will be a very different place in a decade.

Brandon Darnell on "Man on the Street: business after cars on K"

2011-12-07T18:10:55Z

Hi Mark, There was no intention of "I told you so" in this article. It's just an update to let people know what those who are there on a daily basis are seeing. We all know these things take a while to have any effect, as some of those interviewed pointed out. I stood at the light rail stop in front of the Crest for 10 minutes before I saw a car on the street for the photo. The natural question most who don't travel K Street every day would have is, "Are there cars on it now, and is there any change?" That's what this was about.

Brandon Darnell on "The Sacramento Press on 'Insight'"

2011-12-07T18:06:02Z

Thank you, Bill!

The Sacramento Press on 'Insight'

2011-12-07T02:02:03Z

City Council election drama, a potential swap of high school campuses, new businesses and two Sacramento Press contests were all topics I discussed with Jeffrey Callison Tuesday morning on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight” program.

Elections are quite a ways away, but the District 2 City Council race is already heating up as some accuse candidate Kim Mack of using an email list from her time working on the Obama campaign to push for a Strong Mayor initiative for Mayor Kevin Johnson. Mack denies sharing the email list with the Strong Mayor backers. Read more by clicking here.

Another contentious issue in the city right now has to do with education – more specifically education facilities. The Sacramento City Unified School District board floated the idea of swapping Sacramento Charter High School and West Campus – two high schools that sit about two miles apart. Proponents say moving the public West Campus school to the old Sacramento High School facility – which now houses the charter school – would provide a pedestrian-friendly comprehensive school for the area. Opponents say there is no reason to swap them, and moving schools will only put a different set of students in an inadequate facility.

As the ongoing Occupy Sacramento movement stays in the news, one Sacramento Press reader asked Sacramento Police Officer Michelle Lazark in her weekly column about the difference between camping in Cesar Chavez Plaza and in front of stores for deals. Lazark replied that police enforce the no-camping ordinance on public property, but typically don’t do so on private property unless business owners ask them to or there are “No Loitering” signs posted.

A pair of coffee roasters with about a decade of experience each are opening Insight Coffee Roasters, a new coffee bar and roasting house in Southside Park. The duo plans to focus on sustainable coffee, working directly with growers in Latin America and selling only organic milk and sugar in their drinks.

The old Fog Mountain Cafe business in the City Hall Garage will soon be replaced by a barbecue eatery: Big Joe’s BBQ. Fog Mountain closed in April, and the city forgave some of the lease in order to bring Big Joe’s on as soon as possible.

Bringing as much comedy as drama, Sacra-Melo – a musical theater parody group – opened on the Delta King in Old Sacramento in late September. Actors don’t stay strictly to the script, but interact with the audience and work with piano accompaniment to give a show the owners say is unique in the area.

Finally, a pair of contests on The Sacramento Press gives readers the chance to be more interactive with the site and earn some prizes at the same time. “To Catch an Error” is in its second month and gives readers the chance to help us improve the quality of content on the site. For more information on how you can take part – and win a meal at Zócalo – click here. The second contest is the third annual Journalism Open, which runs for the month of January. Is there something you think should be in the news? You have the chance to put it there and win prizes – with the first place winner taking home $600. For more details and rules, click here.

Man on the Street: business after cars on K

2011-12-07T01:50:25Z

It’s been almost one month since cars returned to K Street between Eighth and 12th streets, and The Sacramento Press asked business owners and managers on the former pedestrian mall if they have observed any differences as a result.

To read about the reopening of the K Street Mall to vehicular traffic, click here.

Larry Bethune, 25-year-old shift leader at Quiznos, 902 K St.

“I think it allows a lot more people to know about the different restaurants on K Street,” Bethune said. “It hasn’t increased business yet because there’s nowhere to park. There’s a lot about a block from here with purple fence around it. If they turned that into a parking lot, then having cars on the street would turn into a really great idea.”

Veni Sharma, 63-year-old co-owner of DeRow & Sharma Clothier & Tailors, 916 K St.

“It’s too early to tell, but it’s improved a little bit,” Sharma said. “People are still learning they can drive down here. It’s a positive thing.”

Chuck Karajeh, 51-year-old owner of Midtown Market, 1026 K St.

“There’s been no change so far,” Karajeh said. “I don’t think it’s going to change anything. To me, well, I’ve been here a long time. I don’t think people are going to stop, and there’s no parking. If they had street parking, it would help.”

Chris Dooley, 32-year-old bar manager at Ella Dining Room & Bar, 1131 K St.

“We’re still doing the same, but we have always had a street with cars on it, since we’re on the corner (of 12th and K streets),” Dooley said. “For some, I’m sure bringing cars back has increased business. It definitely makes the street more approachable to pedestrians and families, so it’s more accessible now.”

Jesse Lua, 29-year-old manager of Blimpie Subs & Salads, 1023 K St.

“There’s been no change,” Lua said. “It really hasn’t gotten any traffic at all. I don’t think it’ll do anything without parking. The only traffic I’ve seen is maybe some cabs, but there hasn’t been an accident yet.”

Sid Garcia-Heberger, 46-year-old general manager of the Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

“I’m seeing increased activity on the street,” Garcia-Heberger said. “Most of the increased activity is on the weekends and at night. I think people are still getting used to it. Once more people know about it, I think it will really help.”

What is your perception of the changes to K Street over the past month, since cars were allowed. Have you driven down the former pedestrian mall? Let us know in the conversation below.

New coffee bar focuses on community, sustainability

2011-12-05T03:28:28Z

Two Sacramentans with a decade each working in local coffee bars are set to branch out on their own this week as they open Insight Coffee Roasters at Eighth and S streets.

Ben Lance and Lucky Rodrigues met about five years ago when they both worked at Temple Coffee, and their idea of what a coffee business should be is set to open Wednesday – possibly as early as Monday or Tuesday if all goes well.

“We’re opening this to stay in coffee, not just to own something in coffee,” Rodrigues said. “We want to do this our whole lives, and this is a way to stay in it and not earn minimum wage in our 40s.”

The premise of the business is to keep things simple while providing sustainable coffee to the Southside Park area, Lance said.

“Simplicity is the most effective concept,” Lance said. “We’re working directly with coffee growers in El Salvador and Guatemala. We’re actually going down there in a couple of weeks to meet them and see their sustainable business and know that they’re able to put a roof over their families’ heads.”

Working through Atlantic Specialty – a business that connects coffee roasters in the United States with coffee growers – Lance said Insight Coffee will be able to trace where each shipment is coming from and know that it’s not exploitative.

“We want to work with like-minded people,” Rodrigues said. “We’re really into sustainability, and we have a high attention to detail, so it’s nice to work with people who feel the same way.”

In keeping with the simplicity theme, furniture consists of a few couches along the back wall of the roughly 2,000-square-foot cafe area, wooden counters along the windows and a host of wooden tables built by Rodrigues. Chairs in the space are theater seats built in 1918 that used to be in the basement of the Masonic Lodge on J Street.

The space will hold 40 people, and Rodrigues said the emphasis is on community, with large communal tables and an open atmosphere.

Lance said that free Wi-Fi will be offered, but there are only about eight outlets in the seating area.

“We don’t want this to be a place where everyone is clicking away on their laptops and you’re afraid to make a sound,” Lance said. “We want you to play a board game or sit and have a conversation.”

Music will be provided by an old record player, and Lance said he wants to bring the work of local artists in two or three times per month to make use of the extensive wall space.

All the coffee will be French press, and while iced drinks will be available, there aren’t any plans to provide blended iced drinks or smoothies.

A standard cup of coffee will cost $2.25, and the most expensive drinks will be about $4.50.

A unique style of brewing using Chemex coffeemakers will be available, in which coffee is brewed in a hand-blown glass pitcher to the customer’s specifications. The 24-ounce vessel will cost $5 and is meant to be shared.

All milk and sugar in the business will be organic, with the milk being the Crystal organic line, from cows that live near Chico, Lance said.

“It will be reflected in the price, maybe a nickel or 10 cents more per cup, but it’s organic from the start,” he said.

The coffee roaster, in the approximately 2,000-square-foot space behind the cafe, was custom-made in Nevada.

Business hours will be 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. every day, and Lance said if business levels dictate, he will extend them. He said he also plans to bring in live music, with local bands playing two or three nights per week once Insight Coffee is up and running.

Another future addition, Rodrigues said, will be a beer bottle shop.

“We’re just waiting on our license,” he said. “We want to bring in beers from abroad – beers that follow sort of the same idea as our coffee. We want this place to be a mature area where people can lounge and have a drink, without being a bar.”

Insight Coffee Roasters, 1901 Eighth St., will be open from 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. every day. The scheduled opening date is Wednesday. For more information, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: This story has been updated after it was published. The website link was added.

Local whiskey bottle collection sheds light on social history

2011-12-01T01:39:51Z

A slice of life in pre-Prohibition Sacramento was on display at the Sacramento County Historical Society’s monthly meeting Tuesday night as saloon ware collector Steve Abbott gave a presentation on artifacts from the 1860s through the 1920s.

The Sacramento Press caught up with Abbott Wednesday for a more in-depth look at his collection.

“I come from a family of collectors,” the 73-year-old retired English teacher from Rancho Cordova said. “One day I was in Old Sacramento in an antique store, and I saw an old whiskey bottle for $7. That was when I got into it – about 30 years ago.”

While whiskey was made back east, in states such as Kentucky, Ohio, New York and Indiana, it was shipped to Sacramento in 50-gallon barrels, where local distributors would bottle it with their own labels and sell it.

“It’s more than just a collection,” said Sacramento County Historical Society Vice President William Burg. “These are artifacts either produced here or used here, and they provide some insight into Sacramento’s social history.”

