Sacramento Magazine July 2022

INTRODUCING TH E

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From in-store swatching to interactive displays, the Graber Design Studio elevates the way you shop for custom window treatments. Come browse a wide variety of inspiring blinds, shades, and shutters in our new location today.

32 COOL IT! Take a look at some of the best frozen treats in town. By Catherine Warmerdam

44 SACRAPALOOZA

Local tribute bands bring the party. By Mark Billingsley

52 SAC PRIDE

Sacramento’s celebration of its LGBTQ+ community, captured in images.

Photography by Beth Baugher

) Vanilla ice cream with Fruity Pebbles on a chimney cone from Sweet Cones in Folsom

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ACCREDITED BUYER’S REPRESENTATIVE (ABR)

SENIOR REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST (SRES) | MASTERS CLUB

PROBATE AND RELOCATION SPECIALIST

Tanya is a top producing REALTOR® of 15 years with Lyon Real Estate. She has a positive mindset and is committed to providing high-touch, superior service. Tanya has represented hundreds of buyers and sellers and has a passion for helping others that sets her apart. She is active in multiple local charities.

Learn how Tanya can help you realize your real estate dreams at TCurry@GoLyon.com

Little Relics

Susan Rabinovitz Owner

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mentors) earned certified recognition as a Graduate Jeweler, Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts. Susan, also, had the esteemed privilege to be the only female competitor in Stuller’s International Battle of Benches, 2019. Monday through Friday, 11—6. Saturday and Sunday visits are available by appointment only. In an effort to continuously provide quality service, Susan is currently accepted and attending GIA, Graduate Gemologist Program (eta completion fall 2022).

(Near

PUBLISHER

Dennis Rainey

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Krista Minard

ART DIRECTOR

Gabriel Teague

EDITORIAL

MANAGING EDITOR

Darlena Belushin McKay

DINING EDITOR

Marybeth Bizjak

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Sasha Abramsky, Luna Anona, Mark Billingsley, Diana Bizjak, Cathy Cassinos-Carr, Ed Goldman, Dorsey Griffith, Jennifer Junghans, Angela Knight, Elena M. Macaluso, Reed Parsell, Kari L. Rose Parsell, Bill Romanelli, Thea Marie Rood, Nora Heston Tarte, Mari Tzikas Suarez, Catherine Warmerdam, Sara E. Wilson

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

220602-Temple-PennyColdBrew-PROD.pdf 1 6/2/2022 11:37:13 AM

Kat Alves, Gary and Lisa Ashley, Mike Battey, Beth Baugher, Francisco Chavira, Debbie Cunningham, Wes Davis, Terence Duffy, Tim Engle, Kevin Fiscus, Aniko Kiezel, Ryan Angel Meza, Tyler and Christina Mussetter, Stephanie Russo, Rachel Valley, Susan Yee

NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER

ADVERTISING MANAGERS

Duffy Kelly, Victor Obenauf, Carla Shults

SENIOR ADVERTISING DESIGNER

MARKETING & WEB

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND DIGITAL MEDIA

CIRCULATION MANAGER

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

SALES OFFICES

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Summer Yum

Is it summer yet? As we were preparing this issue for print over a weekend in mid-June, we weren’t quite sure. On Friday and Saturday, people broiled through outdoor graduations, and panicked calls for home air-conditioning repairs soared as temps climbed into the 100s. Then, the very next day, we were cutting our morning walks short and hastily hauling in patio furniture pads as rain fell. Then came a cool Monday of whirling winds.

For the most part, though, yes, summer is here. And what better way to enjoy it than with some sweet, cold treats? Writer Catherine Warmerdam found all sorts of fun goodies for us to try this summer. How about that sprinkle-topped pile of purple on page 35? In a fish-shaped cone, no less! Art director Gabe Teague had the oh-so-difficult job of eating what he photographed. I’m particularly intrigued by the jala from House of Shah (with cardamom, pistachios, rose water, vanilla ice cream and rice noodles) on page 37; I will certainly stop for one of those next time I’m in Woodland. That frozen strawberry lemonade float from Cowtown Creamery on the cover looks mighty refreshing, too.

In keeping with summer fun, writer Mark Billingsley reports on local tribute bands in this issue. These bands don’t simply cover songs from famous performers. They focus on just one band and play songs as close to identically as possible. They study the bands whose music they’re covering and perform their music so it’s sometimes virtually impossible to tell you’re not hearing the real thing. I remember boating on the Sacramento River with my husband some years back and hearing (what I was certain was) live Led Zeppelin coming from one of the riverfront establishments. Couldn’t be, we told each other—and it was true, it couldn’t have been. But some of these tribute bands are that good. Mark had a fun idea to create artwork reminiscent of a music festival poster, and illustrator Hans Bennewitz ran with it, turning it into a tribute of its own.

Also in this issue, Dorsey Griffith takes a look at where we are with COVID protocols more than two years in, and Elena Macaluso rounds up a few comedians, asks them to tell us a joke, and gives us some more info about each one. Nora Heston Tarte takes us to Tiburon, a fabulous Bay Area summer escape when the Sacramento heat gets to be too much.

Stay cool out there.

AND THERE’S MORE . . .

More Things To Do —Sacramento Media is proud to publish the Visitors’ Guide for Visit Sacramento, and the Spring/Summer 2022 edition is out, stuffed full of recommendations for farm-to-fork fun, dog-friendly patios, live music venues and ways to celebrate our region’s diversity. Contact Visit Sacramento (visitsacramento.com) for a copy.

The Daily Brief—Sacramento Magazine’s free newsletter goes to email subscribers every weekday. Catch the latest updates in dining, arts and entertainment, wine, recreation, health (including COVID case counts) and more. You’ll also find links to other community news and resources and social media posts that have caught our eye. Subscribe at sacmag.com/newsletters.

KRISTA MINARD krista@sacmag.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Hans Bennewitz

“I started playing music in the Sacramento area early 2000, where I started designing my own merchandise for the band,” says illustrator Hans Bennewitz, who created the psychedelic artwork for the story about tribute bands in this issue. “Since then I’ve always enjoyed designing for music in whatever form that was available. While the band didn’t last, my love for music and design has continued through the years.” He’s also done work for Google, House of Blues, Asics, Ghirardelli and, here in town, Solomon’s Deli.

Mark Billingsley

Once a rocker, always a rocker: That’s writer Mark Billingsley’s motto. He has seen more than 250 rock concerts, but it was a local show three years ago featuring AC/ DC tribute band Riff/Raff that got him thinking about the stories behind the bands featured in this issue. “These musicians are your family, friends and coworkers who share their love of a band’s music with the rest of us,” he says. “If you close your eyes and can’t tell the difference musically, then the tribute band has done their job.”

Mike Battey

Watershed at the Owl in Grass Valley has food for the soul and decor to feed the brain, says photographer Mike Battey, who shot images of the restaurant for this issue. “The restaurant is laden with historic images and knickknacks and bold textures and colors in a romantically lit ambience,” he says, noting the Gold Rush-era theme. With his use of dramatic lighting, detailed woodwork became accentuated, as did texture on the ochre suede chairs and depth within vintage photos.

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clean p wer grid

The Clean PowerCitySM movement is happening. Our commitment to zero carbon by 2030 means we’re creating more energy from completely renewable resources, accelerating clean energy with the region’s first grid-scale battery farm and setting an example for the rest of the world to follow – all while providing safe, reliable and some of the most affordable energy in California.

Fun at the Fair!

The California State Fair and Food Festival returns this year after two years of pandemic cancellations. Come on down to Cal Expo to ride the midway, hang out in the beer garden, cruise the exhibits and visit the livestock. July 15–31. calexpostatefair.com

Bringing Back the Boulevard / Penthouse for Sale / Power Couple / Fireworks Cost

Del Paso Rising

Daniel Savala is working to bring Del Paso Boulevard back to health.

BY ANGELA KNIGHT

Drive down Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento. Ignore that abandoned mattress, the guy yelling at no one, and all those empty buildings. Imagine instead a once-bustling section of Route 40, angled parking for throngs of shoppers, quirky architecture, popular parades and a thriving blue-collar neighborhood. It’s a slice of Americana.

Daniel Savala, a North Sacramento resident and the executive director of the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, calls it one of the “last great retail corridors.” It’s also a neighborhood and a community. In order to flourish again, it needs to attract and retain more residents, businesses and customers, which is only a part of Savala’s job, but an important one. He’s been DPBP’s executive director for about 18 months, and he’s managing several business closures brought on by the pandemic.

Despite visible losses like Uptown Pizza and Woodlake Tavern, there are signs the negative tide may be receding: Venues are opening back up; young entrepreneurs and artists, attracted by lower rent and that “funky” Boulevard culture, are moving in, he says. Add to that hundreds of units of proposed housing and new building projects rising “vertical” nearby and there’s reason for optimism.

He hopes to entice his new neighbors to head north, rather than drive downtown, to do their shopping, eating and socializing. “How do we get you to come back to Del Paso for the evening?” he asks rhetorically—maybe for sushi from Southpaw, a beer at King Cong Brewing, and later some line dancing at Stoney’s Rockin Rodeo. There are 400 to 475 businesses in DPBP’s district, Savala says, including Dawg Pound Skate Shop, where you can buy a custom-made skateboard, and TRS, a recording studio that attracts “artists from all over the world.”

VENUES ARE OPENING BACK UP; YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS AND ARTISTS, ATTRACTED BY LOWER RENT AND THAT “FUNKY” BOULEVARD CULTURE, ARE MOVING IN, DANIEL SAVALA SAYS. ADD TO THAT HUNDREDS OF UNITS OF PROPOSED HOUSING AND NEW BUILDING PROJECTS RISING “VERTICAL” NEARBY AND THERE’S REASON FOR OPTIMISM.

DPBP’s assessment district, which contains about 315 parcels, runs along Del Paso Boulevard and Arden Way. Owners, who pay annual levies, formed this property-based improvement district to primarily provide maintenance, safety and security services, along with marketing and image enhancement.

While some people still connect Del Paso Boulevard with the arguably more troubled Del Paso Heights, they’re two di erent places (although both are part of North Sacramento). Changing that perception may be an uphill battle.

Besides the pandemic fallout, one of the challenges facing North Sacramento is an “abundance of a ordable housing that’s not government regulated,” Savala says. “You have a lot of old, deteriorated housing stock.” Traditionally, it’s been a neighborhood for blue-collar professionals and working folks, and he doesn’t see that changing, in the short or long term, but he’d like the focus to remain on fostering “a healthier place for people to live.”

Savala was raised on Sacramento County’s unincorporated south side and attended nine di erent elementary schools. Later, he graduated from Cal State Northridge with a degree in urban, community and regional planning. He returned home and worked on Allen Warren’s election campaign for city council, then spent seven years on the city council sta . “I like to say for the last eight years, my entire life has revolved around what happens here in North Sacramento, Old North Sac, particularly the 95815 ZIP code, but I have a really good breadth of knowledge about the district as a whole.”

He receives calls from folks on his days o , which can be tiring, but he appreciates that people have faith in him. As a resident, he knows how tough it can be to get basic city services like street maintenance (he cuts the grass in the alleys next to his house) and prompt police response.

Bobbie Bray, the owner of Uptown Grounds on Del Paso Boulevard, is e usive about Savala and the work he’s done to help and promote her business since it opened in 2021. She even named a sandwich after him. The Savala comes with salami, arugula and lemon butter on a baguette.

Savala appreciates North Sacramento’s past and present, and he’d like newcomers to see it the same way he does. A ordability was the biggest draw when he purchased his fi rst house here eight years ago, but he was already familiar with the area. His mother, a single mom, bought her fi rst home in North Sacramento. As the father of a 5-month-old (he also has two teenagers), he is comfortable taking the kids for a stroll and walking the family’s dogs. “I feel best here,” he says. “And I want to be part of the resurgence.”

Daniel Savala at Uptown Grounds

Looking for a Home? How About This Penthouse?

Real estate agent Gayla Mace can’t quite get over her latest listing, a 7,170-square-foot penthouse apartment in East Sac with two kitchens, two living rooms, six baths, five bedrooms (or maybe six; she’s not quite sure), eight balconies and views that go for miles. “There’s nothing like it,” says Mace, an agent with Lyon Real Estate who’s been in the business for 18 years. It is a most unusual property: It takes up the entire 10th floor of 4100 Folsom, a condo building that was constructed in the late 1960s to offer luxury city living in a residential neighborhood mostly composed of single-family homes.

The apartment was most recently occupied by Tom Raley, who founded the Raley’s grocery store chain. Decades ago, he scooped up four individual units and combined them into one massive, jawdropping, swanky urban palace. There are gleaming parquet wood floors, rococo light fixtures, gilded moldings, elaborately painted coffered ceilings and the like. There’s even an onyx toilet. The vibe is part over-the-top Vegas hotel lobby, part grand old-money San Francisco apartment.

The penthouse hit the market in early June. Priced at $2.8 million, or $390 per square foot, it’s a bargain compared to stately homes in the nearby Fabulous Forties, which currently go for $600–$700 a square foot. Mace is not sure who will end up buying it. “Probably a lawyer or a lobbyist,” she says. “Or maybe a doctor.” She admits the place could use a bit of updating, particularly the bathrooms and kitchens. But she thinks the buyer, whoever that may be, might want to keep the grand décor elements intact. “This is history,” she says.

MARYBETH BIZJAK

A Power Hour Pair

“I’ll never design a kitchen or bathroom any other way again,” says Claire Jones, principal designer of Etch & Ivy and coowner of the new Happy Hour Design Collective, which she opened with friend and colleague Rebecca Plumb, principal designer for Studio Plumb. Jones is referring to the Power Hour design service she and Plumb offer. It’s a focused, fun, interactive option for fully designing a single room somewhat on the spot in a short period of time and on a budget.

“We’ve spent months collecting all of our favorite designer materials—including wallpaper, tile, countertops, flooring, paint, fabric and plumbing finishes—for our Happy Hour Materials Library. We realized it was a resource that wasn’t available anywhere else in Sacramento and knew we needed to share it with the larger community,” says Plumb. “At the same time, both of our design businesses were growing, and we were no longer able to take on single-room projects, but the requests were still coming in. One day, we had the light-bulb idea that we could bring clients in for a collaborative design session and arm them with all the aesthetic decisions they would need to make and manage the project themselves.”

For a flat fee, Power Hour clients get a dedicated session (typically five or six hours) with both Jones and Plumb, during which everyone gets to participate in the design process while poring over tangible materials samples and

three-dimensional on-screen renderings. (Room measurements, client answers to an initial design questionnaire, and “before” photos are all procured beforehand as a jumping-off point.) “This is a big hit with clients, because most people are not able to visualize as quickly or easily as most designers are,” says Jones. “Nothing beats being able to say to a client, ‘I know which countertop will go perfectly with this design,’ and pull out an actual Cambria Quartz sample that the client can touch and see. In the past, there would be a lag time between design, ordering samples and presenting them to the client. Now it’s instantaneous.”

At the end, the client can ogle all their final materials collected in one tray. And within a week or so, they receive final drawings and renderings, plus a complete specifications spreadsheet that includes products, links and where to buy everything. A happy experience indeed.

“Working with Claire and Rebecca was amazing,” says client Kim Follett. She and her husband just redesigned their Arden Park kitchen via Power Hour. “Their pre-meeting process was simple and seamless. They walked us through so many decisions we would have never been able to navigate on our own. It was also just really fun.”

“The energy during a Power Hour session is palpable,” says Jones. “There are always a lot of laughter and jokes.” itshappyhour.co —MARI TZIKAS SUAREZ

Rebecca Plumb and Claire Jones

From Restaurants to Vinyl Records

For Michael Thiemann, the restaurant scene couldn’t have been more promising in February 2020. He was helming the kitchen at the much-touted Empress Tavern on K Street and had just opened Jim’s Good Food on 16th Street. Why not a third location in downtown Sacramento? By one account, restaurants were opening weekly in the region.

And then a virus engulfed the country.

When COVID-19 tore through the restaurant industry like a hand mixer in pudding, Thiemann, a veteran of restaurant work since he was a teen, took it as a sign. Empress and Jim’s both closed. “It was time to take a break from the food industry,” he said. He, along with his wife, Lisa, left restaurants behind to help found a record pressing plant. The switch was not that startling for a guy who played in a band in addition to churning out dinners for hundreds. “I had two career paths,” said Thiemann. “I’ve always been interested in music or food.”

The couple’s longtime East Bay friends and sometimes collaborators, Marie Davenport and Mike Lucas, were opening a record pressing plant in an old commercial building on G Street. So the Thiemanns joined them to launch Sonic Archives Consortium, one of a handful of record pressing plants in California. It took months to get the machinery and set it up, but once it opened, Thiemann said, the orders rolled in, thanks to rising demand and few plants.

Where the Thiemanns once toiled in the raucous din of a crowded restaurant, they now work in a cavernous industrial space, pressing vinyl after vinyl. Thiemann sees a similarity, though, in the repetitive production. “Cooking is basically staring at a wall for eight hours,” he said.

The Thiemanns, who have worked in the food industry in New Zealand, Maui and San Francisco, are now happy to dine at the tables of others, especially small places serving global cuisine in South Sacramento. But they always talk about another restaurant, particularly a small mom-and-pop diner. In the front of the pressing plant, there’s a small storefront of a bygone era with vintage linoleum. “It’s a shame not to use this space,” said Thiemann as he passed through the empty room. Another restaurant, perhaps? M. S. ENKOJI

The Issue With Fireworks

BY REED PARSELL

Doing fun stu can have a price tag. Drinking begets hangovers. Binge eating, weight gain. Driving fast, citations. Sunbathing, sunburn. Walking the dog, bag doody.

And watching fi reworks? Perhaps after a River Cats game or over Cal Expo? Summarizing the sustainability cost of fireworks is going to take several paragraphs. Get comfortable.

Let’s let Terrapass, which focuses on helping businesses reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, get the discussion started:

“Fireworks cause extensive air pollution in a short amount of time, leaving metal particles, dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals and smoke in the air for hours and days. Some of the toxins never fully decompose or disintegrate, but rather hang around in the environment, poisoning all they come into contact with. Exposure to fi ne particles, like those found in smoke and haze, is linked to negative health implications, such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, asthma attacks and even heart attacks.”

A mere hangover sounds much better by comparison, doesn’t it? On its web pages, “PBS NewsHour” further accentuates the pyrotechnic-induced pain by pointing out: “As a national average, culled from 315 di erent

testing sites, Independence Day fireworks introduce 42 percent more pollutants into the air than are found on a normal day.”

Two and a half years ago, on New Year’s Eve in 2019, Forbes blogger GrrlScientist did an investigative deep dive into the celebratory big bangs in the sky. In explaining that “fireworks’ colors depend upon solid metal salts and chemical explosives,” she listed the common ’cracker components of lithium (pink), sodium (yellow or orange), copper and barium (green or blue) and calcium or strontium (red).

The blogger said that such heavy metals undergo chemical changes when they combine with oxygen, creating the firework look. She points out starkly, “This chemical reaction releases smoke and gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen, and these are some of the primary greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

“During the explosion, these metal salts do not ‘burn up.’ They are still metal atoms, and many of them end up as aerosols that poison the air, the water and the soil. When inhaled or ingested, these metals can cause a huge variety of short- and long-term reactions, ranging from vomiting, diarrhea or asthma attacks, to kidney disease, cardiotoxic effects and a variety of cancers.”

OK, that’s probably enough about the dangers fireworks pose to people. As for what they do to nonhuman creatures, we turn to a resource none other than the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

“The shock of fireworks can cause wildlife to flee, ending up in unexpected areas or roadways, flying into buildings and other obstacles, and even abandoning nests, leaving young vulnerable to predators,” the FWS posted on its website. “The threat to wildlife doesn’t stop at startling lights and sounds; fireworks also have the potential of starting wildfires, directly affecting wildlife and destroying essential habitat. Litter from firecrackers, bottle rockets and other explosives can be choking hazards for wildlife and may be toxic if ingested.”

“Fireworks cause extensive air pollution in a short amount of time, leaving metal particles, dangerous toxins, harmful chemicals and smoke in the air for hours and days.”

None of that sounds reassuring, does it? From an environmental standpoint, is there anything positive to say about fireworks? Perhaps. From many thousands of miles away, according to Terrapass.

Publicly funded fireworks displays in Sydney, Australia, are “100 percent carbon neutral,” Terrapass says. “Event goers are encouraged to bike, walk or use public transportation to get to the festivities and nearly all of the garbage left behind is recycled. The professional-grade fireworks are made from biodegradable paper, leaving no compounds or chemicals wafting through the air.” Finally, a blast of fresh(er) air.

Tiburon

This little waterfront town invites visitors to eat and drink, hike and stroll, all while indulging in the Bay Area’s cool summer weather. inside: Breezing by the bay

Views from Tiburon: Old St. Hilary’s Landmark, Angel Island, Alcatraz, San Francisco Bay and the San Francisco skyline

BY NORA HESTON TARTE

If you don’t know it’s there, it’s entirely possible to miss it. Nestled into the North Bay and just minutes north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, this Marin County town provides stunning views and a slower pace of life. Whether you’re looking for a subtle home base from which to visit San Francisco or want to fully embrace the quiet opulence in this bayfront town, Tiburon—less than two hours from Sacramento (if you can avoid traffic)—makes a great weekend getaway. A bonus: Summer in Tiburon is chilly in comparison to Sacramento, so you can play outside all day long.

Take a Stroll

Tiburon offers a small downtown, one that is sometimes closed to traffic in order to create a pedestrian-friendly experience and cater to events in the plaza. Wander through the boutiques in HISTORIC ARK ROW —many in old ark boats—and enjoy the plaza’s fountain glorifying the town’s sailing roots with its shifting-sails sculpture.

Take the OLD RAIL TRAIL from downtown out Tiburon Boulevard to BLACKIE’S PASTURE , where stands a statue erected in honor of a swaybacked retired cavalry horse named Blackie, who grazed here for 28 years.

Another worthy walking path, PARADISE DRIVE is one you shouldn’t skip. Sprawling grassy lawns beckon families with kids and dogs to the shoreline

, where dolphins may be spotted playfully jumping in and out of the water and sea lions bark in the distance. It’s also an easy spot to eat a picnic lunch, laid out on the grass or on a park bench.

Angel Island

Angel Island, accessible via a 15-minute ferry ride from Tiburon’s quaint and bustling downtown, makes a great day trip. The best views are found at the end of the island’s more difficult hikes, notably the MOUNT LIVER MORE TRAIL . There are two ways to head up; the more strenuous requires a climb up 144 wooden stairs. Once at the top—and after a 788-foot incline— you’ll be able to see three bay bridges at once: Golden Gate, Bay and Richmond. If you brought food, enjoy a picnic—or just a beer—at the top of the mountain and admire 360-degree views before you head back down. You’ll clock 3.5 miles by the time you hit the bottom again. While you’re on the island, grab a bite at the food shack near the ferry terminal (serving sandwiches, hot dogs and brews).

by PARADISE BEACH PARK

The Bungalow Kitchen

Hippie Tree: Mike Alt; The Bungalow Kitchen: James McDonald

Sam’s Anchor Café’s smoked lobster roll

One of the Hippie Tree’s swings

Sometimes there’s live music. Or keep your journey going. Many people like to explore the historic side of Angel Island, with an immigration station that was an inspection and detection center from 1910 to 1940. There is a renovated barracks museum on-site and tram tours, complete with history lessons, that cruise the perimeter of the island (a 5.5-mile trek you can also make on foot). The upside is that after a couple of years of at least partial closures, everything on the island is operational again.

Snap a Photo

The views in Tiburon are a big part of its appeal. So what’s one of the best places to take a photo for your Instagram? Tourists (and locals) like to get dressed up and visit the HIPPIE TREE , a towering eucalyptus decorated with ornamental wooden swings. There’s not one—as it may appear in photos—but rather several dangling from the sturdy branches. A shot swinging your feet out into the abyss is worth getting a boost up into the tree. It’s almost guaranteed, however, that you won’t be

alone, which can be a negative since you’ll have to wait in line to get your shot, but also a positive as you’ll always have another eager tourist nearby to take the photo for you. Find the tree near 100 Gilmartin Drive (o Tiburon Boulevard); park and walk the fi re road up the hill.

Eat Up

Dubbed “the culinary coast” by the town’s visitors bureau, Tiburon has a restaurant scene that is decidedly coastal— equal parts high end and laidback. Longtime favorite SAM’S ANCHOR CAFÉ af fords one of the best views in town from its bayview deck on Main Street—the best spot to catch a sunset.

organic farm eggs with French ham, melted cave-aged Gruyere and provolone on focaccia. The vanilla pecan granola parfait layers seasonal fruit with Straus Family Creamery vanilla yogurt and granola— it will satisfy any sweet tooth.

ON A CLEAR NIGHT, YOU CAN SEE ACROSS THE WATER TO SPARKLING CITY LIGHTS IN THE DISTANCE.

In the morning, RUSTIC BAK ERY on Tiburon Boulevard serves fresh co ees and baked goods as well as a collection of impressive, house-made breakfast entrées. You can grab it to go or head to the back patio to enjoy your food. The avocado toast involves a thick slice of rustic bread topped with smashed avocado and Maldon salt. The breakfast panini stacks scrambled

For lunch, one of Tiburon’s newer restaurants, FLYBIRD , gives fried chicken center stage. Chicken sandwiches come in a variety of flavors including Mexico City (black bean, avocado, cabbage slaw, pickled radish, cotija cheese and chipotle aïoli), Seoul (Asian slaw, pickled daikon, shiso, sesame mayo and gochujang pepper sauce) and Hot Classic (Nashville- and Bu alo-style with cabbage and carrot slaw, bread-and-butter pickles and sauce

Tiburon shines at dinnertime. With an outdoor deck o ering stunning bay views, THE BUNGALOW KITCHEN has taken the community by storm, drawing crowds across the water from San Francisco to dine in award-winning chef Michael Mina’s Tiburon dining room on Main Street. Get cozy on plush chairs as you

A harbor in Tiburon

Dishes from Flybird

Waters Edge

order Kaluga caviar and tru e-yellowtail sashimi. On weekends, stay for late-night bites and cocktails. A DJ is known to stop by and play to the crowd, but a thoughtfully designed speaker system means patrons can enjoy the music without struggling to have a conversation over the noise.

Other notable eateries include SALT & PEPPER , specializing in seafood, meats and wine; CAFFE ACRI , with fabulous sandwiches for picnics; and LUNA BLU , which features seafood-forward Italian fare.

Lay Your Head

Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make while staying in Tiburon is where to sleep. There isn’t an abundance of options for overnight guests, but there are two specifically that strike our fancy.