Whiskey bottles are the focus of Abbott’s collection – and he has about 95 whiskey bottles from Sacramento – but the range of other objects associated with the whiskey bottles, known as “go-withs” in the collecting world, includes serving trays, tip trays, advertisements and shot glasses.

Abbott said collecting Sacramento’s whiskey bottles really got going in the 1960s, as people dug them up in Old Sacramento and brought them to flea markets and antique stores.

“There used to be good flea markets in Old Sac and in Folsom, but they’re gone now,” he said. “Most of the good stuff is in collections, but you find something every once in a while.”

Abbott said he recently purchased a shot glass collection, hoping to add one of a few missing items to his collection, but he came up empty and plans to sell off the duplicates.

His oldest artifact is a paper sign advertising WM. T. Cutter Jr.’s Whiskey, made in San Francisco in 1862. In excellent condition, it was preserved by the fact that someone used it as backing for a photo and a lithograph in a picture frame.

The sign, he said, is the oldest one known to exist in the west, and he declined to speculate on its value.

“Most of these sorts of things – it’s amazing they survived Prohibition,” Abbott said.

Many of his items are rare. A set of Snow Flake Whiskey bottles includes an example that is one of 15 known to exist. Snow Flake Whiskey, he added, was named after a racehorse.

Smaller bottles, known as “picnic flasks,” or “pumpkin seeds” due to their shape, were produced by six Sacramento companies.

Decorations on the bottles range from paper labels to embossing, where the name of the distributor is shaped in the glass.

Several years ago, Abbott expanded his collection to include beer glasses and memorabilia, and he has numerous artifacts from the Buffalo Brewing Company and Ruhstaller Beer, a brand recently reintroduced to Sacramento.

From a historian’s perspective, Burg said, it’s interesting to see everyday artifacts used in times past.

“It’s something that is identified with an experience people can relate to,” he said. “It’s the idea of the history of everyday life, rather than thinking of history as a series of dates and important people doing important things. History is also made up of regular people doing regular things.”

Today, for example, if someone goes to a restaurant, being handed a plastic tip tray with a bill on it is common. The only change from 100 years ago is that, in the past, the tip tray might have been a painted metal tray made in Germany – worth several hundred dollars on today’s market.

Abbott said collectors collect for a variety of reasons, including interest in history or as an investment. Some, he said, enjoy knowing they have something other collector’s don’t.

For Abbott, however, the draw is mostly decoration.

“I like the look of the stuff,” he said. “Plus, it’s a lot more manly than collecting china or something.”

Those interested in antique saloon ware can see more of it at the upcoming 34th annual bottle show and sale put on by the 49er Historical Bottle Association in Auburn Friday and Saturday.

Those interested in learning more about Sacramento’s beer history can view the KVIE documentary “On Tap” here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Freshii closes, reopens as Fresca Deli

2011-11-29T01:52:06Z

Freshii, a health-conscious walk-up eatery located at 400 Q St., morphed into Fresca Deli over the holiday weekend in a move the owner said is meant to appeal more to the people who dine in the area.

“Ultimately, that concept didn’t suit the demographic of this area,” said co-owner Eric Heffel, explaining that the adjacent cafeteria in the CalPERS building is always full.

“What we’ve started doing is more sandwiches and hearty soups, but we still have healthy options here,” he added.

The interior looks similar, although Freshii signage has been removed.

At Freshii, customers filled out menu cards to make custom food items, or they could choose from a list. Fresca Deli uses a more standard menu.

The same staff is making the food, and some items, such as the pozole soup and a quesadilla, are their creations. The rest of the recipes came from Heffel’s co-owner, Larry Shield.

“He’s kind of a Texas boy,” Heffel said. “He went back to his roots.”

Grilled cheese with a choice of meats, chicken salad sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches and even a hot meatloaf sandwich are all on the menu. Sandwiches range in price from $4.50 to $8.50, and all are offered as combo meals with soup or sides such as potato salad and coleslaw.

“Nothing on the menu is over 10 bucks, even the combos,” Heffel said. “We had to be really conscious of competing with the cafeteria. We want to provide better food for the same or better price.”

Wraps, grilled burritos, salads and soups are also available, and all the food is purchased from local wholesalers. The Yogurtagogo frozen yogurt is still available.

Soups include pozole – a traditional Mexican soup, cream of tomato basil, Asian lemongrass, and shrimp and corn chowder.

Freshii was open for about eight months, and Heffel said the revenue projections have shown for some time that the concept didn’t work out for the location.

Customers entering the new space, he said, will see a completely different menu, but if they look closer, they will see influences from Freshii.

“We still use brown rice for all of our bowls and our wraps, and we have a number of salads available,” Heffel said.

Monday was the first day the rebranded business was open, and Heffel said it was too soon to determine its success.

“We won’t know until people start coming back,” he said. “Most of our business is to-go orders, so we will see what the feedback is.”

In addition to serving the largely state-employed lunch crowd, Heffel said he wants to make Fresca Deli a local hangout.

With that goal in mind, he brought in a Foosball table, is showing the American Film Institute’s Top 100 films on a TV and, like he did when it was Freshii, will be featuring live local music on the patio.

“When the weather was warmer, we had blues jam sessions every Thursday night for about four months,” he said. “We will be bringing back more local music once it warms up again.”

Heffel said the break from Freshii was straightforward, with no major problems. For a time, catering will not be available, but he said that will change once the deli gets up and running.

The work done over the weekend largely consisted of reorganizing the kitchen area and making sure that the new food being offered could be produced efficiently.

People eating at the restaurant on Monday afternoon said they found it to be convenient and affordable.

“I haven’t tried (Freshii) for a long time, but I like this,” said Amil Chandrasekara, a 40-year-old CalPERS employee. “The price is good, and the food is good.”

Roxane Divol, a 39-year-old consultant from San Francisco, said the prices are good, and the deli is another option for those looking to eat in the area.

“It’s a regular deli,” she said. “It’s nothing fantastic, but the prices are good and it’s convenient.”

Fresca Deli, located at 400 Q St., is open from 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Monsoon to bring Indian cuisine to 16th and K

2011-11-28T05:41:56Z

Monsoon Indian Bar & Grill is scheduled to open the first week of December in the building at 16th and K streets that formerly housed Spin Burger Bar and Bistro 33.

“It’s going to be fresh food, prepared daily,” said co-owner Chan Singh. “This is Indian food where we use spices to enhance the flavors of the food, not overkill it.”

Singh, originally from Delhi, India, came to North America in the 1990s, getting into the restaurant business in Toronto, Canada, opening his original Monsoon location.

Singh said his business in Toronto is well-run by his managers, allowing him to come to Sacramento and focus on the new venture.

In India, the monsoon season typically lasts from June to September, and it’s a special time, according to Singh.

“It’s considered to be kind of a romantic time in India,” he said. “You have five to six months of 100-plus temperatures, and then the monsoon comes, and it really brings everything to life and cools down. People love to go out and have fun and eat.”

The restaurant, which will be open seven days per week, will serve lunch and dinner and have a full bar. A limited late-night menu will be available after about 10 p.m., and Indian-themed cocktails will be available as well, Singh said.

The food will be traditional Indian, served to Singh’s specifications.

“It’s going to be the kind of food I like to eat,” he said. “If I wouldn’t want to eat it, why would I serve it?”

Chicken Vindaloo, a spicy dish from the Goa region; Kerala fish, a fish topped with coconut sauce, peppercorns and curry leaves; chicken tikka masala, roasted chicken in a curry sauce; and numerous other dishes including shrimp and salmon will be available.

In addition, there will be a variety of what Singh said are more modern dishes in India, including a dish with chicken atop a coconut chickpea sauce and lamp chops in a creamy curry sauce.

A range of vegetarian items will be available as well.

Full menu details are still being worked out, as is the cocktail selection. Prices for food will range from around $10 for vegetarian items to $12 - $15 for non-vegetarian items. The lunch menu will be less-expensive, with food running from about $8 - $10.

The 2,800-square-foot restaurant will seat about 95 people inside, and the existing patio will be retained.

Most recently, the space held Spin Burger Bar, which evolved from Bistro 33.

“We originally wanted to decorate it in a traditional Indian way, but when we saw the building, it’s very modern, so we will have a more modern influence,” Singh said.

Some of the décor will be paintings imported from India.

While Singh is not a Sacramentan, he said he will be living here for the foreseeable future as the restaurant gets started, and he has two local partners.

“We were looking in Roseville, but when we saw that this space was available, we knew we had to come here. I don’t think there is anything else like this around here.”

Jennifer Young, a 41-year-old state worker from Sacramento who works in the area, said the restaurant will be a nice complement to the area.

“I like curry,” she said Wednesday afternoon. “I’ll definitely try it out.”

Young said that, with numerous state office buildings in the area, affordable food will likely be key to staying in business.

Another nearby state worker, 27-year-old Abby Eddy of Sacramento, said she thinks the corner location is the perfect spot for a restaurant, and it will be successful if it provides a good late-night option for diners and those looking for drinks.

“I’ll definitely give it a shot,” she said.

Monsoon Indian Bar & Grill, 1020 16th St., is scheduled to be open from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Man on the Street: Black Friday

2011-11-25T06:14:25Z

Black Friday: To some, it’s THE day to kick off the Christmas shopping season and snag unbelievable deals on high-end items, even if it means camping overnight or cutting a Thanksgiving meal short. To others, it’s a day to avoid shopping centers at all costs.

The Sacramento Press asked locals to share their Black Friday plans, strategies and experiences. Here is what they had to say:

Ramona Powell, a 54-year-old transportation consultant from Sacramento, said she plans to do some shopping on Friday.

“I’ve looked online at what Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target, JC Penney’s and Macy’s have,” she said. “My tradition has been to go out at about 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving and camp out.”