Located near Main Street’s shopping, WATERS EDGE boutique hotel o ers 23 rooms, all with fi replaces and soaking tubs, many with balconies that overlook the bay. Its communal outside deck is where we want to spend most of our free time in Tiburon. Cozy up on a couch with a glass of wine and watch the stars twin-

kle above the docked boats. On a clear night, you can see across the water to sparkling city lights in the distance, flanked by the eye-catching bridges that make up Tiburon’s unique backdrop. Over co ee in the morning, it feels like a completely di erent view.

THE LODGE AT TIBURON is a classic fullservice hotel with a pool, newly renovated rooms and on-site restaurants. It’s a bit farther from the action but still only a five-minute drive from downtown, and the extra amenities may be appealing, especially to families with small children.

Across the Water

While there is certainly enough to keep yourself entertained for a weekend in Tiburon, the glittering high-rises across the bay may still beckon you for a visit. Ferry service makes it easy. Until 11 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, you can catch a ride between downtown Tiburon and the Ferry Building or Pier 39 in San Francisco.

Opening This Summer

Tiburon, like much of the Bay Area, continues to evolve. While The Bungalow

Kitchen and Flybird are still new and the return of more robust ferry service and downtown events is still front-page news (after being shuttered for so long during the pandemic), there is more to come to this quaint seaside town.

On the horizon, CINELOUNGE has plans to open in late summer. The theater will play movies, new and old, while serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. The real draw, however, just might be the lineup of gourmet popcorn, including movie-specific versions such as Popcorn of the Living Dead (cinnamon churro popcorn with salted pretzels) and Once Upon a Time in Popcorn (mesquitesmoked cheddar).

SERVINO RISTORANTE (with the same owners as Ca e Acri) plans to reopen this summer. The long-standing Tiburon restaurant most recently served Italian fare next door to The Bungalow Kitchen but is returning to its original home base on Ark Row. In its place, MALIBU FARMS , a farm-to-table New American eatery, will become Bungalow’s newest neighbor.

Wellness

inside: What pandemic life looks like now

Finding Normal in the COVID -19 Era

As we cautiously venture back to some of our former activities, ideas about masking, distancing and vaccinations are all over the map.

wes davis

Sandy Ton, owner of Nature Love Salon

BY DORSEY GRIFFITH

On a recent Sunday at First Christian Church in East Sacramento, the praise band performed, and members of the faith community prayed aloud and belted out hymns. Many lined up for communion. Afterward, there were hugs. It was a sign that the COVID -19 era had largely passed. Every row in the church was occupied. Joyful relief was palpable.

But amid the communal worship and celebration, there was caution, too. A note in the program reminded congregants that while masks were optional, nine rows in the back of the church were reserved for those wearing them. Self-serve communion kits were available. A video camera livestreamed the service for still-wary church members.

“It’s not just about doing the things we think will keep people safe, but also helping people feel safe,” says First Christian pastor Ted Firch, who has met regularly with lay leaders during the pandemic to come up with the guidelines. “We have said, ‘You’re invited to keep your mask on if that makes you feel safer. You also have a right to say, ‘I’m not comfortable with hugging at this point.’ We explained this up front so people could have the language and permission to set those kinds of boundaries.”

While everyone yearns for a full return to normalcy after two years of shutdowns, takeout meals and Zoom gatherings, COVID -19 still infects and kills people—among them the most vulnerable among us, including older people, those with chronic conditions and anyone with an impaired immune system. While most pandemic-related mandates have ended, unease and confusion about what to do and not to do linger.

up and escape all the other protections we have and cause another surge.”

To navigate this period, Kasirye urges a common-sense approach that considers others’ health and safety. That means vaccinations, boosters and wearing a mask in crowded settings or around people at high risk of serious illness.

“We are very interconnected,” she says. “We are not in our own little bubble. There are things we do that impact others.”

The nail technicians at Nature Love Salon on J Street understand that. While salon customers now mostly leave their masks at home, the technicians mask up as they buff, file and paint nails. Salon owner Sandy Ton says her staff opted to keep masks on even after the county lifted the mandate in hopes they wouldn’t catch the virus and bring it home.

“The numbers have dropped below anything we’ve seen since the summer of 2020, so in that sense, it’s good,” said Sacramento County Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye in May. “There is still a possibility that a new variant will come

“Most of them are from Vietnam,” she says. “All of them are immigrants. Most of them live with their parents and even grandparents.”

Multigenerational households are common in the Sacramento region, particularly among immigrants and people of color, for whom COVID -19 has taken an especially terrible toll, with higher-than-average rates of infection, hospitalizations and death.

Kasirye says masks, especially wellfitted N95s or KN95s, can still help protect someone against the virus even when no one else is wearing them. For some, including many kids, masks are the norm and provide a sense of security in uncertain times.

Elliot Gardner is 12 and only occasionally pulled off the mask to participate in certain activities, like PE classes, in the spring. This summer, he’ll have his mask handy when he goes to sailing camp and to music camp, where he will play piano.

“He’s getting more comfortable not wearing a mask, but it’s still a little scary for him,” says his mother, Sharyn Gardner. “Kids have spent more of their lifetimes percentage-wise wearing a mask. Two years is a lot when you’re only 12.”

Danielle Sanchez picks up and delivers groceries for Instacart, an app-based business that boomed during the pandemic. She continues to wear a mask, she says, in part because she has terrible allergies and doesn’t want her frequent sneezing to worry others.

“But also, we are constantly going into grocery stores and are around people,” she says. “We are trying to be safe.” She also worries about her grandmother, who has lung problems and tends to easily pick up infections from younger family members.

Dr. Olivia Kasirye

A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study released in April found that 75 percent of kids in the United States have been infected with the virus. And while their symptoms tend to be mild, children can unknowingly spread COVID to their families, classmates or others they encounter.

Still, many children have not received the vaccine even though it’s the most potent weapon against COVID -19 infection and serious illness.

Nancy Blanco, who is vaccinated, has taken great care to keep her family safe. On an afternoon errand for ice cream in Sacramento’s Florin neighborhood, Blanco’s kids, Vanessa, 13, and Steven, 9, both wore masks. Vanessa says she eagerly took the vaccine because she wanted to feel safe, especially at school. But Steven has so far refused it.

“He is afraid of it,” Blanco says. “It makes him very anxious. He says the vaccine is not good for him.”

Blanco isn’t sure where her son got the misinformation but acknowledged that myths about the virus and vaccine run deep in her community.

Kasirye urges everyone to tap into reliable sources for COVID information.

“People need to understand how our immune system works, how vaccines work, and why it’s so much better to be vaccinated than to get the disease,” she says. “Our immune system is battling all kinds of invasions all the time, and vaccines speed up the body’s ability to recognize foreign entities and stop infection.”

COVID -19 vaccines are still not approved for children under 5. That’s why Lori LaRocca, 60, was wearing a mask as she boarded a plane recently for a long-delayed trip to San Diego with a friend.

“When the mask mandate was lifted for the airlines, I thought that’s not a bad thing,” she says. “But I have a grandson who is under 5 and not yet vaccinated. I will see my daughter next week, and I don’t want to get COVID and give it to her since she could give it to him.”

LaRocca adds that it’s impossible to know whether other passengers are vaccinated or infected with the virus, and the mask makes her feel safer.

“I’m fully vaccinated and boosted, but not everyone here is,” she says. “I don’t go into the grocery store with a mask anymore, but at the grocery store you

are not in a seat next to someone you don’t know for an hour and a half.”

Vaccination status doesn’t bother airline passenger Michelle Ogaz, who was relieved she no longer had to wear a mask and says she uses her shirt collar or sleeve to cover a sneeze or cough.

Ogaz, of Williams in Colusa County, doesn’t think masks are effective; she says she was wearing one when she got the virus. She is also unvaccinated and feels confident that she’s now immune to the virus.

Marina Texeira owns Sacramento’s Torch Club, the venerable downtown bar and live music venue. She closed the club for 16 months during the pandemic, and when she reopened in June 2021 she followed county COVID requirements. At the time they did not include wearing masks or proving vaccination status for indoor public spaces.

“When people are dancing, singing or drinking, it’s very hard to monitor the mask wearing,” she says. “That would be a full-time job.”

newer variants are less lethal. But, she says, “I could change that in a heartbeat if I see it going the other way.”

Businesses with the luxury of remote operations also have evolved with the easing of COVID -19 restrictions. At Lucas Public Affairs, a downtown public relations firm, employees now have the choice of in-person or remote work.

“We have a really dynamic team and a beautiful office, so being able to be together in the office was really important, but so was flexibility,” says office manager and HR lead Ally Refnes.

“When people are dancing, singing or drinking, it’s very hard to monitor the mask wearing,” says Marina Texeira, owner of Sacramento’s Torch Club.

But within weeks she was seeing people getting infected and decided to tighten the rules, asking patrons to prove they’d been vaccinated and wear masks when not sipping cocktails or drinking beer— even while dancing. Texeira also insisted musical guests be vaccinated or test negative for COVID prior to their gigs.

Longtime patrons generally applauded the protocols, but she also dealt with significant backlash from opponents of the measures who let her know how they felt about her rules. Texeira was upset but undeterred.

“A lot of my patrons tend to be middleaged, and I wanted them to feel safe,” she says. “It was a hard line, but I felt like I could sleep at night knowing I am doing everything I can.”

Texeira has now dropped those COVID rules, and she feels more confident that customers are safe, especially because the

To work in the office, employees must prove they are vaccinated against COVID19 or show a negative test within 24 hours, complete a health questionnaire and use an app to reserve office space. When the pandemic hit in early 2020, Sharyn Gardner, then interim director for Sacramento State’s Center for Teaching and Learning, was at the forefront of assisting faculty in shifting to virtual instruction. Since reopening the campus to some in-person classes in the fall of 2021, she has helped navigate the easing of restrictions and looks forward to a return to mostly inperson classes and events this fall.

“We are trying to get back into the groove,” she says. “It is not necessarily back to normal.”

Gardner, chair of the Department of Management & Organizations, knows that some people will continue to wear masks or ask others to do so in the classroom, especially those who are over 60, at higher risk, taking care of an ill family member or have young kids who are not yet vaccinated.

Given that the region is not out of the COVID woods and that everyone is eager to be on campus for teaching and learning, she’s confident that such requests will be honored.

“They are respecting the needs of others,” she says.

COOL

IT!

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM.

Here’s a look at some of the best frozen treats to savor on hottest days of the year.

The heat is on in Sacramento, which means that the season for relishing frozen treats of all kinds is well underway. Whether you pledge allegiance to one of Sacramento’s OG shops (we’re looking at you, Gunther’s, Vic’s and Osaka-Ya) or crave newfangled flavors from ice cream pioneers like Portland-based Salt & Straw (expected to open soon in midtown’s Ice Blocks complex), this region’s got you covered. From Afghan sundaes to Mexican raspados to Korean soft serve, our roundup of Sacramento’s most enticing frozen desserts is evidence that the desire to seek sweet relief from the swelter is universal.

BY CATHERINE WARMERDAM

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GABRIEL TEAGUE

ANTOJITOS LOCOS

When it comes to high-quality Mexican-style refreshments, this place has it all. Owner Tiffany Martinez uses natural fruit juices as an ingredient whenever possible, including in her frozen fruit bars, raspados (shaved ice) and the frozen mango treats known as mangonadas, the most popular item at this colorful joint. The house-made ice creams come in traditional Mexican flavors such as horchata, guava and rose petal. “We have a lot of regulars from all cultures and nationalities come in,” says Martinez. “We know them so well that we already know what they’re going to order when they walk in.” 7815 Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights; (916) 560-9180; IG: @antojitoslocos95610

KOREAN-STYLE SOFT SERVE IS HAVING A STATESIDE MOMENT, AND WITH GOOD REASON. THAT’S BECAUSE AH-BOONG—A FISH-SHAPED CONE, OR TAIYAKI, LINED WITH YOUR CHOICE OF FILLING (THINK CUSTARD, NUTELLA, RED BEAN) THEN FILLED WITH SOFT SERVE (FLAVORS INCLUDE MILK, MATCHA, UBE AND BLACK SESAME)— ISN’T JUST ADORABLE, IT’S ALSO WONDROUSLY DELICIOUS. THE SOFT SERVE AT SOMISOMI, A LOS ANGELES-BASED CHAIN, IS INTENSELY CREAMY, A PERFECT COMPLEMENT TO THE CRUNCHY-CHEWY PASTRYLIKE CONE WITH JAPANESE ORIGINS. EXPECT A WAIT AS MORE AND MORE SACRAMENTANS CATCH THE AH-BOONG WAVE. 3590 CROCKER DRIVE; (916) 7060594; SOMISOMI.COM

Sweet Cones

HUNGARIAN CHIMNEY CAKES ARE THE MUSE AT SWEET CONES, WHERE OWNER MINDY LE WRAPS RIBBONS OF DOUGH AROUND CYLINDERS AND BAKES THEM, CREATING GUGGENHEIM-LIKE SPIRALED CONES THAT “TASTE LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A CHURRO AND DOUGHNUT,” SAYS LE. ONCE COOLED, THE INTERIOR OF THE CONE IS COATED WITH A FILLING (CHOICES INCLUDE NUTELLA, CUSTARD, PEANUT BUTTER AND MORE) AND FILLED WITH SOFT-SERVE ICE CREAM AND A VARIETY OF TOPPINGS. “THEY’RE VERY POPULAR WITH BOTH TOURISTS AND LOCALS. PEOPLE LIKE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE UNIQUE, AND THE CONE REALLY COMPLEMENTS THE ICE CREAM.” 807 SUTTER ST., FOLSOM; (916) 358-9832; FOODIECONES.COM

Hidden Gems

Why should ice cream shops have all the fun? Here are three don’t-miss frozen desserts from restaurants better known for their savory side.