She said her best deal was a $199 laptop from Best Buy a few years ago. However, with some stores opening at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, she said she might shop online this year instead of cutting her dinner short.

Jessica Russell, a 30-year-old in the military from Syracuse, N.Y., said she is in Sacramento visiting family and will hit the stores on Black Friday.

“You get the paper on Thursday, check out the ads and decide what you want,” she said. “Then you figure out which store you’re going to and head straight for the deals.”

Russell’s brother, 25-year-old Justin Russell, is a Sacramentan who is also in the military.

“I’m going to be watching the kids while my wife and sister go shopping,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t want to go do that.”

Lana Hom, a 48-year-old nurse from Sacramento, said she will be going shopping with her family when the stores open at midnight on Thanksgiving.

“We’re planning to shop,” she said. “We’re going to leave dinner a little early and get to the stores.”

She added that she only shops in a small group, since having too many people would just slow them down.

For some, such as 16-year-old student Jose Guerra of West Sacramento, Black Friday is a good time to socialize and spend time with friends on a day off.

“Go to the mall and get a coffee to keep you warm,” he said. “I’m going to buy as many things as I can get good deals on, maybe an iPad, some shoes and a hat.”

For 43-year-old Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, Black Friday isn’t the most important shopping day.

“There’s one sale a year that I do,” he said. “It’s the day after Christmas, when Nordstrom has their men’s suits and dress shirts on sale. I get up at 5:30 in the morning.”

Regarding Black Friday, Ault said he has found lately that a lot of deals can be had online that are similar to those in stores, and it’s not necessary to get up at 4 a.m.

“I don’t really look at Black Friday as the best time to get deals,” he said.

Do you have any Black Friday stories, deals or strategies you’d like to share? Let us know in the conversation below.

Brandon Darnell on "New East Sac deli pleases locals"

2011-11-23T18:55:29Z

Hi Rose, Thanks for pointing that out, and I am sorry about that. It has been fixed.

New East Sac deli pleases locals

2011-11-23T03:58:43Z

East Sacramento’s month-old Juno’s Kitchen & Delicatessen focuses on serving sustainable food out of a small space with a name inspired by a unique dog.

“Juno is a very unusual dog,” owner Mark Helms said of the pit bull/bull terrier mix. “She likes to swim underwater; she likes to carry around sticks that are like twice her weight. She’s an extreme athlete.”

Helms and his wife, Susan Vasques, opened Juno’s, located at 3617 J St., at the end of October, mere months after selling their restaurant in The Pocket, Ravenous Cafe.

They sold the upscale American-style restaurant to be closer to home, Helms said.

“I always wanted to have a place where bread was kind of the focus,” Helms said, explaining that most of the bread products are made in-house in a pizza oven that was already installed in the 1,100-square-foot space. They are then sliced on one of his prized possessions: an electric bread slicer that dates back to the 1940s.

The shop offers a wide range of sandwiches for lunch and dinner, including Vietnamese-style banh mi pork sandwiches, steak sandwiches, salmon sandwiches and grilled burgers. Also on the menu are dishes such as couscous.

Ingredients are grown locally, and nitrate-free meats and cage-free eggs are used. All sauces are made fresh in-house as well.

“That’s really important to me,” Helms said. “We don’t want to have a bunch of processed food in here. We’re serving something that’s really higher-end, but at a more reasonable price.”

Sandwiches range from $8 - $12, and Helms said he expects to bring in some new dishes in the near future, including scallops with curry served on bread.

Helms said the pizza oven – a leftover from when the space was Pizza Guys – allows him to bake airy bread, since it can cook with steam.

The bread is one thing customers eating at the deli took notice of Tuesday afternoon.

Sarah Miles, a 38-year-old registered nurse from Curtis Park, said the baguette on her steak sandwich was perfect.

“Sometimes baguettes are too hard, but this one was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside,” she said. “The meat is really tender, and the mushrooms are like butter in your mouth.”

Miles was brought to the restaurant by her friend, 52-year-old Rose Varesio, an instructor at Sacramento State.

Varesio, however, praised the fact that there wasn’t any bread on her sandwich.

“I don’t eat gluten, and I don’t eat pork,” she said. “My banh mi doesn’t have bread or meat, and I really like it that way. They’ll work with you to make you exactly what you want, whether it’s vegan or gluten-free or whatever.”

Though without bread the sandwich was directly on the plate, Varesio said it was still very tasty.

She added that she lives nearby and has already picked it out as a favorite where she takes her friends.

“I love this place,” she said.

Helms, 44, said he has lived in the area for more than 20 years, and the response from customers has been better than he expected, with more than 200 people coming in one day – a surprise for a place that seats 12 people inside and 12 more on the patio.

“I wanted to set this up to be available for a lot of takeout,” he said, adding that the business is also available for catering.

Julie Holt, a 46-year-old Sacramento City College professor from the Arden area, came to Juno’s with her parents for her birthday Tuesday.

“It was amazing,” she said, adding that she had a burger with caramelized onions and Manchego cheese, a style from central Spain. “The bun was great, and it was the perfect size – not too much and not too little.”

The restaurant is currently open from 11:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though that might change as business demands, Helms said.

“I’ve been a chef all my life,” Helms said. “This is my life, and it’s what I want to do. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Editorial Note: Spelling corrections have been made to this story. Rose Varesio's name has been corrected.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Latino culture center faces deep budget gap

2011-11-22T01:20:51Z

La Raza Galería Posada is in a situation similar to many local arts organizations, needing to raise about $25,000 in the next two and a half months to stay open.

“We receive a lot of our funding from grants, but those have gone down significantly since about 2005,” said Executive Director Marie Acosta.

La Raza Galería Posada has been a culture center and art gallery for the past 40 years. It started as a bookstore, then morphed into a gallery. Acosta said it currently serves to give exposure to up-and-coming Latino and Chicano artists.

Private donors are being called upon to help raise the funds, and Acosta said that the organization has a mailing list of about 2,500 people, so if each person donated $10, it would provide the needed funds.

A call put out a couple of weeks ago was encouraging, she said.

“We got a lot of checks, and a lot of them were more than $10, and even more than $20,” she said. “The problem was, we didn’t get 2,000 of them.”

With arts organizations lacking funding across the board, La Raza Galería Posada’s story isn’t unique, and Acosta said she hopes to see the type of success that the Sacramento Opera saw when it needed to raise funds from private donations earlier this year.

Funding for La Raza Galería Posada, which in years past has ranged from $50,000 - $70,000, dropped to about $30,000 this year as government funds for nonprofit organizations were cut, and other funding sources decreased.

One organization that has given grants to La Raza Galería Posada is the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that distributes grants based on community needs.

“I think La Raza is increasingly meeting the changing demographic, but also becoming relevant to our mainstream community as well,” said Priscilla Enriquez, chief giving officer for the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

She added that data for Sacramento shows that there is no majority ethnicity, and Latinos are a growing population in the area.

Another organization that has supported La Raza Galería Posada is the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission.

“We’ve supported them for about 30 years, and we really believe in what they do,” said SMAC Executive Director Rhyena Halpern. “It’s a really important community-based organization, and they do really high-quality programming.”

She added that the inclusion of performing arts, films and other media has expanded the organization’s offerings in recent years.

“We have quite a few Mexican folkloric dance groups, but La Raza is really what we have here in terms of visual and performing arts,” Halpern said. “They’re the main Chicano, Latino and Native American arts organization, and they’re really important.”

One example of the expanded offering of La Raza Galería Posada, Acosta said, is the recent Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebration, which allowed approximately 40 families to build traditional Day of the Dead altars at no cost.

“It’s not just Latinos and Chicanos who come in here,” Acosta said. “We are a resource for students throughout the area who are learning Spanish or studying history and lots of other subjects.”

For the month of December, La Raza Galería Posada will house 14 vendors selling handmade items with Latino/Chicano roots in its Mercado Navideño, or Christmas market.

If the money is not raised by the end of January, Acosta said La Raza Galería Posada will be forced to go on hiatus, but she hopes that doesn’t happen.

“There is strong hope that we will raise the money,” she said. “I know a lot of people care about us and like having us here, and the economy is bad, but they have been willing to give when they hear about our situation.”

La Raza Galería Posada is located at 1022-1024 22nd St. in Midtown. To donate, follow the link on the organization’s website.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

City retrofits parking garages, saves $1.1 million

2011-11-19T01:09:31Z

Sacramento is currently replacing lighting in parking garages that will save an estimated $1.1 million over 11 years with no out-of-pocket expenses to the city.

Older, less-efficient fluorescent lighting is currently being replaced by LED lighting, which will cut the energy usage by more than 50 percent, and five of the city’s eight parking garages finished being upgraded about two weeks ago, according to city officials. The other three will be completed in February.

The five completed ones are Capitol Garage (10th and L streets), Downtown Plaza West Garage (Third and L streets), Downtown Plaza Central Garage (Fifth and J streets), City Hall Garage (10th and I streets) and Tower Bridge Garage (Front Street and Capitol Mall).

Max Lofing, of Lofings Lighting on J Street told The Sacramento Press that the city’s move to retrofit parking garage lighting has numerous benefits.

“Not only are they saving on energy costs, but they are also saving on maintenance costs for replacing them when they burn out, since the LEDs last about twice as long as the fluorescents,” he said. “Also, there’s no mercury in LEDs, which is a concern with fluorescent tubes when they are disposed of.”

Lofing, whose company is contracting for the work, said the LEDs also provide better lighting.

“A lot of people think of LEDs as sort of the dim ones that didn’t work really well when they first came out,” he said. “There’s a huge difference in LEDs, depending on which ones you get, and the modern ones do a great job.”

That lighting has added benefits when it comes to safety, according to Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

“Poor lighting is one of the things that we look at when we see if there’s anything that could be changed when it comes to preventing crime,” he said. “If somebody has poor lighting, that often leads to criminal activity, so I can imagine if lighting was good in a parking garage, then it could serve as a deterrent to crime.”

The cost to retrofit the garages was $1.3 million, and that cost was covered in its entirety, with no out-of-pocket expense to the city, according to a Department of Transportation press release.

Incentives from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District covered $181,000 of the cost, $289,000 came from a rebate from the Energy Technology Assistance Program – administered by the state, and the rest was covered by a federal grant.

City Councilman Steve Cohn, who last year retired as the No. 2 attorney for SMUD, said upgrading to LEDs makes economic sense if they will be in place for a number of years.

“They last longer and use a lot less energy,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense for a renter who is going to leave in six months because of the up-front costs, but for something like the parking garages or people who own their homes, it saves a lot of money.”

He added that the city switched to LEDs in traffic signals several years ago, which cuts on costs but was mainly for safety, given that LEDs show up better in adverse weather conditions than traditional light bulbs.

The current phase of renovation replaces 1,700 fixtures in five parking garages and the city will realize the return on investment in five years, according to a press release, which also estimates that the reduction in energy use is equivalent to planting more than 250,000 carbon-absorbing trees.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Local vegan shop reopens in new location

2011-11-18T01:49:26Z

Never Felt Better Vegan Shop, which reopened Nov. 4 in a new location at 19th and P streets, offers not only vegan food, but a range of products made in what the owners say are ethical methods by local vegans.

“Everything we offer is vegan-friendly,” said Jen Fosnight, co-owner of the store. “Nothing here was tested on animals, and there are no animal products in anything here.”

She said the shop is not just for vegans, but for anyone who wants a wide range of goods.

The boutique offers non-leather belts and wallets, vegan nacho cheese, vegan tamales, other assorted vegan and fair-trade food items, soaps, artwork produced by local vegans and even clothing made locally that promotes animal rights.

Monica Engebretson, 37, is a co-owner of the Puppy Bird clothing line – sold in the store – and worker for Born Free USA, an animal rights nonprofit organization.

“Jen asked me if I wanted to sell my clothing line in her shop, and I’m a vegan, so it seemed like a perfect fit,” Engebretson said.

She added that she and Fosnight met through Sacramento’s craft scene, as Fosnight makes jewelry.

“I like having her shop here because I can go in there and find products that maybe aren’t available or carried in other local stores,” Engebretson said. “There’s lots of local handmade items, so I know I’m not supporting sweatshops and exploitative models of consumerism.”

Engebretson said she gets clothing from secondhand stores and screen prints images of animals with quotations about preserving animal habitat and caring for animals. Oftentimes, she screen prints the images on patches and applies them to the clothes.

“We turn the clothes into a statement,” she said.

She added that seeing a vegan shop in Sacramento is “a sign that Sacramento is growing up and getting hip and getting with the times.”

Fosnight said she became a vegan about eight years ago, and her husband, Shawn Fosnight, has been a vegan for about 22 years.

Together, they decided to open the store about two years ago. Originally in an upstairs location at 24th and K streets, the move to the new location Nov. 4 provided more visibility and translated to increased foot traffic in the store.

“We are definitely not just for vegans,” Shawn Fosnight said. “Anyone can come in here, and a lot of people love the soaps, and even a lot of non-vegans buy the food because it is healthier and locally produced.”

Jeannie Trizzino, 48, is a vegan from Chico who stopped in the store Thursday morning.

“I love it here,” she said. “I can come here and buy whatever is in the store and not have to worry about looking at the labels.”

She added that places such as Trader Joe’s are selling more vegan food, and though it is well-marked, it is often mixed in with non-vegan food.

“Anyone can come in here and poke around,” Trizzino said. “They can see that being vegan isn’t hard, and it’s good for them and for animals.”

Jen Fosnight said that,as the store gains recognition, she wants Never Felt Better Vegan Shop to be a resource for vegans and non-vegans alike who would like to find out more about ethically produced items, local produce and animal rights.

One of the items Shawn Fosnight said many non-vegans come to the shop for is fair-trade chocolate, which like fair-trade coffee is produced in a manner friendly to workers and the environment.

The store is also used as a spot for people to meet up on a variety of topics, Jen Fosnight said. From 6 - 9 p.m. Dec. 10, the store will host a vegan cookie exchange, where people can bring in their favorite vegan cookies and exchange them with others.

From 6 - 9 p.m. Dec. 17, Jen Fosnight said the shop will hold a workshop on how to veganize beauty and makeup practices, including a list of products that don’t include animal products or test on animals, as well as where to get them locally.

Never Felt Better Vegan Shop is located at 1910 P St. and is open from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturdays and noon - 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information on upcoming events, check the company’s website.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Photo essay: La Tavola linen rentals

2011-11-17T01:32:45Z

More than 1,500 linen items from napkins to tablecloths and chair cushions are available for rent at La Tavola Fine Linen Rental, which has operated out of 1221 19th St. for about six months.

Whitney Werts, marketing manager for La Tavola, said much of the business centers on linen rentals for events such as weddings, holiday parties and other receptions.

“We import fabrics from all over the world and manufacture everything ourselves, and then we rent that out to customers,” she said.

The business started in Napa four years ago, then expanded to Southern California. With a strong client base in Sacramento, Werts said it made sense to open a store in the area. The Sacramento location is in a building formerly occupied by Le Petit Paris, which closed last year.

Sharing the former Le Petit Paris spot is the next-door Devine Gelateria.

The company is owned by Betsy and Herb Stone of Napa, who previously owned two other rental businesses that were subsequently bought out by larger corporations.

“No order is too small,” Werts said, adding that standard tablecloths made of polycotton linens are about $18 each, and napkins cost 75 cents each. Shipping orders in the Sacramento area costs about $25, or customers can pick them up at the store.

Tablecloths, table runners, chair covers and cushions are all produced in standard sizes, Werts said. For complete size listing, check the La Tavola website.

All linens are laundered at the facility in Napa upon their return, Werts said.

The satellite showrooms, such as the one in Sacramento, stock a complete set of the linens, and when orders are given, they arrive from a 65,000-square-foot warehouse in Napa.

“At the very minimum, we need to know three or four days before the event,” Werts said.

The business is open from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed from noon - 1 p.m.

Editorial Note: Spelling corrections have been made to this story after it was published.

Ruhstaller beer makes Sacramento comeback

2011-11-16T05:49:27Z

A Sacramento entrepreneur is looking to bridge past and present with the resurrection of one of Sacramento’s most-recognized names in beer: Ruhstaller.

J-E Paino, a native San Franciscan who grew up in Houston before moving to Davis for college, settled on the idea of marketing new, California-grown and brewed beer under the classic Ruhstaller name about two years ago, and he officially launched the product Tuesday night at Mulvaney’s B&L, 1215 19th St.

“As I researched Sacramento’s brewing history, the guy that kept coming up over and over again was Ruhstaller,” Paino said Monday.

Frank Ruhstaller left Switzerland for the United States in the mid-1800s, and he made his way to Sacramento, setting up his brewery in the old City Brewery in 1881, Paino said. Shortly after, he became a partner in the Buffalo Brewery.

William Burg, a member of the Sacramento Heritage Board of Directors and other local historical societies, said the Buffalo Brewery was a virtual “Who’s Who” of prominent Sacramento brewers.

“Ruhstaller’s son took over his business and may have run (the Buffalo Brewery) for a while,” Burg said. He added that Ruhstaller was adept at marketing – producing numerous novelty items, plates, mugs and other beer-related merchandise that remain highly collectible today.

Paino said Sacramento was a natural site for brewing around the turn of the century, with hops growing from the area of Campus Commons out to Sloughouse, and the rivers provided ready access to ship all over the region as well as Asia.

Under Paino’s ownership, Ruhstaller is produced in two varieties – the Ruhstaller 1881 and Hop Sac ’11.

“The 1881 is a California red ale,” Paino said, explaining that all the hops are grown in California near the Oregon border. Without any malting houses in California, the undried hops are shipped to Vancouver, Wash., malted, and returned to Sacramento for brewing.

According to Paino, using the hops without drying them gives the beer a unique flavor. Much like wine, in which the drinker can taste the variation in each vintage based on weather conditions, soil and a number of other factors, the 1881 ale gets a unique flavor from California.

The Hop Sac ’11 is an orange-colored ale also made with California hops. Paino said the name is an homage to Sacramento’s history of harvesting hops, which were placed in burlap sacks.

The recipes are not the same as the originals, Paino said, since the original recipes were far different from what is popular today.

Paino said he has been producing the beer for about four months, and he has had to brew it at local breweries – including Hoppy Brewing Co. – when they have space, as he does not yet have a commercial facility.

Patrick Mulvaney, owner of Mulvaney’s B&L restaurant, said Ruhstaller beers have been the most-asked-for brews he carries at the restaurant.

The beers, so far only available on tap, can be found at several local eateries. For a complete list, click here.

Tyler Zurcher, a 31-year-old Sacramento filmmaker, said he was well aware of the Ruhstaller name, having studied Sacramento’s brewing history.

“J-E said he was going to bring back Ruhstaller, and I said, ‘Great, can I try it?’ and it was really good,” Zurcher said. “It’s a unique name that these guys brought back, and I think it’s awesome that they’re doing that.”

Burg said that, from a historian’s standpoint, he is happy to see more interest in an era of Sacramento history that is often overlooked.

“There were 17 or so breweries within the grid, total, before Prohibition,” he said. “People are realizing our history is marketable. For a long time, people assumed no one would have any interest after the Gold Rush and the Transcontinental Railroad, but there is a rich industrial history here.”

Rob Robertson, a 35-year-old software developer from Sacramento, said he isn’t familiar with the history, but he found it interesting after reading a little bit about it on the Ruhstaller website.