MASULLO’S ICE CREAM SANDWICH

Two flawlessly crisp oatmeal currant cookies hugging a thick puck of Vic’s vanilla bean ice cream that’s been rolled in toasted almonds is perfection in the

palm of your hand. 2711 Riverside Blvd.; (916) 443-8929; masullopizza.com

OATMEAL STOUT FLOAT

serve meets craft beer in this luscious pairing that will make you forget all about root beer. Also served in a flight with chocolate, berry and caramel versions. 2004 Capitol Ave.; (916) 436-7711; alarobrewing.com

mom- and pistachio-dusted vanilla ice

cream atop a bed of thin rice noodles and

impossibly fluffy snow ice that’s been splashed with rose water, sweet syrup and cream. 538 Main St., Woodland; (530) 665-6516; houseofshah.com

YUME GELATO

Owners Mike Janwar and Lucy Xu pride themselves on gelato that’s “handmade with love, care and good ingredients.” The couple learned the basics of gelato

making from a mentor, then perfected the art through trial and error. In addition to perennial favorites like pistachio and strawberry, “we try to create flavors that we think are interesting,” says Janwar. That includes the Ferrero Rocher-inspired

Mike’s Breakfast: hazelnut chocolate gelato flecked with crispy bits of wafer and nuts. 5921 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 400-4062; IG: @yumegelato

URBAN EATS’ JALA

DEVIL MAY CARE

The name of this cheerful downtown shop says a lot about its approach to making top-notch ice cream in how’d-they-do-that flavors. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” says owner Jess Milbourn. “At the end of the day, we’re creative people who just want to make great ice cream and share it with people.” Some of the most intriguing scoops here include coffee and doughnuts, Thai tea and carrot cake with a cream cheese ribbon. But don’t mistake the imaginativeness for gimmickry; Devil May Care delivers on the basics, too. “We make an outstanding vanilla,” vouches Milbourn. 710 K St.; (916) 594-9476; dmcicecream.com

Matcha Cafe Maiko

GOT MATCHA? THE TRENDY GREEN POWDERED TEA POPULARIZED IN JAPAN IS THE STAR OF THIS HAWAIIBASED CHAIN FOCUSED ON COLD BEVERAGES AND ICE CREAM TREATS. ORDER MATCHA SOFT SERVE—ON ITS OWN OR SWIRLED WITH ANOTHER FLAVOR—IN A CONE, CUP OR AS PART OF A VERDANT FLOAT OR LATTE. THE CAFE ALSO SERVES FROSTY MATCHA FRAPPÉS AND ELABORATE SHAVED ICE CREATIONS ADORNED WITH ADZUKI BEANS, SHIRATAMA (A TYPE OF MOCHI) AND CONDENSED MILK. 6905 STOCKTON BLVD.; (916) 5949967; MATCHACAFE-MAIKO. COM/ENG

Cowtown Creamery

WHAT COULD BE MORE REFRESHING THAN AN ICE-COLD LEMONADE ON A TRIPLE-DIGIT DAY? OUR VOTE GOES TO THE FROZEN LEMONADE FLOAT FROM COWTOWN CREAMERY, ONE OF SACRAMENTO’S FIRST DESSERT-CENTRIC FOOD TRUCKS. OWNERS STEPHEN AND GRAHAM CALDWELL CONCOCTED THE FLOAT BY ADDING VANILLA SOFT SERVE TO THEIR SLUSHIE-LIKE FROZEN LEMONADE AND KNEW IMMEDIATELY THEY HAD A HIT ON THEIR HANDS. (THE STRAWBERRY VERSION HAS SINCE SOARED IN POPULARITY.) “WHILE OUR HIGH-QUALITY ICE CREAM BASE MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY, THE WAY WE SET OUR MACHINES

UP IS ACTUALLY JUST AS IMPORTANT,” EXPLAINS STEPHEN. “WE CONSTANTLY SERVICE OUR MACHINES TO ENSURE THE PRODUCT COMES OUT AS SMOOTH AND CREAMY AS POSSIBLE.” COWTOWNCREAMERY.COM

SHAM SWEETS

This Mediterranean sweet shop serves up gorgeous ribbons of booza—a Middle Eastern ice cream that’s been around for centuries—with edges bedazzled in bright-green crushed pistachios. Booza has a more elastic texture than typical American ice cream owing to its main ingredients, mastic gum and orchid-root flour. Devotees who enjoyed the treat as children in far-flung locales such as Syria and Lebanon now travel from the Bay Area to Sacramento to savor a taste of their youth. 1327 Fulton Ave.; (916) 664-3138; shamsweets10.business.site

POPBAR

A franchise sensation that originated in New York City, Popbar specializes in picture-perfect customizable gelato, sorbet and yogurt popsicles drizzled or dipped in chocolate (dark, milk, white, caramel or mint) and decoratively rolled in your choice of toppings, from hazelnuts to rainbow sprinkles to crushed cinnamon pretzels. “Everything is handmade here in the shop, from the pops to the shakes,” says Christopher Aldama, who manages the bustling DOCO location. The cookies-and-cream gelato and strawberry pineapple sorbet are crowd favorites. 405 K St.; (916) 538-6296; pop-bar.com

Nondairy Queens

For those avoiding cow’s milk or gluten in their diets, a traditional ice cream parlor can be a lonely place. But all is not lost. More and more shops feature dairy- and wheat-free desserts as chefs perfect the process of making ice cream, gelato and other frozen treats with alternative ingredients.

At BABES ICE CREAM & DONUTS , gluten-free pioneers Olga and Danny Turner produce surprisingly rich vegan ice creams from a coconut base. The sorbets here are the tastebud equivalent of the Delta breeze: refreshing and always welcome at the end a hot day. 2417 J St.; (916) 476-4519; babesice creamdonuts.com

At CONSCIOUS CREAMERY, Andrea and Kevin Seppinni craft small batches of plant-based, gluten-free gelato using classic Italian methods. Don’t miss the darling gelato tacos or the tangy-sweet mango chililime sorbetto bars. 3400 Broadway; (916) 407-1175; consciouscreamery.com

Bubble Cone

OWNER WAHID KHALIL TAKES BUBBLE WAFFLES (THE PILLOWY, HONEYCOMBSHAPED STREET FOOD THAT ORIGINATED IN HONG KONG), FOLDS THEM INTO CONES AND LOADS THEM WITH ICE CREAM AND A GLUTTONOUS ASSORTMENT OF TOPPINGS, FROM STRAWBERRIES TO CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH CEREAL. THE BEST-SELLER AT THIS POPULAR FOOD TRUCK (IT IS FREQUENTLY PARKED AT THE FOLSOM OUTLETS) IS THE STREET CONE, WHICH INCLUDES YOUR CHOICE OF ICE CREAM ALONG WITH WHOLE AND CRUSHED OREOS, MARSHMALLOWS, CHOCOLATE SYRUP, POWDERED SUGAR, WHIPPED CREAM AND A HAZELNUT WAFER COOKIE. BUBBLECONESAC.COM;

When Linda Boudreau nailed the high note and carried the sustain in Heart’s “Barracuda,” she looked stage left to Nancy Wilson and caught her surprised look. It was a look of validation, a look that said Boudreau was doing justice to the massive hit song Nancy wrote with her sister, Ann Wilson, some 45 years ago.

Boudreau was still on a cloud several days later, she says.

Boudreau joined Nancy Wilson onstage back in May at the famed Viper Room in Los Angeles for a gig celebrating the fi nale of Band Camp, a music experience where people pay to play and consult with famous rock stars. It was a dream come true for Boudreau, she says, especially after fronting the Sacramento-based Heart tribute band, Heartless, since 2014.

“Nancy is very shy, very reserved,” Boudreau says. “But she’s also very warm. It was very powerful to be onstage with her. We did “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You,” and when I hit the high notes her eyebrows went up. I thought, ‘She knows I can do this now. She knows who I am.’”

Boudreau was playing in the Band Camp band with good friend Gail Eaton, who plays the Nancy Wilson part to Boudreau’s Ann Wilson lead in Heartless. Eaton approached Nancy Wilson after the second gig at the famed Whisky a Go Go and asked if she had heard of their tribute band. She said yes.

Tribute bands are a relatively recent musical phenomenon and di er from the typical cover band one might see at their local bar in that tribute bands play only the music of one artist or group; cover bands play all sorts of genres from multiple groups.

HEARTLESS

TRIBUTE TO : HEART FOUNDED : 2014

MUSICIANS : Linda Boudreau (lead vocals), Gail Eaton (vocals/ acoustic guitar), Jim Coyne (lead guitars), Brett Minkin (keyboards), Dan Morais (bass), Eddie Studebaker (drums)

MORE : At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band uploaded a YouTube video of them performing “Crazy on You.” Sony Music’s bots could not tell the difference between the original and the Heartless version, and YouTube prevented the band from monetizing the video. “What an honor that was,” Jim Coyne says.

TRIBUTE TO : AC/DC

FOUNDED : 2007

MUSICIANS : Mike Barnes (vocals), Dave Chapman (lead guitar), Joel Proto (guitar), Michael Spencer (bass), Steve Marshall (drums)

MORE : Dave Chapman doesn’t think he’d ever like to meet Angus Young in person. It would be awkward, he says. “Once you meet your hero, they’re no longer your hero, you know? I want to keep that reverence for who he is and what he does.”

RAF

FThe test of a great tribute band is to close your eyes when listening live, and if you can’t tell that it’s not the original act, the tribute band has passed.

“We always try to sound like AC/DC does live rather than on their albums because AC/DC plays faster, louder and harder live,” says Mike Barnes, the lead singer for Ri /Ra , an AC/DC tribute band. “I don’t look like Bon (Scott) or Brian (Johnson), so we’re obviously a musical tribute. People are forgiving on the looks, but you can’t be o on the music.”

Dave Chapman is arguably closer to the look of the artist he’s paying tribute to—he is the same size as Angus Young, the powder keg lead guitarist for AC/DC. Chapman not only plays AC/DC songs note for note, but he even dresses in Young’s English schoolboy look, complete with red shorts, white shirt, black tie, red jacket and brown leather satchel. Chapman, who recently retired from the State of California, grows his hair long to match Young’s mane, and when he’s bouncing across the stage ripping through the iconic ri s, he embodies Young, which lends more credence to Ri /Ra paying the ultimate tribute.

“I always wanted to look the part,” Chapman says. “Mainly because I didn’t want Mike to have to get

a perm. That would not have been a good thing.”

“I can’t imagine a better guitarist for an AC/DC tribute band than that guy,” Swabbies on the River owner Chris Barabino says of Chapman. “Authenticity to the original act, with a little bit of a personal flair, is what I think people are attracted to. A lot of these bands are really, really good. Everyone has their good days and bad days onstage, but there are moments in time where the band captures something that is so special, and they hook the crowd with such a giant, well, hook that they’re into exactly what is happening. A lot of these tributes have that ability to connect with the crowd.”

CLOSE YOUR EYES WHEN LISTENING LIVE, AND IF YOU CAN’T TELL THAT IT’S NOT THE ORIGINAL ACT, THE TRIBUTE BAND HAS PASSED THE TEST.

Sacramento has a healthy lineup of tribute bands that crisscross the region, playing in smaller venues such as Harlow’s in midtown and Opera House Saloon in Roseville or larger outdoor venues such as Swabbies on the River or even the 975-seat Crest Theatre, as one of the more established Sacramento-based tribute bands, Steelin’ Dan, did earlier this year.

STEELIN' DAN

TRIBUTE TO : STEELY DAN

FOUNDED : 2002

MUSICIANS : Kurt Shiflet (guitars), Charley Langer (horns), Maurice Montgomery (horns), Bob Williams (horns), Jimmie Adams (drums), Dave Buehler (keyboards), Sandford Wragg (lead vocals), Larry Tagg (bass), Kimberly Parsons (vocals), Lahre Shiflet (vocals)

MORE : The band is a former Best of Sacramento winner for Best Show Stealer and a five-time Best Tribute Band award winner by the readers of Sacramento News & Review. The band nearly sold out the 975-seat Crest Theatre in February.

Steelin’ Dan often travels outside of the area to perform, as do several other Sacramento tribute bands. There are dozens of AC/DC tribute bands in the world, but Ri /Ra rules the Sacramento area. There are multiple Pat Benatar tribute bands in Los Angeles, but Invincible is the only Northern California Benatar tribute band. Heart has many tribute bands, but Heartless is the best known in this region. Other Sacramento-area tribute bands that work locally include Petty Jack Flash (Tom Petty/Rolling Stones), CCsegeR (Creedence Clearwater Revival/Bob Seger) Garratt Wilkin and The Parrotheads (Jimmy Bu ett), Long Time (Boston) and Journey Revisited (Journey).

Swabbies on the River is sort of Sacramento’s version of LA’s Viper Room or New York’s CBGB’s for tribute bands. You haven’t really made it as a tribute act until you headline at Swabbies. Barabino estimates he’s booked more than 3,000 acts in his 20-plus years at the helm. Not all have been tribute bands, he says, but he knows what Sacramento-area live music lovers want to see, and over the past decade or so, that’s been a steady encore for tribute bands.