“So far, this beer has been at really all the premium places, and it’s really tasty and hoppy,” he said. “It’s hoppalicious.”

Paino said he is happy with the popularity of the beer, with demand outpacing supply. He plans to begin offering the beer in a bottle, possibly in 2012, in addition to kegs.

“When Ruhstaller came to Sacramento, it was a place where you didn’t need to be someone to become someone,” Paino said. “And that’s something that hasn’t changed.”

For more information about Sacramento’s brewing history, Paino and Burg said Ed Carroll’s book, “Sacramento’s Breweries” is a good read.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Newsbeat shuts doors on 20th Street

2011-11-15T04:13:53Z

Editorial Note: This story has been updated since it was published.

Newsbeat, a business that some called Sacramento’s last newsstand, closed over the weekend, leaving an empty space in the popular MARRS Building.

“It’s a tragedy for our building. A tragedy,” said Pete Haynes, owner of the next-door Denim Spot. “They were a pillar of the Midtown and Sacramento community. We’ve definitely lost a piece of our culture.”

The independently owned Newsbeat, 1050 20th St., sold hard-to-find magazines and candies, greeting cards and a mix of other goods.

Terrence Lott, co-owner of the store, said that in comparison to his other Newsbeat location in Davis – which remains open – some of the “bread and butter” business never materialized, including sales of candy, cigarettes and cigars.

“The building is trafficked significantly, but we never had that kind of neighborhood destination,” he said.

He added that opening in the space took a big capital investment, and the building is one of the higher-rent places in Sacramento, and revenues didn’t recoup the costs.

Newsbeat was open in the MARRS building for four almost four years, and before that, it was at 10th and L streets for 16 years.

Lott didn’t rule out the possibility of opening another space sometime in the future, but said there are currently no plans.

“We’re just ind of taking a step back,” he said. “There’s a lot to figure out about the idea of selling print media.”

On the closing days, Lott said the community support was touching, with longtime customers stopping by, some bringing cookies and other baked goods.

“That was rewarding and reinforcing,” Lott said. “That makes you just believe in community.”

Mike Heller, property developer overseeing the MARRS Building, said in an email Monday that the business plan was not viable, and the general economy “contributed greatly” to the business’ closure.

He said he will now look to bring in another tenant for the building.

Haynes said business has slowed considerably on the block in the past year – and high rents with a much smaller Second Saturday Art Walk crowd have hurt all the businesses.

Valeri Simons, a 51-year-old who works at the nearby Headhunters bar and lounge, 1930 K St., echoed Haynes’ statements.

“It’s been pretty slow lately,” she said. “That’s terrible that they’re gone. I think it’s definitely a loss to the area.”

Simons added that she used to purchase cards at the store, since it was close and had a better selection than many of the larger chain stores.

Haynes said the business stocked items that simply weren’t available elsewhere.

“They were so unique, people came from all over because they knew they could find or quickly get access to magazines maybe you could only get in Europe,” he said.

Brian Crall, owner of the Sacramento Comedy Spot in the same building, said Newsbeat will be missed.

“It’s a great ma and pa store, but the economy is really tough,” he said.

Nicholas Avey, a 27-year-old freelance graphic designer from Midtown, said he went into Newsbeat a few times to buy postcards and magazines.

“It’s sad,” he said, adding that he doesn’t plan to make the drive to the Davis store.

Crall said that it was disconcerting to see the moving truck packing up the last of the store fixtures Monday night.

“It’s really upsetting to see when somebody goes out of business,” he said. “I’m an independent business owner myself. We do the best we can every single day, and it’s sad when you see somebody who has put so much of their life into it have to close down.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Local blog tracks restaurants, happy hours

2011-11-11T19:23:33Z

When Darrel Ng moved to Sacramento from San Francisco in 2003, he made it a point to learn where the best happy hour deals were, and as he took more and more interest in the local restaurant scene, he decided to share his findings, launching the blog Cowtown Eats in 2009.

“I used to work at the Capitol, and we were always asking each other who had the best happy hours,” Ng said. “Most of us were from out of town, and it was frustrating trying to find the best value.”

Now a public relations professional for the health industry, Ng said his blog isn’t so much a source of income as a passion for the local dining scene, but he did say it helps fund his happy hour research trips.

Cowtown Eats, which now has about 35,000 page views per month and close to 8,000 unique visitors, has continually updated information about the local restaurant scene, be it Ng’s original writing, posting of daily deal coupons for restaurants or links to stories covered by various local media outlets.

“I post twice a day, and I spend about 45 minutes each night working on those, then I just schedule them for the next day,” Ng said.

As for the name, Ng said he wanted to take the traditionally negative connotation of Sacramento as a “cow town” and turn it into something positive.

One 23-year-old Sacramentan, Chris Odneal, took a path similar to Ng’s, moving to Sacramento from the Bay Area about a year ago to work in the Capitol.

“Most of us move up here from all over the state, and we were looking for places to go,” Odneal said. “Someone suggested Cowtown Eats to me, and we found it to be one of the most useful spots for compiling where all the happy hours are in Sacramento.”

Odneal said he uses it to find happy hours with good value when it comes time to celebrate birthdays or other events.

“It’s a great tool for folks moving into Sacramento and trying to figure out where the best places are,” he said. “You can click on a day of the week and find the best deals out there.”

Ng said he thinks the success of his blog – which lists between 100 and 150 happy hours – is due to the level of detail he provides.

“Some other blogs might have numbers, like they say a certain place carries domestic drafts for $2, but I say exactly which beers they have,” Ng said. “They might do it as a business, but I have a real passion for it, and I think that comes through.”

He added that he focuses on value. While a $2 happy hour deal might sound good, sometimes the food isn’t necessarily worth it, and maybe a $30 meal special at a place that’s traditionally more expensive is a much higher value for the dollar.

Reviewing restaurants is something he does rarely.

“Not everyone has the same palate, and besides, food review sites are a dime a dozen,” Ng said. “If I find something amazing, I’ll post about it, like maybe a seasonal burger at the Mini Burger Truck or something.”

Ng said he learns about new events in a variety of ways, be it simply walking around the city, talking to restaurant owners and workers, or, in some cases, hearing directly from restaurants themselves.

“Some of the ones with more sophisticated marketing teams send me emails when they have something new,” Ng said.

One of those is the Paragary Restaurant Group.

“I think he has a really good readership of kind of that foodie community,” said Callista Wengler, marketing director for the Paragary Restaurant Group. “For us, that’s the ultimate in terms of customers, because if you can get the foodies, there’s a whole network you want to reach out to.”

In addition to sharing ideas with Ng on a professional level, Wengler said she frequently reads Cowtown Eats when she’s looking for something new, as well as to learn about other restaurants.

In the future, Ng said, he plans to create a more permanent logo and updated design for the blog, but he has no specific timeframe for that.

“I’m still kind of surprised so many people read it,” he said with a laugh. “I never knew it would grow like it did, but I’m really enjoying it.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

French pastry shop coming to K Street downtown

2011-11-11T01:20:54Z

French desserts will once again be available at the corner of Ninth and K streets downtown as the owner of a popular East Sacramento cupcake shop plans to open Estelle’s Patisserie on Dec. 1 in the building that formerly housed Danielle’s Creperie.

“This has been my lifelong passion,” said owner Esther Son. “I’ve always dreamed of owning a bakery, ever since I was a little girl.”

Though not traditionally trained as a baker, Son said she considers herself self-taught, and she has extensive experience in coming up with recipes and tweaking them until they’re perfect.

Her cupcake shop, Esther’s Cupcakes, has been in business at 2600 Fair Oaks Blvd. for two years.

“We were always coming downtown because we had a lot of clients at the Capitol,” she said. “The politicians and the lobbyists would bring in our cupcakes for gifts at fundraisers, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger used to order from us.”

The pastry shop, however, will have a much broader set of goods. Some of the menu items include French macarons, croissants, green tea madeleines, fresh strawberry cakes, puff pastries, French baguettes and even sandwiches such as ham and cheese on a croissant.

Fruit tarts and quiches loaded with vegetables will also be available, and coffee from Temple Coffee will be sold.

Most desserts will be in the $3-$4 range, and Son said customers will be able to get lunch and a drink for about $8.

Though Son is Korean-American, she said she chose to focus on French desserts, starting at the roots, and then modifying them with Asian and American influences.

“The root of all dessert and pastry making is French,” Son said. “Not that American, Asian or Italian styles aren’t as good, but I wanted to go back to the roots and then improvise.”

The name Estelle, she said, is the French version of Esther, so it was a natural choice.

A self-described perfectionist, Son said she and her staff – the patisserie will employ about 10 workers – spent six months perfecting the croissant.

“We boast of our butter croissants,” she said. “We don’t buy pre-mixed or frozen croissants. It’s 100 percent homemade, and there are not many of those in town. It’s really flaky and buttery.”

With a husband who is a physician, Son said that even though her business has a variety of desserts, being health-conscious is still important.

“We need to educate people on what good dessert is,” she said. “Some people are used to Twinkies, and they are so unnaturally sweet and oily, but a dessert doesn’t have to be overwhelming.”

To get away from processed foods and make even a buttery croissant more healthy than the alternative, Son said she focuses on using high-quality ingredients bought from local sources whenever possible.

“We avoid shortening and corn syrup,” she said. “It’s hard to say dessert is healthy, but you can work on it by reducing those kinds of ingredients.”

Also available will be diabetic-friendly and vegan items. There will also be “almost-gluten-free” items, and Son explained that to legally call something gluten-free, it must be produced on separate equipment, which is something she isn’t set up to do.

One of the clients of her other business, Esther’s Cupcakes, is the J. Crew store in Arden Fair Mall.