“We found that when we do the tributes, the marketing is a little easier because people know exactly what they’re going to get, and people seem to appreciate and love it,” Barabino says. “Steelin’ Dan has been with us over a decade. Ri /Ra has been with us for 15 years. (Prince tribute band) When Doves Cry is playing twice in one day because ticket demand is so high.”

According to Barabino, Steelin’ Dan is serious about making the songs perfect replicas of the original Steely Dan tracks from the band’s 1970s heyday. “Some tribute bands put their own spin on things, but Steelin’ Dan plays a song exactly the way it sounds on the records,” Barabino says. “If you just landed here from some other world and sat down and listened to them, you’d think it’s the actual act. It’s that authentic.”

Dave Buehler plays keyboards for Steelin’ Dan and joined the band in 2012, a decade after the tribute band launched and played its fi rst gig at Harlow’s on J Street. Steelin’ Dan is considered the granddaddy of Sacramento tribute bands and has one of Sacramento’s most celebrated musicians, Larry Tagg, on bass.

A typical gig, says Buehler, has the band playing between 23 and 25 Steely Dan songs, with maybe Tower of Power’s “What Is Hip?” thrown in with a jazzier, more Steely Dan-esque arrangement. But that’s it. The rest of the tunes in the sets are exact note-for-note renditions of what one would hear on a Steely Dan album. Steelin’ Dan wouldn’t have it any other way.

“IT’S AN HONOR TO DO THIS, BUT IT’S A BUSINESS, TOO, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT [WE USE] THE SAME WORK ETHIC THAT PRINCE USED TO MAKE HIS BANDS WORK. WE WANT TO MATCH THAT AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.”

“Our goal has always been to play to the record— the original recording,” says Buehler, who like many musicians in tribute bands has a side gig performing and recording original tunes. “I don’t know how many people have come up to me over the years and said they saw Steely Dan live and didn’t like it because they changed the arrangements up and the songs aren’t like they remember. They say they’d rather pay $20 and see us play Steely Dan from the records.”

Even at $20, fans have high expectations, and the pressure to perform rises as well. Fan is short for fanatic. Change the arrangement to something unrecognizable or fail to include the right amount of hits into your set and you’ll hear about it from the fanatics. Commit those transgressions and it’s like you’ve insulted their heroes.

Prince is generally regarded as one of the best musicians of the past 50 years. He could do it all: play every instrument, produce, sing, arrange and tear the roof o venues with blistering funk and pop concerts that lasted two hours or more each night.

So when Rashaad Boyce-Carlton hits the stage with When Doves Cry, he and his bandmates had better be on their game. Boyce-Carlton joined the band four years ago as a backup singer when it was an all-women Prince tribute band. The band has had four lineup changes since forming in 2015, and now Boyce-Carlton has the privilege—and the pressure— of performing Prince.

WHEN DOVES CRY

TRIBUTE TO : PRINCE

FOUNDED : 2015

MORE : Rashaad Boyce-Carlton says he’s not quite comfortable enough onstage with his tribute to Prince to come out in suggestive clothing like his hero often did. “Hey, I have my purple earring, though, like he had. But I lost my hoop earring like his. I have to get a new hoop.”

MUSICIANS : Rashaad Boyce-Carlton (lead vocals), Natasha Greer (vocals), Sharle Morton (vocals), Zak Edwards (lead guitar), Stephen Paul Goodwin (bass), Stuart Moore (keyboards), Susan Copperman (saxophone), Isaiah Abdul-Rahman (drums)

TRIBUTE TO : PAT BENATAR FOUNDED : 2018

MUSICIANS : Teri Alison (lead vocals), Thomas Murphy (lead guitar), John Balestrini (bass), Steve “Crash” Quartarola, (drums), Philip Wright (rhythm guitar/keyboards), Christina Hills (vocals)

MORE : At an US Tribute Fest in June, Invincible played the exact set Pat Benatar played at the 1982 US Festival. Also on the bill at Rocklin’s Quarry Park were Viva Santana, a Santana tribute band, and Petty Jack Flash, a Tom Petty and Rolling Stones tribute band. See Invincible July 16 at Roseville Concert on the Square.

INVINCIBLE

“I did not plan to do this, or set out to do this, and I was scared to death,” he says. “You can’t do Prince a certain way, because Prince fans can be hard. (Band leader) Zak (Edwards) is a stickler about it, the authenticity. He’s really serious about it. It’s an honor to do this, but it’s a business, too, and we want to make sure that [we use] the same work ethic that Prince used to make his bands work. We want to match that as close as possible.”

Boyce-Carlton has been a Prince fan his entire life, and he often imagines what it would be like if Prince were sitting o stage watching the band’s performance. Would he approve? That drives him to constantly work on his craft. It’s his way to honor Prince’s legacy—a true tribute. He studies videos of Prince and uses isolated vocal-track videos on YouTube to analyze Prince’s unique phrasing and inflections. It’s the subtleties that only serious Prince fans may notice, but he and his bandmates know the di erence between just copying and striving to become avatars.

“I have such a reverence for him as a person and for his music, and that’s why I work as hard as I do,” says Boyce-Carlton, an insurance salesman during the day. “I’m always working to improve. I study every nuance and try to do it exactly like the record because we want people to feel like, for the most part, that they’re listening to Prince.”

Like Boyce-Carlton and Prince, Teri Alison has spent most of her life listening to Pat Benatar, and as the lead singer of Invincible, she spends hours studying to bring as much authenticity to her stage show as possible.

“I try to be Pat-like, and we want to re-create being Pat on the stage,” says Alison, who performs in a short raven wig that hides her long blond hair. “Obviously, I don’t think I’m Pat. But I try to act like Pat and study her movements. I study her inflections on certain lyrics, her wardrobe. I have six di erent versions of her outfits she’s worn on album covers or in live videos.”

CASH PROPHETS

TRIBUTE TO : JOHNNY CASH

FOUNDED : 2004

MUSICIANS : Bobby Dickson (lead vocals, guitar), Bobby Dickson Jr. (guitar), Nathan Dickson (bass), Treyton Norris (drums)

MORE : Dickson and his two sons started out a few years before Johnny Cash died (in 2003) as a Gothabilly dark-country act. It was an open-mic night in Santa Barbara that the Cash tribute band idea clicked, and they’ve been the Cash Prophets ever since. “We crushed it,” Bobby Dickson says. “People were going crazy. Since then, Cindy Cash (Johnny’s daughter) was at a show and said we’re the best (Cash tribute band) she’s seen.”

Alison was 12 when she knew she could sing Benatar. She remembers going to cheerleading camp her sophomore year when Benatar’s “Fire and Ice” came on the radio. She started belting out the lyrics, much to the surprise of her friends.

“The girls were looking at me and said, ‘You sound just like her,’” says Alison, a sales associate for Battery Bill, a Sacramento retail and commercial battery supplier. “The fi rst time I saw her live, she didn’t do the high note in ‘Promises in the Dark’ and I went, ‘Whaaaaat?’ I was so disappointed . . . but I sang it for her, so . . .”

Many tribute band musicians started playing in cover bands; as they integrated certain songs into their sets, they knew they were onto something. Alison and her boyfriend, Thomas Murphy, were in a country cover band and dropped in a few Pat Benatar songs for fun. Eventually, Murphy says, the band morphed into a 1980s cover band and kept adding Benatar songs until it was obvious they could do her whole catalog and become a tribute band.

Mike Barnes of Ri /Ra has a similar story. He fronted a cover band playing mostly 1970s and

1980s songs; when it came time to growl out “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell,” it was obvious that forming an AC/DC tribute band was a better way to get more gigs and earn a larger following. But it was a fateful night out with friends at a karaoke bar when the ghost of Bon Scott must have visited him, because that’s when Barnes knew he could sound like the late AC/DC front man. The karaoke crowd roared in approval and Barnes started dropping “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell” into his cover band’s set list. A short time later, Chapman answered Barnes’ ad on Craigslist for a lead guitarist, and the rest is local tribute band history.

MANY TRIBUTE BAND MUSICIANS STARTED PLAYING IN COVER BANDS; AS THEY INTEGRATED CERTAIN SONGS INTO THEIR SETS, THEY KNEW THEY WERE ONTO SOMETHING.

“I fi nd this whole tribute band thing to be quite interesting,” says Bobby Dickson, who channels Johnny Cash in the Cash Prophets tribute band. “If someone can do the original artist, the original music justice, then I’m all for it.”

The scene was all rainbows as the Sacramento Pride festival took over Capitol Mall on the second weekend in June. Organized by the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, the festival, back in person after a two-year pandemic hiatus, brought out thousands of revelers. At Sunday’s march, jubilant groups and floats paraded from Southside Park to the Capitol in celebration of Sacramento’s diversity.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH BAUGHER

SAC PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE

Having

Amy M. Woo, DDS

Hygiene Team

Team

Kristine E. Balcom, DDS

Kelly A. Brewer, DDS

Patricia Murphy, DDS

MEDICAL

INNOVATORS

Laser & Skin is one of the world’s most comprehensive cosmetic and laser dermatology facilities, founded by renowned laser expert Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D. Having done more than 300 clinical trials on-site, Laser & Skin’s research led to the development of many popular devices, including laser hair and tattoo removal, laser resurfacing, Fraxel, Thermage, Ulthera, Sofwave, CoolSculpting, Emsculpt, and more. Laser & Skin’s team of five board-certified dermatologists has more than 100+ years of experience. The doctors are joined by a physician assistant, seven registered nurses, five estheticians, and more to provide state-of-the-art care and expertise to each patient. With nearly 50 lasers and devices, plus dozens of injectables, Laser & Skin has one of the world’s most wideranging collections of industry-tested, leading-edge treatments to best cater to each patient’s individual skin needs.

Experience the Art & Science of Ageless Beauty at Laser & Skin!

Suzanne L. Kilmer, M.D. Laser & Skin Surgery Center of Northern CA 3835 J Street, Sacramento (916) 456-0400

lasercenter@skinlasers.com www.skinlasers.com

A leading-edge robotic lung cancer treatment, now available through the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, is shrinking the time between diagnosis and potential cure for this swift and deadly disease.

This spring, UC Davis teams performed the UC system’s first single-anesthesia diagnosisto-treatment of lung cancer using a fully robotic approach. Known as robotic-assisted bronchoscopy, combined with our established robotic general thoracic surgery expertise, it allows for diagnosis and removal of a lung cancer mass during a single anesthetic–rather than an anxious wait between procedures.

Special CT software creates a 3D path for a catheter to collect biopsies, analyzed on site. If early-stage cancer is detected, the patient–still asleep–has a second precision robotic surgery, called a lobectomy or segmentectomy, to remove it the same day. One recent patient was discharged 24 hours after being diagnosed and potentially cured with robotic lobectomy.

The procedure involves a partnership between UC Davis Health’s Division of General Thoracic Surgery, led by Dr. David Tom Cooke, and Interventional Pulmonary Medicine. Both programs focus on minimally invasive techniques, and are integrated with the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center–inland Northern California’s only to earn National Cancer Institute “comprehensive” designation.

U.S. News & World Report ranks UC Davis Medical Center among the nation’s best for cancer and for pulmonology & lung surgery. UC Davis General Thoracic Surgery also scored the top level of “high-performing” for lung cancer surgery, and is the only program in inland Northern California to receive this recognition every year awarded.

Lisa M. Brown, M.D., M.A.S.

David Tom Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Luis Godoy, M.D. Chinh Phan, D.O.

UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

Lung and Esophageal Cancer Surgery

2279 45th Street Sacramento, CA 95817

916-734-5959 or 800-770-9261

When it comes to the latest on safe plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures in the most modern state-of-the-art facility, only one place comes to mind: Ideal Plastic surgery. The all-encompassing facility has quickly become the #1 provider of cosmetic surgeries in the greater Sacramento Region. With 6 brand new state-of-the art operating rooms, Ideal Plastic surgery has created the largest plastic surgery center in our region - over 21000 square feet of clinics, medical spa and operating room space. Thanks to our commitment to the highest standards of safety and modern technology, Ideal Plastic Surgery has quickly become the regions number one provider of cosmetic surgery. Our modern surgery center is drawing patients from all of California to Sacramento… did you know that over 80% of patients travel from outside the Sacramento region for the amazing care at Ideal? The plastic surgeons at Ideal Plastic Surgery have over 40 years of combined experience serving the Sacramento area and beyond. Our fantastic team at Ideal Plastic Surgery is focused on helping you look your ideal! Ideal Plastic Surgery also leads the way as the only fully bilingual staffed facility that reflects the needs of our growing community.

Le hablamos en su idioma!

As a nationally recognized surgeon, teacher and researcher, Dr. Tollefson is a leader in innovative facial plastic and reconstructive surgery techniques that help adult and pediatric patients–here at UC Davis, and beyond.

As codirector of the UC Davis Cleft and Craniofacial program, Dr. Tollefson uses leading-edge computer technology to plan surgeries and helps design custom implants to fit individual faces. He teaches surgeons around the world, with a special interest in improving cleft and trauma care in resource-limited countries.

His peers chose him to be editorin-chief of the high-impact journal Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine, publishing the most innovative rhinoplasty and facial plastic surgery research. Dr. Tollefson’s passion translates to the highest-quality care for you and your family.

Travis Tollefson, M.D., M.P.H., FACS

UC Davis Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2521 Stockton Blvd., Ste. 7200 Sacramento, CA (916) 734-2347

health.ucdavis.edu/otolaryngology

Celebrate the best Sacramento has to offer. This year’s event will be outdoors and under the stars, at The Barn, a unique venue in the Bridge District. Mingle with the region’s most influential people as they experience food & drink from their favorite farm-to-fork restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries.