“We use Esther for her cupcakes for special events for our store clients,” said Manager Sophie Pena. “Her cupcakes are a special, unique treat. They look amazing; they taste amazing. You just look at them, and you can tell they’re hers.”

Pena said she is looking forward to going down to the patisserie and trying Son’s other baked goods once it opens.

The building, at 901 K St., was formerly Danielle’s Creperie. At 3,000 square feet, it has a seating area of about 1,000 square feet that can hold 25-30 people. A few more tables will be put on the fenced-in patio that fronts K Street.

K Street will open to vehicular traffic for the first time since the 1960s on Saturday, and Son said that was one of the reasons she chose to open a downtown location.

“I’m really excited to see the city and urban life turn around, and I want to be a part of this,” she said. “If I can make a little change to the downtown lifestyle, I’ll be so honored.”

That sentiment, according to Downtown Sacramento Partnership Business Recruitment Director Valerie Mamone-Werder, is key to turning around the blighted K Street area that has seen improvement over the past year with the opening of numerous new businesses, including Tequila Museo Myahuel and the nightlife trio of Pizza Rock, District 30 and Dive Bar.

“I think that getting these tenants, these merchants and retailers that really get downtown is refreshing,” she said. “We have a lot of naysayers, but we have people who see downtown for what it is and can be, and she sees what we do have, and what’s coming.”

Having lived in Sacramento for the past 10 years, Son, 34, said she plans to raise her two children, ages 5 and 6, in the area.

Also scheduled for late winter and early spring openings are another cupcake shop in the Westfield Galleria at Roseville Mall and another Estelle’s Patisserie in the Arden area.

“I’m not here to come in and then go out of business in five years,” Son said. “I plan on being here for the long haul.”

Estelle’s Patisserie, 901 K St., will initially be open from 6 a.m. - 7 p.m. on weekdays. If business warrants, Son said, she will stay open on weekends.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Capitol Mall design competition winners announced

2011-11-10T07:35:37Z

A pair of landscape architects, including a Sacramento native, took home first place in the Catalyst Capitol Mall Design Competition with a vision of turning the corridor from Tower Bridge to the Capitol into a reborn urban forest.

The competition was put on by the city of Sacramento, the American Institute of Architects and other local organizations, including the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, to help gather ideas to transform Capitol Mall after the state handed it over to city control in 2006.

The winners were announced at an awards ceremony Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo building at 400 Capitol Mall. First place received a $20,000 prize, second place received $10,000 and third place received $5,000.

“We wanted to look at this ecologically,” said Kimberly Garza, who along with Andrew ten Brink submitted the winning design, called Sacramento's Capitol Canopy. “We looked at the current state of the urban canopy, and many of these trees are reaching the end of their lifespans. There needs to be a system to address that, but in a smart way that unfolds across the city.”

Garza grew up in Sacramento, attending high school in Natomas before graduating with a degree in landscape architecture from UC Berkeley. She then went on to Harvard, where she met ten Brink. She currently works in Somerville, Mass., and ten Brink works in New York.

“I was very familiar with the city of Sacramento, and that was what first excited me about the project,” Garza said. “Our project challenges the traditional tree mall design that you typically see.”

Three different plant cultures are envisioned in the design: a pine forest, oak woodlands and a riparian section up against the river.

The design includes a demonstration area with WiFi around the front of the Capitol, a family-friendly gathering area closer to the river with interactive features for kids and a riverfront promenade.

As Capitol Mall nears the Crocker Art Museum, the design includes a sculpture park, and near Interstate 5, a small amphitheater.

“We stayed away from an infrastructure overhaul, and even though there are lots of trees, we made sure to keep the visual corridor from the bridge to the Capitol,” Garza said.

The second-place winner was a four-person team from San Francisco, which submitted a design called River City Promenade.

Geoffrey Barton, an architectural designer on the team, said they took advantage of many of the existing structures and looked to increase transit connectivity, including bicycle lanes and adding a bicycle trail.

To view the winning designs, including the third-place prize and four honorable mention prizes, click here.

One of the honorable mention winners, Sam Wolfgram, received extra recognition by winning the public vote with more than half of the 300 votes submitted through the Catalyst website. His design is called Connect + Preserve.

Wolfgram moved to Sacramento about three years ago from Savannah, Ga., and he said the similarity in the two cities’ grid systems inspired him to bring more bicycle connectivity to the Capitol Mall area.

“I’m also an avid music-goer, and that’s kind of my favorite thing to do in Midtown,” he said. “I designed this map on the front page of my proposal that could be like a music or arts festival map.”

Wolfgram said his design would allow Sacramento to host a decent-sized music festival.

He said he would also add parallel parking to Capitol Mall, which would encourage people to park in front of businesses as well as give it a feel consistent with other areas in the city.

City Councilman Steve Cohn, long a proponent of revamping Capitol Mall, said Wednesday that he was happy that more than 40 professional submissions came in from all over the world.

“This is our signature street,” he said. “It’s probably the most famous street in Sacramento, it’s got the best views on either end with the Capitol and Tower Bridge, and yet any given day, there’s hardly anyone out on the street ... It’s a space that could be so much more.”

Cohn added that bridges across Interstate 5 are currently in the early stages, and that will help connect Old Sacramento – where most tourists go – to other parts of the city via Capitol Mall.

He also said streetcars will eventually be built and will help increase transportation efficiency around Capitol Mall, though not directly on it.

Kris Barkley, competition adviser to the city on behalf of the American Institute of Architects, said that having ideas before gathering the money to finance them is the key, and the Catalyst Capitol Mall Design Competition is the first step in what will eventually be a totally redone corridor that historically served as the gateway to the city.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Family-owned Lofings Lighting turns 50 Friday

2011-11-09T01:01:48Z

From the Governor’s Mansion to the living rooms of DIY remodelers and commercial offices, Lofings Lighting has supplied light fixtures, supplies and repairs from its J Street location for 50 years.

C.L. "Roy" Lofing started the business on Nov. 11, 1961 with his wife, Barbara, and son, Don. Even though he recently celebrated his 90th birthday, Roy Lofing said he is happy to come into the business regularly and be with his family, which now has three generations working at the store.

“Words can hardly explain it,” he said. “It’s fabulous.”

Lofing’s grandson, Max Lofing, said Tuesday that the upcoming 50th anniversary of the company’s founding is an exciting event he’s happy to witness.

“It’s a real sense of pride for a family-run business to be able to go that long,” he said. “I think it shows our commitment to our family and the community.”

He added that the company’s ability to evolve, stay abreast of technological developments and provide knowledgeable staff on all aspects of lighting has enabled it to stay alive through several recessions and remain an industry leader. Owners said they often lobby at the state Capitol as representatives the lighting industry as well. Additionally, the company gets to preview new light technology before it comes out.

Pointing at a new LED product that has been on the market for about a year and is being pushed by the Sacramento Metropolitan Utilities District as an energy-saving device, Max Lofing said Roy Lofing was called in by the manufacturer about two years before it went to market for suggestions.

“That’s one way we stay on the bleeding edge of technology,” Max Lofing said. “We really feel it’s our job to know everything about lighting that we can and really have a passion for it.”

But it's not always about the ultra-modern. Lofings Lighting has also worked on several high-profile landmarks, including Hearst Castle and the Winchester Mystery House.

Max Lofing and sister Wendy Lofing-Rossotti said the most basic part of successfully running a business is the tried-and-true method of putting customer service and product knowledge first.

“We want a long-term relationship with all of our customers,” Lofing-Rossotti said. “We really focus on taking care of them and making sure we do our best. A dissatisfied customer isn’t good for anyone.”

One of Lofings Lighting’s satisfied customers is Ron Kingston, a 60-year-old Sacramento lobbyist who has been going to the store for several years.

“The way they earn my loyalty is through customer service and knowledge of lighting,” he said. “I know few stores where they can tell you why the product really works, what’s unique about it and know the available product base systemically. They’re extremely comprehensive.”

He said that if anything needs tweaking or repairing, or if there is any other service needed, Lofings Lighting will send someone out to solve the problem.

“They’re like the old physicians. They make house calls,” he said with a laugh. “You can buy a light fixture at Home Depot, but that’s not what Lofings is about. They’re going to give you a unique level of advice.”

Lofing-Rossotti said that level of advice is what has enabled Lofings Lighting to stay strong even as big-box stores and large corporations have expanded.

“We’re really flexible, and also, we can do whatever we want,” she said, adding that the only people the company needs to clear any decision with are the other family members.

Lofing-Rossotti and Max Lofing said that while some view the business as dealing in only high-end lighting, they have something available for nearly every budget.

“They always stand behind the products and the service,” said Julie Haney, 55, of JMH Architecture. “I’ve worked with them since 1992, and I love working with them because of their knowledge of updated lighting technology like LEDs and fluorescents.”

Haney, whose company is based in Davis, said she usually works on residential remodels and likes that someone from Lofings Lighting will come out to a job site.

“I love it that they’re also family,” she said. “The grandfather’s in there, the dad’s in there and the kids are in there.”

Lofing-Rossotti and Max Lofing said they learned the importance of a good work ethic growing up with the business, and they’ve done every type of job, including dusting light fixtures in the showroom.

Their sister, Michelle Puzdrakiewicz, worked with them when they were growing up and went on to be a pediatrician.

“I think it taught us all a really good work ethic,” Lofing-Rossotti said, adding that her 7-year-old and Max Lofing’s kids, 3 and 5, will likely work in the store when they’re in high school.

The business is still located in the original building at 2121 J St. Five years ago, a second building was added, directly across the street, where customers can preview lighting styles.

“That allows them to see the true effect of the light they are looking at and what it will do, without all the other lights shining in the showroom,” Lofing-Rossotti said.

Don Lofing, Roy Lofing’s son, said he’s excited that the business reaches the 50-year milestone Friday.

“It’s been a good ride,” he said. “It’s an amazing feeling, and it’s really great to be here working with my family and being together all the time.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: This article has been updated after it was published.

Ernesto's Mexican Food celebrates 20 years

2011-11-08T02:17:30Z

Despite challenging times, Ernesto’s Mexican Food in Midtown will celebrate 20 years in business next week, and owner Pauline Jiménez said the key to success has been focusing on quality food and service.

“We’re a neighborhood restaurant,” Jiménez said. “I’ve lived in the community for 50 years, and I think for the past 20 years we have been a staple here, and we are still going strong.”

For 13 of the past 20 years, Jiménez said, Ernesto’s – located at 1901 16th St. – has been listed as best Mexican restaurant in Sacramento Magazine and has received other recognition in local contests.

The business opened Nov. 18, 1991 in a space that was best-known for a Chinese restaurant, The Golden Buddha, which operated for 40 years. A pizza restaurant was there for three years in between.

To celebrate the milestone, the restaurant is preparing a $20 prix-fixe menu for two people, which will include an appetizer, two entrées and dessert. The special menu will be available Nov. 17-19 starting at 6 p.m.

The local Mariachi Mi Tierra Mariachi band will perform each night starting at 6:30.

Tequila tastings will also be held during the celebration, with Jose Cuervo Tradicional tequila being used in all margaritas – without a price change.

“We partnered with Jose Cuervo, so people are getting the premium tequila for the same price for our anniversary,” Jiménez said.

The menu items have not yet been set, said Director of Operations Dani Jiménez-Pareja, granddaughter of Jiménez, adding that it will include several of the restaurant’s most popular items.

“Our carnitas are one of our most popular dishes,” she said. “A lot of people really like our tortilla soup, and the chili rellenos are good, too.”

Jiménez said that while the industrial section of the nearby neighborhood hasn’t changed too much, restaurants in the nearby blocks have come and gone.

“These times are tough,” Jiménez said. “We have had to look at places where we can save, but we don’t jeopardize the quality of our food, and we haven’t raised our prices in four or five years.”

Jiménez added that of the changes seen over the past two decades, most of them have had to do with the day-to-day running of the business, from remodeling the building after the first year to the advent of touch-screen computers for sending orders to the kitchen.

“We also made our food more healthy,” she said.

Jiménez-Pareja said eliminating trans fat and offering more healthy options with kids meals – such as fruit and vegetables – have all been recent changes in a trend toward more healthy eating, and more is coming.

“We’re working to have less sodium in the food,” she said. “That’s probably the next thing the health departments will focus on, and it just masks the flavor anyway. We’d rather have the natural flavor of the food come through.”

Jiménez said the natural flavors are key to the flavor palate of Mexican cuisine, and she only buys fresh ingredients, from local markets whenever possible.

“You get better food. It’s a healthier food when you get it fresh from the market,” Jiménez said.

Another change when vegetarianism became more widespread shortly after the restaurant’s opening was switching soup bases from chicken broth to vegetable broth.

Alyssa Bressen, a 23-year-old from Las Vegas, ate at the restaurant for the first time Monday afternoon. She came to Sacramento to visit relatives.

“These are seriously the best carnitas I’ve ever had,” she said. “They know how to do them right here.”

Sophie Bressem, a 49-year-old Sacramentan, said she thinks the chile verde is the best dish on the menu, and the restaurant is a place she takes family members and friends when they come to visit.

“I’ve been coming here for years,” she said. “I eat here at least once a month, if not more. It’s great food, a great atmosphere and it’s got great music.”

Jiménez said she enjoys the business, and even at age 74, she is happy to continue coming in to work every day, and she has done all the jobs except dishwashing and serving.

“I’ve been in the kitchen, I’ve bussed tables and I’ve hosted. In the early years, I had to do quite a bit, but now I don’t,” she said.

“It’s a tough business,” she added. “When people come to me and tell me they want to open a restaurant, I think they must be mad, but if you have the patience and the will, you can do it. I love coming to work every day, and I’ll keep doing it as long as I can.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Gourmet seafood restaurant coming to downtown Sacramento"

2011-11-07T19:05:01Z

William, I was always taught that "historic" buildings are those historical buildings with special significance, such as the Great Pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, or locally Sutter's Fort. In the section you quoted, that is how I read it. She mentions a treaty being historic, while later on, she mentions documents being historical. So I see it as Sutter's Fort = historic, and my house (built in 1920) = historical. It seems more natural to say historic, so I did check it out before publishing, and the State Parks Department has a "Historical Building Code" (http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21410). Now, I might be placing less historical significance to those buildings, in which case I would defer to your better knowledge of the subject. And of course, it is entirely possible that I was taught wrong and am reading too much into something simple.

Brandon Darnell on "Gourmet seafood restaurant coming to downtown Sacramento"

2011-11-06T20:05:10Z

Thanks for the comment. However, "historical" is correct in this sense. Here is a link to the explanation from a free site, but the gist of it is that "historic" usually refers to an important event or occasion, and "historical" is a general adjective meaning something is from history. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/historic-versus-historical.aspx

Gourmet seafood restaurant coming to downtown Sacramento

2011-11-05T02:01:20Z

Two historical downtown buildings are being refurbished, and they will soon house Blackbird Kitchen & Bar, a seafood restaurant that owner Carina Lampkin said will serve “gourmet food at hipster prices” and is expected to open in December.

The approximately 3,500-square-foot building was formerly two separate buildings, 1013 and 1015 Ninth St., and both date back to the 1930s.

“Blackbird is a compilation of all of my experience so far,” said the 30-year-old Lampkin. “I grew up on the East Coast and spent every summer in Maine. In 2003, I moved to San Francisco and went to culinary school.”

After spending almost a decade cooking at restaurants in San Francisco, Lampkin made the move to Sacramento and partnered with Rachel Kelley, a 27-year-old pastry chef who spent the past four years working at Ella, and Shayne “7evin” Iles, a graphic designer, marketer and DJ who will be the general manager.

While Lampkin isn’t sharing too many details of what the menu will hold, she said the restaurant will feature a variety of fish, including salmon, cod, halibut and mahi-mahi. She said she also loves working with dungeness crab and lobster.

Both Lampkin and Kelley will work in the kitchen, along with other local talent they have recruited.

Oysters – both raw and cooked – will also be on the menu, and non-seafood items such as steak, chicken and pork will be available.

“Our kitchen is basically the same size as our dining room,” Lampkin said. “We have a lot of space to make a lot of different types of food.”

Before Blackbird, the space housed a Thai restaurant.

When it comes to dessert creations, Kelley said she will be using fresh, seasonal ingredients, and her double-chocolate ice cream is one of her favorite dishes.

Prices have not been set, but Lampkin said she wants to provide excellent, affordable food.

“None of us is looking to get rich off of this,” she said. “We know times are hard, and if we break even on our high-cost items like fish, I’ll be happy.”

The owners said they are happy to be in historical buildings.

“The building on the left was Skagg’s Cash Store, the predecessor to Safeway,” 7evin said. “The other one, at 1015 (Ninth St.), was built by the Dean brothers in 1933, the same people who built Memorial Auditorium.”

Setting up in historical buildings at first seemed challenging, as the restaurateurs realized there were restrictions on what they could and could not demolish inside, but in the end, it turned out for the better, Lampkin said.

“When we’re done with the interior, it’s going to be amazing,” she said. “And we’re not three kids coming from the Bay Area with money – we’re doing a lot of the work ourselves. I never expected to be scraping paint, but that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Work on the interior is still under way, and the three partners said they are enjoying designing it but look forward to its completion.

“The great thing about (Lampkin, Kelley and 7evin) is that they have a vision, and yet even with their vision and artistic abilities, they are still willing to listen to the preservation department, and they have truly partnered to make that space pop,” said Valerie Mamone-Werder, business recruitment manager for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

She added that that section of the city is an important area for economic development, with nearby K Street readying to open to vehicular traffic.

“I think we’ve seen a lot of success from 12th (Street) to 10th Street, and this feels like a natural progression down the street and around the corner, and that’s very exciting,” she said.

For those looking for a preview of the food to come at Blackbird, the restaurant will be participating in a celebration for bringing cars back to K Street scheduled for 4 p.m. Nov. 12 at 12th and K streets.

“We’ll be out there with our fish tacos and a few other things,” Lampkin said.

Looking to do more with the space than simply serve food, Lampkin said a large cocktail selection will be available as well, and art will feature prominently in the space.

“I feel like Sacramento is a true artists’ community,” Lampkin said. “In San Francisco, rent is too expensive to really foster that community, but Sacramento’s arts community is amazing.”

7evin, who works in graphic design and marketing but is also a DJ, said the restaurant will not have any dance space, but DJs will be brought in to perform for the diners.

“It’s not going to just be people with two turntables and a mixer,” he said. “It’s people who are really performers, who are mixing live and really creating art.”

The most noticeable artwork displayed by the restaurant won’t actually be inside. The exterior space will feature a wall painting of 7evin’s graphic rendition of Lampkin’s idea to showcase a flock of blackbirds taking flight from a tree.

Lampkin said that when she woke up after being in a car accident in 2005, she heard the Beatles’ song “Blackbird,” and it stuck with her. Sadly, her close friend did not survive the collision, and Lampkin said she has since learned that many cultures believe the dead communicate with the living through blackbirds.

“I didn’t even know that until after I named the restaurant, but it’s really fitting,” she said.

Initially, the restaurant will be able to seat 50 people, and Lampkin said that after six months of being open, she plans to add another 25 seats.

Sean Kohmescher, owner of Temple Coffee, which has a location across the street, said he is happy to see Blackbird opening.

“I’ve met them quite a few times, and they seem like great people,” he said. “I’ve had their food, and the food was amazing. There’s been so many changes going on downtown, mostly in the last few years with places closing, it’s good to see places opening up.”