BY CATHERINE WARMERDAM

Interior designer Marin Deen Wilson of Marin Design Co. proves that a few carefully considered changes can breathe new life into a space without busting the budget. For a Land Park bungalow that she revamped for a mother and her young daughter, Wilson retained existing furnishings when feasible, accessorized with off-the-shelf decor and painted where necessary to freshen up rooms—all to beautiful effect.

“IN THE KITCHEN, STYLING ITEMS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE,” SAYS WILSON. “ALL OF IT IS FUNCTIONAL, AND IT BRINGS THE ROOM TO LIFE.”

Kitchen: Designer Marin Deen Wilson kept the homeowner’s existing kitchen cabinetry, freshening it up with a new paint color, Creamy White by Benjamin Moore. “It almost has a blush hue to it, which really warms up the space.” She adds that it’s best to leave cabinet painting to the pros. “They can prime and paint faster and better than you can.”

The tile backsplash is from the Cloe collection by B edrosians. “It mimics really expensive handmade Moroccan tiles, so it’s a great alternative for clients who want that look but don’t have it in their budget.”

Living Room: Wilson used texture to create interest. There’s an upholstered sofa, leather chairs and a wood coffee table, as well as a rattan sideboard (not pictured). “It all comes together in a cohesive way,” she says. Wilson also included lots of seating options, including low-profile poufs (pictured on page 63), which don’t block views or disrupt the flow of the floor plan. “What we like to do in these living spaces is round out the room as best we can so that if you have a lot of guests over, you can face each other.”

Entry: Wilson chose character-filled secondhand items to decorate the entryway. “The bench is from a salvage shop in Oakland and the umbrella holder is vintage.”

“Being a designer is all about budgeting,” explains Wilson. “We may have a vision for a $10,000 couch, but in order to make that work, we are always trying to be crafty with the other pieces.”

Wilson stretches design dollars by sourcing trendier pieces from big-box retailers and scouring antiques fairs for unique accessories that have an enduring style. “I love having a vintage piece next to, say, a lamp from Target. We are all about styling with a mixture of high and low.”

Wilson offers these tips for filling a home with style without draining the bank account:

l Consider keeping, not replacing, kitchen cabinets if they are in decent condition. “Using what you do have will bring the budget down significantly. You also have the option of replacing just the upper cabinets and keeping the lower ones.”

l Add plants or simple greenery to soften the space.

“Even if it’s just stopping at Trader Joe’s and getting some fresh stems, or plants from local nursery, it makes a world of difference to bring a green element into your home.”

l Coffee-table books add easy style to a room. “We get a ton of these on Amazon. They look great layered with other items.” Used bookstores are another great resource.

l Retailers like Target and HomeGoods are great for picking up accessories, but consider looking elsewhere for hardworking pieces like sofas in order to get better quality. “I don’t like to buy furniture for high-traffic areas [from big-box stores]. I want heavyduty pieces in that instance.”

Funny? Local comedians talk about their backgrounds, inspirations and current gigs.

JR De Guzman

tim engle

BY ELENA M. MACALUSO

D

uring the height of the COVID19 pandemic, when stay-athome orders were in full effect across most of the country, only those whose work was deemed “essential” worked on-site. Comedians, musicians and other performers were not considered essential. However, after enduring these past two years, we may believe that comedy is essential.

Live shows, including comedy shows, are back. In celebration, we asked four local comedians to tell us a joke, a little bit about themselves and what they’ve been up to.

JR De Guzman

I was born in the Philippines. When we first moved to America, we lived in a storage unit in Los Angeles. I feel like that would’ve been the most awesome episode of “Storage Wars.” They open it up and there’s just a Filipino family inside. On the outside there’s a guy with a trucker hat like, “I want that.”

JR De Guzman was a psychology major at UC Davis who took music and theater classes “in the closet.” (Immigrant parents don’t usually support that, says De Guzman, who came to the United States with his family when he was 5.) His favorite course was an in-depth comedy class taught by professor Mindy Cooper, where he learned about different styles of comedy including vaudeville, sketch, musical comedy, improv and standup. “I got to see which forms of comedy I liked the best,” he says. These days, De Guzman’s act combines music and comedy. “A lot of the songs come from something I really do feel and put it in a pill that is easier to swallow from a comedy standpoint. I can’t write about it unless I really feel passionate about it or it made me laugh,” he says of his material.

You may have seen De Guzman at Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival this past May. He’s headlining two shows at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Oct. 1 and will be at The Crest Theatre on Oct. 2.

See jrdeguzman.com or follow De Guzman on Instagram @jrdguz.

Sydney Stigerts

Me and my mom are very close. We have a lot in common. We both haven’t been with a man in 26 years.

Growing up in El Dorado Hills, Sydney Stigerts never aspired to be a comedian. She never even really watched comedy. But when Stigerts cut her hair and came out as a lesbian in her senior year of high school, friends told her she looked like Ellen DeGeneres and should have her own TV show. So she watched one of DeGeneres’ stand-up routines. “I was like, ‘Dude, I can do that,’” says Stigerts. “Hearing people laugh is such a drug, and nothing compares to that feeling of standing on stage and making people laugh, especially when it is me telling stories about my own life.” Stigerts has recently “got on the TikTok game”—a few of her videos have gone viral—and through August has a monthly show at Mic Drop Comedy club in San Diego. Stigerts also performs in “1 Degree of Separation,” a “funny look at depression and suicide,” in which local comedians talk and joke about their own struggles with depression with a goal of ending the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

See sydneystigerts.com or follow Stigerts on Instagram @sydstig to see when she is performing locally. For more information on “1 Degree of Separation,” go to 1degreeofseparation.life.

Becky Lynn

I recently had a baby and nothing went according to my birth plan, which I have since learned is very common. Admittedly though, my birth plan was to deliver in a kiddie pool in my backyard underneath a full moon. To which Kaiser Permanente replied, “Nah. Your backyard is out of network.”

Becky Lynn was living in Chico and going to weekly open-mic comedy nights with her co-worker when the comedy bug bit her. “After going for a few months I was like, ‘I think I can do that.’ I went up and I never looked back,” she says. “I love the opportunity to share my own truth with other people through humor and watch other people relate to it in some way.”

Lynn draws much of her inspiration from her own life. “I think I have had a pretty interesting life. I am a transracial adoptee who grew up with older white parents who have since passed away. That has led me to a lot of perspective on family, race and grieving. And I am a new mom, entering into parenthood and what that looks like. Some of this people can relate to and some of it not. Ultimately my goal is to just find connection through all of it,” she says.

In addition to performing stand-up, Lynn co-hosts the podcast “It’s Crazy You’re in My Business,” which she describes as an “advice and pop culture podcast,” with fellow comedian Ta’Vi.

See ohthatsbecky.com or follow Lynn on Instagram @ohthatsbecky.

E. Clark

To make ends meet I used to be a substitute teacher. And full-time teachers would give me advice on how to be a better instructor. I had to tell them, “I appreciate your advice but I’m tryna make rent, I’m not tryna make a difference. I’m here till 2:45. I can’t change these little %$#^$$ lives in three hours.”

E. Clark got into stand-up comedy 20 years ago as an outlet for dealing with the racism and lack of diversity he experienced on the job. “Had I not experienced those things, I might not have become a comic,” says Clark, who describes himself as an observational comedian. A divorced father who shares coparenting duties, Clark draws much of his material from his life. “I’m a lot funnier than I was back then just because of life experience,” he says. Though he believes comedy and comedians are more under attack these days, Clark says he still appreciates the freedom of speech that comedy affords. “Comedians can express themselves under the umbrella of comedy,” he says. “We are a little more free than the average person who has to clock into the 9 to 5.”

In addition to comedy, Clark, who goes by Erik W. Clark for acting and writing, has written a miniseries, three movies and a treatment for another installment of the “Friday” film franchise, which he hopes to get in the hands of “Friday” film maker Ice Cube.

Follow Clark on Instagram @eclarkcomedy.

“I LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY OWN TRUTH WITH OTHER PEOPLE THROUGH HUMOR AND WATCH OTHER PEOPLE RELATE TO IT IN SOME WAY.” BECKY LYNN

Events

JULY

Birthday at the Ballpark—

Celebrate America’s birthday at Fourth on the Field , the annual Independence Day bash at Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats. Treat the family to 19 food trucks, vendors throughout the stadium, playpark and splashpad for the kids, live music, beer garden and more, followed by a dazzling display of fireworks set against the Sacramento skyline. sutterhealthpark.com

Fairest of Them

All—Fans of funnel cakes and fried pickles on a stick, rejoice! The state fair—rebranded as the California State Fair & Food Festival—is back, promising all of the fabulous food and drink, competitions, cultural and agricultural attractions, carnival games, rides and entertainment that fairgoers love. Stay tuned for details about daily themes and nightly concerts at Cal Expo. calexpostatefair.com

Enchanted Evenings—

The Strauss Festival of Elk Grove returns for four free performances under the stars. Join aficionados of Austrian composer Johann Strauss who gather at Strauss Island in Elk Grove Regional Park to watch beautifully costumed dancers perform waltzes, polkas and quadrilles to a live orchestra. A tradition since 1987, it’s a celebration of Old World music and dance that never grows old. strauss festival.com

Black Art Showcase—

The Manetti Shrem Museum of Art in Davis welcomes Young, Gifted and Black: The LumpkinBoccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art . This traveling exhibition, drawn from the private collection of Bernard I. Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi, features contemporary works in various media by 50 emerging Black artists exploring identity, politics and more. manettishrem museum.ucdavis.edu

Cirque Spectacular—

Cirque du Soleil stages its classic production Alegría under the big top at Sutter Health Park. Reimagined for a modern audience and replete with acrobatics, tumblers and trapeze artists, fire jugglers, comedic clowns , ethereal live music, and surreal costumes and sets, Alegría immerses audiences in a dreamlike, otherworldly spectacle that’s both action packed and full of imaginative artistry. cirquedusoleil.com

Note: All events are subject to change, based on local and state health and safety regulations. Before you set out, confirm the event’s dates and details, and be ready to comply with any COVID-related measures (mask, proof of vaccine/booster, negative test) required to attend.

Top left: Jacquelyn Anderson; top right: “Blue Dancer,” 2017, by Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, © Tunji Adeniyi-Jones

Taste

Hawaiian Style

Hawaiian soul food? Yup. That’s what they serve at KAU KAU , which recently opened in the East Sac space that was once home to Evan’s Kitchen. The restaurant serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, featuring dishes that put an island spin on classics, such as the Kau Kau Benedict (poached eggs and house-made Spam on crispy taro cakes) and, in a twist on chicken and waffles, there’s a macadamia nut waffle topped with crispy chicken katsu and served with Sriracha mango syrup. 855 57th St.; (916) 431-7043; IG: @kaukau916

07 22

gabriel teague

inside: Mom Boss / Simply Pizza / Wine Storyteller

Left: Stewed beef tacos with smoked corn and lime-chèvre cream; right: grilled quail on purple grits; top: succotash; bottom: cornbread with jalapeño honey butter

Garlicky collard greens with blistered tomatoes

Kushi oysters with housefermented hot sauce

Jackie Lee Smith

Watershed’s Moment

For one Grass Valley restaurant, Jackie Lee Smith was the right chef at the right time.

BY MARYBETH BIZJAK

Regular diners at Grass Valley’s Watershed at the Owl are accustomed to an unusual sight: that of executive chef Jackie Lee Smith working with a baby strapped to her hip. It brings back the old line about how Ginger Rogers did everything her dance partner Fred Astaire did, only backward and in heels.

Family life traditionally was a barrier to women interested in working at the highest levels of the food industry. Often, they became pastry chefs because the hours were less punishing. In two decades of writing about Sacramento’s food scene, I rarely came across a woman in charge of a restaurant kitchen. But that’s changing. In the past year, I’ve written about three, all of them young mothers.

Being a mother, says Smith, gives her some natural advantages working in the top job at a restaurant. “It’s really hard to take down a mother,” she explains. “A woman is fierce and strong, but a mom is a different breed.” Running a restaurant, she says, is a bit like raising a teenager: If you’re not tough, fair and consistent, your kid will behave like a punk. So will your restaurant.

Smith has three boys: 13, 8 and 8 months. The baby accompanies Smith to work five days a week. When he’s not lashed to her body, he’s napping in a back room or getting passed around by staffers who jockey to hold him. The 8-year-old comes to the restaurant after school to help out, cutting limes, moving plates, washing lettuce. Smith loves raising her kids in a restaurant. “It socializes them,” she says.

focused the menu on sustainable, ethically raised produce and proteins from local sources. Hyperlocal ones, too, from within 2 miles of the restaurant. The food has a heavy Southern influence; Smith’s husband is from Savannah, Georgia, and the menu is her love letter to him, with dishes like shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes and raw oysters. Okra shows up in many guises: in a stuffing for quail, perhaps, or blistered in a cast-iron skillet and seasoned with lime and sea salt.

Smith’s food, while approachable, looks and tastes special. Many dishes are artfully plated and—dare I say it?—feminine, thanks to Smith’s keen eye for color and liberal use of micro florals. Take, for instance, the spring menu’s beet carpaccio, a dish that looks like it sprang from a painter’s box. Paper-thin slices of rainbow baby beets in vivid reds, purples and oranges are laid out in a single layer across the plate, lightly dressed in horseradish vinaigrette, punctuated with pickled mustard seeds for pop and strewn with tiny herbs and flowers. It’s almost too pretty to eat.

THE FOOD HAS A HEAVY SOUTHERN INFLUENCE; THE CHEF’S HUSBAND IS FROM GEORGIA, AND THE MENU IS HER LOVE LETTER TO HIM, WITH DISHES LIKE SHRIMP AND GRITS, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AND RAW OYSTERS.

Built during the Gold Rush, the restaurant building itself offers a rustic counterpoint to all that pretty food. Historic blackand-white photos and vintage gold pans decorate the old brick walls; a small fireplace just inside the front door brings the cozy on cold nights. Home for more than 100 years to a bar once frequented by rowdy miners and gamblers, the place is dripping in history. Some say it’s haunted by a ghost named George, killed long ago for cheating in a game of cards.

When Oakland resident Ian Moll opened Watershed in 2018, diners thought it was too edgy and upscale. The online reviews were brutal. “People didn’t get us,” says Moll. Two years ago, he hired Smith to reinvent the restaurant. She’d grown up in Grass Valley, so she understood the locals’ tastes and sensibilities. Dishes from the original menu such as octopus al diablo were 86’ed in favor of more accessible fare such as grilled rib-eye.

Smith already had relationships with farmers and ranchers in the area, and she

Grass Valley locals who once considered Watershed too edgy now find it a comfortable place where they feel at home. One satisfied diner left a note, written in crayon and decorated with hearts and flowers, for Smith and her mostly female staff: “Thank you Megan & Jackie and all you lovely people .”

WATERSHED AT THE OWL

134 Mill St., Grass Valley; (530) 205-9070 watershedattheowl.com

Family Style

It’s a big leap from selling insurance to opening an artisan pizza restaurant, but that didn’t faze Mano Vrapi of Roseville’s Flour Dust Pizza Company. Vrapi, an entrepreneur who emigrated from Albania at age 18, started making pizza in his backyard about eight years ago, around the same time he began to tire of his o ce job.

“I built a brick oven with my dad. We had no idea what we were doing, but it was a fun little project,” he says. Before long, friends were complimenting him on his pizzas, and Erick Johnson, owner of The Chef’s Table in Rocklin, encouraged him to start a mobile pizza business.

Vrapi spent a year restoring a 1952 Inter national Harvester truck with a colorful his tory (it was once used to deliver goods to San Quentin prison) and soon starting booking catering gigs. He also got serious about perfecting his craft, enrolling in an intensive pro gram at Biverò Pizza Academy in Florence. “I wanted to train professionally,” he explains. “Making pizza in the

Mackenzie Cecchi

Mackenzie Cecchi, the plucky, jane-of-alltrades general manager at Casino Mine Ranch, one of Amador County’s most creative wineries, talked to Sacramento Magazine recently about what excites her about the hospitality industry, why stories matter and how wineries have evolved during the pandemic.

You’ve worked in the hospitality industry for several years, including serving as events manager at Mario Batali’s Otto in New York City and doing marketing for Long Meadow Ranch in Napa Valley. What is it about this line of work that fulfills you?

I’m definitely a people person. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories and connecting with them and sharing experiences with them. We try to make the experience at Casino Mine Ranch something different than what anybody else in the area is doing. I think our wine is fantastic, so I don’t really have to sell people on it. I just get to meet all these amazing people that enjoy food and wine as much as I do.

backyard for a few friends is one thing; running a business is something else.”

The truck was a success, but the pizzaiolo had bigger dreams. In late 2019, Vrapi and his wife, Stefanie, launched their restaurant. “Once I found the location, I knew it was right because it had an open-kitchen concept, which was similar to how I made pizzas with the truck, with customers seeing how we do everything,” he says.

“PIZZA IS LIKE A HOUSE. YOU CAN HAVE BEAUTIFUL TOPPINGS, BUT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION, YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING.”

Vrapi’s dough is made from Italian double zero flour—prized for producing a thin, crispy crust—and rises for three days in the fridge before he transforms it into gorgeous pies.

“Pizza is like a house,” he explains. “You can have beautiful toppings, but if you don’t have a good foundation, you don’t have anything.” He doesn’t go overboard on toppings, favoring the simplicity of a few quality ingredients. “Neapolitanstyle pizza has a thin bottom; if you overload it, you’ll have a very sloppy pizza,” he explains.

Menu standouts include Ali’s Special, with four types of cheese along with pistachios, red onion and habanero honey, and Kami, featuring a piquant Calabrian pepper sauce and house-made sausage. Fans also swoon over the hand-pulled mozzarella appetizer, served with flatbread and a wonderful caramelized onion and pepper jam. 5080 Foothills Blvd., Roseville; (916) 773-5080; flourdustpizza.com—CATHERINE WARMERDAM

Today’s wine enthusiasts place a high premium on the story behind the label. How does that shape your work?

Yes, millennials especially are really invested in what the story is, who’s making the wine and how they feel when they’re at our place. Our owner’s great-aunt [Simone Vanophem Shaw] bought the ranch in 1936 to mine for gold, and she called it Casino Mine because she knew that gold mining was a big gamble. When I met the owners and learned about Simone, I was sold because it was all so authentic. She was just a bad-ass woman. My role has been to tell her story and share it in a way that gets people excited. We bring her into everything that we do. I can’t believe I never got to meet her because I know more about her than I do my own family thanks to all the research I’ve done.

What has changed about the industry in the last couple of years?

During the pandemic, a lot of wineries transitioned to doing tastings by appointment only,

and I believe they’re going to stay that way. I do think that it helps people who are a little intimidated by wine tasting because it gives hosts a better opportunity to talk to people one on one and educate them about wine in general or our specific wines, maybe have them try a new varietal. I like that we’re able to take better care of our guests this way.—INTERVIEWED BY CATHERINE WARMERDAM

Flour Dust Pizza

15 MINUTES WITH . . .

Dine

As a reader service, Sacramento Magazine offers the following list of noteworthy restaurants in the Sacramento region. This is not intended to be a complete directory, and not all restaurants profiled appear every month. Before heading to a restaurant, call or check its website to make sure it’s open.

ARDEN ARCADE

ABYSSINIA ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT If you can’t decide on one of the Ethiopian stews, served with injera bread, opt for a grand sampler that includes four different stews, along with spicy red lentils, split yellow peas, collard greens and cabbage. 1346 Fulton Ave.; (916) 481-1580. L–D. Ethiopian. $$

BENNETT’S AMERICAN COOKING This neighborhood hangout has an approachable menu and a familiar, “Cheers”-like ambience. The food is like homemade, only better: things like braised short rib with mashed potatoes, lasagna Bolognese and chicken enchiladas. There’s seemingly something for every taste and diet, from avocado toast, available all day long, to prime rib (weekends only). 2232 Fair Oaks Blvd.; (916) 515-9680; bennettsamericancook ing.com. L-D-Br. American. $$$

DUBPLATE KITCHEN & JAMAICAN CUISINE One of the few places in Sacramento where you can get Caribbean food, this restaurant serves Jamaican specialties such as curry goat and jerk chicken. 3419 El Camino Ave.; (916) 339-6978; dubplatekitchen cuisine.com. L–D. Jamaican. $$

FAMOUS KABOB Meat kabobs are the starring attraction here. Smokily delicious and served with basmati rice. 1290 Fulton Ave.; (916) 483-1700; famouskabob.com. L–D. Persian. $–$$

THE KITCHEN Part supper club, part theatrical production, part cocktail party: This is like no other restaurant in Sacramento, and it’s Michelin starred. You need to make reservations months in advance for the multi-course dinner. The food is complex and mind-blowingly creative. 2225 Hurley Way; (916) 568-7171; thekitchenrestaurant.com. D. American. $$$$

LEATHERBY’S FAMILY CREAMERY Go for the ice cream, all made on the premises and used in shakes, malts and towering sundaes. 2333 Arden Way; (916) 920-8382; leatherbys.net. L–D. Sandwiches/ice cream. $

TEXAS WEST BAR-B-QUE This no-frills establishment serves slow wood-cooked meat in big portions. Dig into the tender Western-style pork spareribs and beef brisket or the smoky chicken. 1600 Fulton Ave.; (916) 483-7427; texaswestbbq.com. L–D. Barbecue. $–$$

AUBURN

CARPE VINO The welcoming restaurant is one of the region’s best-kept dining secrets. Look for specialties such as halibut with peas and turnips, chicken liver mousse, and arugula and fava bean salad with strawberries. 1568 Lincoln Way; (530) 823-0320; carpe vinoauburn.com. D. New American. $$–$$$

KATRINA’S CAFE This institution serves some of the best breakfast fare in the region. Cheery and tiny, it’s packed on weekends, and the menu includes sturdy dishes such as chili con carne omelet and French

toast. 456 Grass Valley Highway; (530) 888-1166; katrinasauburn.com. B–L. American/breakfast. $

RESTAURANT JOSEPHINE The aroma of food roasting over a wood fire is one of the first things you notice at this French dinner house. The menu has a bistro bent, with mainstays such as steak frites, French onion soup and duck liver mousse. Other dishes employ Eastern European ingredients or techniques, such as vareniki (Russian dumplings). You can splurge on champagne and caviar service or grab a beer and a burger—this is both a special occasion restaurant and an everyday one. 1226 Lincoln Way; (530) 8203523; josephineauburn.com. D. French. $$$

BROADWAY

ANDY NGUYEN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT This bastion of Buddhist-inspired vegetarian cuisine serves food that is fresh and flavorful. 2007 Broadway; (916) 736-1157; andynguyenvegetarian.com. L–D. Vegetarian/Asian. $

REAL PIE COMPANY At this homey pie shop, you’ll find the pies of your dreams, made with all-butter crusts and seasonal fruit sourced from local farms. In addition to dessert pies such as jumbleberry and butterscotch banana cream, you can order savory pot pies, shepherd’s pies and dishes like mac and cheese, all available to eat in or take out. 2425 24th St.; (916) 838-4007; realpiecompany.com. L–D. American. $

SELLAND’S MARKET-CAFE Choose from an array of appetizers and hot items along with crowd-pleasing side dishes and pizza. This high-quality takeout food can be a real lifesaver on nights when you’re too busy to cook. 915 Broadway; (916) 732-3390; sellands.com. L–D–Br. Gourmet takeout. $$

TOWER CAFE This place is a hot spot on weekend mornings. Regulars swear by the New Mexico blueberry cornmeal pancakes and the thick-cut, custardy French toast. Breakfast is all-American, but lunch and dinner have a global flavor. 1518 Broadway; (916) 441-0222; towercafe.com. B–L–D. World fusion. $$

Rainbow sandwich from Selland’s Market-Cafe

CAPAY

ROAD TRIP BAR & GRILL This family-friendly joint serves up classic roadhouse fare, from salads and burgers to chops. 24989 State Highway 16; (530) 796-3777; roadtripbg.com. B–L–D. American. $–$$

CARMICHAEL

D’MILLER’S FAMOUS BBQ Ribs, hotlinks, tri-tip and more are served with traditional accompaniments such as cornbread, coleslaw and baked beans. The food, simple and hearty, arrives on disposable plates at this casual eatery. 7305 Fair Oaks Blvd.; (916) 974-1881. L–D. Barbecue. $$

MATTEO’S PIZZA & BISTRO The menu is compact, and there’s no skimping on first-rate ingredients. The pizza crust is damned good, attaining that chewy-crispy-airy trifecta. You also can order pasta, steak or a burger. 5132 Arden Way; (916) 779-0727; pizzamatteo.com. L–D. Pizza/American. $$

CITRUS HEIGHTS

LEATHERBY’S FAMILY CREAMERY For description, see listing under “Arden Arcade.” 7910 Antelope Road; (916) 729-4021; leatherbys.net. L–D. Sandwi ches/ice cream. $

SAM’S CLASSIC BURGERS At this drive-up burger shack, the shakes are great and the burgers wonderfully straightforward. 7442 Auburn Blvd.; (916) 723-7512. L–D. Burgers. $

CURTIS PARK

PANGAEA BIER CAFE While it’s known as a beer cafe and bottle shop, this casual spot also serves up tasty bar food, including a burger that has taken home top honors more than once at Sacramento Burger Battle. 2743 Franklin Blvd.; (916) 454-4942; pangaeabiercafe.com. L–D. American. $$

DAVIS

BURGERS AND BREW The casual, publike restaurant uses high-quality, locally sourced ingredients and serves an interesting selection of beers and ales. 1409 R St.; (916) 442-0900; burgersnbrew. com. L–D. Burgers. $

THE HOTDOGGER A well-loved Davis institution, The Hotdogger dishes up a delectable assortment of frankfurters and sausages. 129 E St.; (530) 7536291; thehotdogger.com. L–D. Hot dogs. $

KATHMANDU KITCHEN For description, see listing under “Broadway.” 234 G St., Davis; (530) 756-3507; kathmandukitchendavisca.com. L–D. Indian/Nepalese/vegetarian. $

MIKUNI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR For description, see listing under “Downtown.” 500 First St.; (530) 756-2111; mikunisushi.com. L–D. Japanese/sushi. $$

OSTERIA FASULO This restaurant has a beautiful outdoor courtyard bordered by trellised grapevines and punctuated by leafy trees strung with tiny lights. The menu is proudly Italian, with wonderful pastas and robust meat dishes. Try the vanilla panna cotta for dessert. 2657 Portage Bay East; (530) 758-1324; osteriafasulo.com. L–D. Italian. $$$–$$$$