Blackbird Kitchen & Bar is located at 1015 Ninth St.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Ask the County Law Librarian-Bicycles and Sidewalks"

2011-11-04T21:35:45Z

Also for those interested, Sacramento is adding more bicycle lanes in the downtown area. Work will be done with summer road work schedules, so you might start seeing them late next year. http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/49095/More_bicycle_access_coming_to_downtown

New Metro Chamber CEO brings business, political experience

2011-11-04T00:25:34Z

Former Assemblyman Roger Niello will be the new CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber starting Jan. 1, coming back to an organization he led in the 1990s as the area struggles to come out of the recession.

“For me, it’s sort of coming full circle, and I find it very exciting that way,” Niello said. “The chamber in a way was sort of my launchpad into politics, and now I’m coming back, still with my business roots, and will be working with the leadership to expand business.”

Niello, who spent a quarter century running retail and auto dealerships with his family’s business, the Niello Auto Group, was elected to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in a special election in 1999, where he served until November 2004. From 2004-2010, he served as a state assemblyman.

Former CEO Matt Mahood left the Metro Chamber in June. The chamber announced in August that Pat Fong Kushida would be the new CEO, but she never started the position.

Niello said the biggest challenge facing him and the Metro Chamber over the next several years is the economy.

“I wouldn’t say it’s any one particular issue (in the economy),” he said. “We have to look at the shape of the economy and work with other groups in the region in the private sector and the public sector at both the local and state levels.”

A study is currently under way called Next Economy, a public/private revitalization project with the Metro Chamber, the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) and Valley Vision, all nonprofit organizations focused on economic growth.

“The effort is to study the economy, but not so much the study itself as understanding the details of the shape it’s in and getting ideas to take action on growing and expanding businesses,” Niello said. “We need to keep an eye toward small businesses in particular, because that’s where the real growth of the economy comes.”

SARTA CEO Meg Arnold said Thursday that she thinks Niello was a good choice for the position.

“I am really excited and enthusiastic about it,” she said. “He brings a whole range of attributes to the position. Obviously his business experience and his connections in the region and his political experience, but he is also really geared toward partnerships, and that’s what we need – to work together.”

Arnold said she expects to see stronger collaboration between nonprofit organizations, government organizations and businesses going forward.

Martha Lofgren, interim CEO of the Metro Chamber, said Niello’s business experience was “first and foremost” in his selection.

“He’s been a business owner in the Sacramento area for about three decades,” she said. “He obviously has a lot of experience in politics at the local and state levels, and the Metro Chamber always looks at how government affects business.”

She said his history with the organization – serving as president in 1995 – is also a plus.

Niello’s salary was not disclosed, but Lofgren said it is competitive with similar positions in other like-sized nonprofit organizations in the area.

The Metro Chamber has nearly 2,200 member organizations and businesses.

“The chamber is much stronger now than it was in ’95 in all respects,” Niello said, adding that he wants to draw more job diversity to the region. “Government jobs are good, but the percentage we have here is too high, and bringing in more jobs relying on government subsidies, like some of the green industry, isn’t the answer. We need to bring those in, yes, but we also need to grow our smaller businesses, because that’s where wealth comes from.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Central city alleys receive names"

2011-11-03T16:39:28Z

John Sutter came from Liestal.

Photo essay: Capitol Bowl renovation

2011-11-03T00:47:27Z

The family-owned Capitol Bowl bowling alley in West Sacramento is finishing the last details of an extensive renovation that began in April, and owner Ross Amin said the 55-year-old business feels fresh and new.

A grand reopening was held Oct. 14, and final details, such as the installation of booths in the new restaurant space, will be completed in the next few weeks. During the renovation, the business was able to stay open.

“Anybody who comes here now, the first thing they say is ‘wow,’ ” Amin said Wednesday. “It’s more efficient, we can use all our space, and we can really hold a lot of birthday parties and family events now.”

The $600,000 project features a redesigned lobby that saw several walls torn down, a repositioned front desk and a restaurant space upgraded to be more family-friendly and serve healthier foods.

Salads, grilled chicken sandwiches, and turkey and avocado sandwiches round out the restaurant menu, which also includes burgers, pizzas, fish tacos and gourmet nachos. Amin said all food is made fresh, including sauces, and nothing comes from a can.

“The bar used to be in front, and the restaurant was in a dark room,” Amin said. “We made it so it is all open now.”

To read more about the renovation, click here.

More than 300 people can fit into the space, and Amin said that a newly opened party room and other spaces allow the bowling alley to host three to four parties at a time, as opposed to a single party at a time before the renovation.

Jennifer Maier, a 44-year-old Capitol Bowl customer and state worker at the nearby Ziggurat Building, said the remodel managed to bring a modern flair to the space without losing the comfort she has always liked about it.

“I just can’t believe it,” she said. “It’s completely and utterly transformed from what it used to be. The bowling lanes are the only remainder of the former place.”

Adding that the feel of the business is now “slick and open,” she said lunch specials combining bowling games with meals from the restaurant make it an attractive lunch spot for her and her coworkers.

“I think that it is going to be a hot place to hang out at the bar, especially,” she said. “The TVs are nice, and they show football, the fights and other sports. West Sacramento needed a family-friendly nightlife spot.”

Amin said lunch specials include two games, shoe rental and a meal – pizza, a chicken sandwich or a burger with fries or salad and a drink – for $11.95 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Unlimited late-night bowling from 9 - 11 p.m. is available for $10 per person including shoes, with three people minimum per lane.

Elementary and high school students can bowl for $1 per game and $1 for shoe rental from 3 - 5 p.m. Fridays.

Future remodel plans currently in the design phase are geared toward the exterior, including adding a new sign and extending the façade of the building higher.

“This is a family entertainment center, and it’s the only sport where every generation can play,” Amin said. “We have grandpas come in with their children and grandchildren, and everybody gets to play and can have food and fun things to do.”

Capitol bowl is located at 900 West Capitol Ave. in West Sacramento. It is open from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. - 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Brandon Darnell on "Food truck ordinance talks postponed"

2011-11-02T18:06:43Z

Thank you for your comments. I'm sorry it wasn't immediately clear. With details not released by city officials, it seemed prudent to get an analysis from an industry expert familiar with the issue not just in Sacramento, but other jurisdictions across California. Even if city officials had released more details, I would still have talked to Conway to get a source from outside the city.

Brandon Darnell on "Food truck ordinance talks postponed"

2011-11-02T17:12:38Z

Hi Cogmeyer, In the article, I never quoted or sourced anyone on the City Council or in the city government as saying Occupy Sacramento and chicken coops delayed their ability to make a decision. That comment is attributed to Daniel Conway of the California Restaurant Association, which is not at all a part of the city, but an industry organization. He merely pointed out that the council has had a lot on its plate lately, and it was relevant to the article, so I included it.

Food truck ordinance talks postponed

2011-11-02T03:30:50Z

Any decision regarding Sacramento’s controversial food truck ordinance – which currently limits trucks to operating a maximum of 30 minutes in one spot – will have to wait, since a City Council Law and Legislation Committee meeting was canceled Tuesday.

“There’s a lot of stuff to look at in state law, and we’re trying to figure that out,” said Councilman Jay Schenirer, chairman of the committee. “A lot of it is whether it’s just legal or not.”

One of the legal issues is that California Vehicle Code protections on commercial vehicles can arguably be applied to mobile food vendor operations.

Operators of food trucks have been advocating changing the city ordinance for more than a year, saying that the 30-minute time limit keeps them from being able to reasonably do business in city limits.

The inaugural SactoMoFo, a mobile food festival held in Fremont Park in April, was by all accounts a successful event, and since then, a serious push has been under way to revise Sacramento’s ordinance.

But it’s not as easy as doing away with the existing laws.

Some “brick-and-mortar” restaurateurs said they are afraid that allowing food trucks to operate within the city without proper regulation will pose serious threats to their businesses.

“What it comes down to is very real, very human issues,” said Daniel Conway, spokesman for the California Restaurant Association. “It’s a challenging economic time, and all business owners are as acutely aware of their balance sheet as ever.”

He added that he believes mobile food vendors and traditional restaurants can easily coexist.

The Law and Legislation meeting planned for Tuesday could have addressed that, but city officials said they want to make sure any new ordinance has legal merit.

“We’re still moving forward on it,” said Councilman Darrell Fong. “There’s a lot of interest from the different parties involved in this, and it’s going to take all those groups working together: restaurant owners, mobile food trucks and us as a city.”

Conway said the legality of local governments regulating commercial vehicles is murky at best.

“There is some existing case law and appellate law that has found the state vehicle code preempts local ordinances, and therefore local governments are pretty limited in what they can do to regulate commercial vehicles,” he said.

The answer to that question is what stalled the issue in Sacramento Tuesday.

“They really want to make sure they get this right, and I think they really are sincere about setting a model and giving citizens a chance to experience both types of food,” Conway said. “They’re digging deeper than most jurisdictions have.”

According to the staff report for the meeting, the revisions to the ordinance will be addressed in four areas: vending on public right-of-ways; vending on private property and any related zoning issues; hours of operation and/or time limitations; and permitting and operating requirements for mobile food vendors.

Conway added that he doesn’t think the City Council is being complacent and pushing the issue aside, but rather that it has been very busy since April, dealing with issues such as medical marijuana, Occupy Sacramento, backyard chicken coops and the budget.

“I always say, it was being awfully hopeful that we could be able to get it done by the year’s end,” said Catherine Enfield, who operates the Munchie Musings blog and aTwitter account covering Sacramento food trucks.

“Basically, it’s just frustrating,” she said, “but it’s just a setback in the timeline. I’m still very encouraged by what I hear out of City Hall. I’m still very hopeful, you just have to be patient.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

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