SEASONS This attractive, upscale restaurant show-

cases seasonal products; the menu changes every three months. Pizzas are great; so are the bountiful salads. But you’ll find the kitchen’s real talent in its creative appetizers and limited entrées. 102 F St.; (530) 750-1801; seasonsdavis.com. L–D. New American. $$–$$$

YAKITORI YUCHAN This busy little restaurant focuses on skewered grilled meats, seafood and vegetables. Most items are meant to be shared; bring an adventurous palate and a group of food-loving friends. 109 E St.; (530) 753-3196; yakitoriyuchan. com. D. Japanese. $–$$

ZIA’S DELICATESSEN This casual, Italian-style deli makes hot and cold sandwiches, salads and hot entrées such as lasagna, penne with creamy tomato sauce and tortellini with pesto-cream sauce. 616 Third St.; (530) 750-7870; ziasdeli.com. L. Deli. $

DIXON

CATTLEMENS This classic Western steakhouse serves up big slabs of prime rib, porterhouse, T-bone and cowboy steaks, plus all the trimmings: shrimp cocktail, loaded potato skins, deep-fried onions and more. 250 Dorset Court; (707) 678-5518; cattlemens.com. D. Steakhouse. $$$

DOWNTOWN

BAWK! CHICKEN & BAR Along with crispy chicken coated with a red spice mix that kicks it up a notch, you can order salads, oysters on the half shell and collard greens. 1409 R St.; (916) 465-8700; bawk friedchicken.com. L–D–Br. Southern. $$

BRASSERIE DU MONDE This beautifully designed restaurant is based on a traditional French brasserie. The menu hits the high points of the brasserie canon, everything from onion soup to steak frites. 1201 K St.; (916) 329-8033; brasseriedumonde.com. L–D. French. $$–$$$

CAFE BERNARDO The menu offers straightforward fare guaranteed to please just about everyone. Breakfast includes huevos rancheros and eggs Bernardo, drizzled with hollandaise sauce. Lunch and dinner feature chewy-crusted pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and substantial entrées such as pan-seared chicken breast with mashed potatoes. 1431 R St.; (916) 9309191; cafebernardo.com. B–L–D. New American. $

CAMDEN SPIT & LARDER Highly regarded chef Oliver Ridgeway opened this swank brasserie in a modern, glass-walled building near the Capitol. It appeals to lobbyists, lawyers and legislators with its gin-forward cocktails (martini, anyone?) and a menu that’s an interesting mash-up of British chop-house classics, English schoolboy favorites and elevated pub fare. 555 Capitol Mall; (916) 619-8897; cam denspitandlarder.com. L–D. Steakhouse. $$$–$$$$

ECHO & RIG Located in the lobby of The Sawyer hotel, this outpost of a Vegas steakhouse is sleek and unstuffy. In addition to standard cuts like filet, NY steak and rib-eye, you’ll find butcher cuts such as hanger, bavette, skirt and tri-tip. 500 J St.; (877) 678-6255; echoandrig.com. B–L–D–Br. Steakhouse. $$$

ELLA This stunning restaurant (owned by the Selland family and designed by award-winning European architects) is an elegant oasis compared to the gritty hustle and bustle outside. From the open kitchen, the staff turns out innovative dishes and

The Hemingway cocktail from Echo & Rig

old favorites. The emphasis is on seasonal, local and artisanal. 1131 K St.; (916) 443-3772; elladining roomandbar.com. L–D. New American. $$$$

FOX & GOOSE PUBLIC HOUSE This tavern plates up some of the best breakfasts in town, along with pub staples like beer-battered fi sh and chips, a Cornish pasty or Welsh rarebit. 1001 R St.; (916) 443-8825; foxandgoose.com. B–L–D. English pub. $

FRANK FAT’S Downtown Sacramento’s oldest restaurant, Fat’s is a favorite of the Capitol crowd. The restaurant is well known for its steaks—especially Frank’s Style New York Steak—and its brandy-fried chicken. This is Chinese cuisine at its most sophisticated. 806 L St.; (916) 442-7092; frankfats.com. L–D. Chinese. $$$

GRANGE RESTAURANT & BAR Located in The Citizen Hotel, Grange proves that a hotel restaurant doesn’t have to be pedestrian. The menu changes frequently and spotlights some of the area’s best producers. At dinner, the ambience in the stunning dining room is seductive and low-lit. 926 J St.; (916) 492-4450; grangerestaurantandbar.com. B–L–Br. Californian/American. $$$$

KODAIKO RAMEN & BAR Partly owned by Kru’s Billy Ngo, this ramen shop takes the Japanese noodle soup to a whole new level. Ingredients are organic, and almost everything is made in-house. For a fun experience, sit at the six-person ramen counter and chat with the chefs. 718 K St.; (916) 426-8863; kodaiko ramen.com. L–D–Br. Japanese/ramen. $$–$$$

MAGPIE CAFE This restaurant has a casual, unassuming vibe, and its hallmark is clean, simple fare

that tastes like the best version of itself. 1601 16th St.; (916) 452-7594; magpiecafe.com. B–L–D. Californian. $$

MAS TACO BAR Tasty little tacos are the headliners at this eatery. They come with all sorts of delicious fi llings: short rib, Korean fried chicken, banh mi shrimp and cauliflower. You can also get rice bowls, salads and starters such as elote (Mexican street corn) and habanero fi re balls (a mixture of roasted chilies, cream cheese, bacon and pepper jack). 1800 15th St.; mastacobar.com. L–D–Br. Mexican. $$

MIKUNI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR

This hip sushi bar serves its sushi with a side of sass. There are three sushi bars and a dense menu of appetizers, rice bowls, bento boxes and sushi rolls. 1530 J St.; (916) 447-2112; mikunisushi.com. L–D. Japanese/sushi. $$

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE From cozy, candlelit booths and stunning, glass-enclosed wine room to the crisply outfitted chefs, Morton’s oozes Special Occasion. Red meat is the star here. 621 Capitol Mall; (916) 442-5091; mortons.com/sacramento. D. Steakhouse. $$$$

NASH & PROPER The owners fi rst rocked Sacramento’s food scene with a food truck featuring Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches. Now, they have two brick-and-mortar locations serving their famous sandwiches, along with quarter and half birds, impressive sides and chicken and wa es (weekends only). You pick the heat level for your fowl, ranging from naked (no heat) to cluckin’ hot. 1023 K St.; (916) 426-6712; nashandproper.com. L. Fried chicken sandwiches and plates. $

THE 7TH STREET STANDARD Located inside the Hyatt Centric, this is an unabashedly big-city restaurant: chic, stylish, urban, sophisticated, serious. Heading up the kitchen is Ravin Patel, a Sacramento native with an impressive fi ne-dining pedigree. His menu has a modern California sensibility, using fresh ingredients, classic French techniques and a healthy dash of South Indian fl avors. 1122 Seventh St.; (916) 371-7100; the7thstreetstandard. com. B-L-D. Modern American. $$$

URBAN ROOTS BREWING & SMOKEHOUSE At this brewery, a huge smoker turns out succulent meats— brisket, ribs, turkey and sausage—in the tradition of the great barbecue houses of Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee. Sides include collard greens, mac and cheese poblano cheese grits. 1322 V St.; (916) 7063741; urbanrootsbrewing.com. L–D. Barbecue. $$

EAST SACRAMENTO

ALLORA Modern Italian fare with a heavy seafood bent is the focus at this sophisticated eatery. Tasting menus come in three, four and five courses, with caviar service and in-season tru es o ered at an additional cost. The menu changes with the seasons, but you’ll always fi nd fresh pasta and balsamicglazed polpo (octopus). Extensive vegetarian and vegan options are also available, along with a wine list weighted with classic Italian wines and newworld expressions of Italian varieties. 5215 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 538-6434; allorasacramento.com. D. Italian. $$$$

CANON With Michelin-starred chef Brad Cecchi at the helm, this breezily chic restaurant o ers an

Carla Layton

CELEBRATE SAC!

Carla Layton

Carla Layton

Carla Layton

DRE# 01395619 | PCAR

DRE# 01395619 | PCAR

DRE# 01395619 | PCAR

Coldwell Banker Realty (916) 580-8018

Coldwell Banker Realty (916) 580-8018

DRE# 01395619 | PCAR Coldwell Banker Realty (916) 580-8018

Coldwell Banker Realty (916) 580-8018

Carla.Layton@cbnorcal.com www.HomeGirlPlacerCounty.com

Carla.Layton@cbnorcal.com www.HomeGirlPlacerCounty.com

Carla.Layton@cbnorcal.com www.HomeGirlPlacerCounty.com

Carla.Layton@cbnorcal.com www.HomeGirlPlacerCounty.com

Cynthia Woods

Broker

DRE# 01749720 | SAR Galster Real Estate Group (916) 743-6611

cynthia@realestatesinger.com www.realestatesinger.com

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ambitious menu of globally inspired sharable plates. Much of the menu is vegetarian, vegan or gluten free, but you can also order from a small selection of hearty meat, poultry and fish dishes. 1719 34th St.; (916) 469-2433; canoneastsac.com. Global/New American. D–Br. $$$–$$$$

CELESTIN’S Gumbo is the signature dish at this charming, minuscule restaurant specializing in Creole and Cajun cuisine. It comes in six varieties, including chicken, vegetarian and seafood. But the pièce de resistance is the namesake Celestin’s gumbo, chock-full of chicken, sea scallops, wild shrimp, rock cod and sausage. 3610 McKinley Blvd.; (916) 2584060; celestinsgumbo.com. L–D. Cajun/Creole. $$

KRU Long considered one of Sacramento’s best restaurants, chef/owner Billy Ngo produces high caliber, exciting Japanese fare. The restaurant has a craft cocktail bar, outdoor patios and an omakase bar. (An omakase cocktail pairing is also available.) 3135 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 551-1559; krurestaurant. com. L-D. Japanese. $$$-$$$$

MATTONE RISTORANTE When Sacramento’s famed Biba restaurant closed its doors, a few alums struck out on their own to open this Italian eatery. It’s a worthy successor to Biba, serving freshly made pasta and classic Italian fare such as calamari fritti, veal marsala and chicken cooked under a brick. 5723 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 758-5557; mattonesac.com. L-D. Italian $$$–$$$$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE This local chain offers a comprehensive lineup of breakfast fare: omelets, Benedicts, crepes, waffles, burritos and, of course, mimosas. The rest of the menu is similarly broad, with burgers, salads, grilled sandwiches and Mexican “street food.” 5641 J St.; (916) 400-4084; mimosa house.com. B–L. American. $$

OBO’ ITALIAN TABLE & BAR At this casual Italian eatery, there are hot dishes and cold salads behind the glass cases, ready for the taking. But the stars of the menu are the freshly made pastas and woodoven pizzas. There’s also a full bar serving Italiantheme craft cocktails. 3145 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 822-8720; oboitalian.com. L–D. Italian. $$

ONESPEED Chef Rick Mahan, who built his stellar reputation at The Waterboy in midtown, branched out with a more casual concept at his East Sac eatery. The open bistro has a tiled pizza oven that cranks out chewy, flavorful pizzas. 4818 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 706-1748; onespeedpizza.com. B–L–D. Pizza. $$

ORIGAMI ASIAN GRILL This fast-casual eatery serves Asian-flavored rice bowls, banh mi sandwiches, salads and ramen, along with killer fried chicken and assorted smoked-meat specials from a big smoker on the sidewalk. 4801 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 400-3075; origamiasiangrill.com. L–D. Asian fusion. $–$$

SELLAND’S MARKET-CAFE For description, see listing under Broadway. 5340 H St.; (916) 736-3333; sellands.com. L–D–Br. Gourmet takeout. $$

3 HERMANAS With the 2018 opening of this little Mexican eatery, all three Saenz sisters now have their own Sacramento restaurants. Like its sibling restaurants, Tres Hermanas and Three Sisters, this one serves hearty, classic Mexican fare such as ensalada norteña and camarones a la diabla, along with vegan and vegetarian options. 3260 J St.; (916) 382-9079; 3hermanasonj.com. L–D–Br. Mexican. $$

EL DORADO HILLS

AJI JAPANESE BISTRO This casually elegant restaurant offers an innovative menu of Japanese street

food, interesting fusion entrees, traditional dishes such as teriyaki and tempura and—yes—sushi. There’s a short, approachable wine list, sakes and a full bar serving handcrafted cocktails. 4361 Town Center Blvd.; (916) 941-9181; aji-bistro.com. L-D. Japanese/sushi. $-$$

C. KNIGHT’S STEAKHOUSE An upscale dinner house serving steaks, chops and seafood, this restaurant offers classic American fare that’s stood the test of time. Make sure to order the Green Phunque, a tasty side dish that’s like creamed spinach on steroids. 2085 Vine St.; (916) 235-1730; cknightssteakhouse. com. D. American steakhouse. $$$$

MILESTONE This unstuffy eatery serves great takes on comfort-food classics like pot roast and fried chicken. It’s straightforward, without pretense or gimmickry. The setting is like a Napa country porch, and the service is warm and approachable. 4359 Town Center Blvd.; (916) 934-0790; milestoneedh. com. L–D–Br. New American. $$–$$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE For description, see listing under East Sacramento, 2023 Vine St.; (916) 9340965; mimosahouse.com. B–L–D. American. $$

SELLAND’S MARKET-CAFE For description, see listing under “East Sacramento.” 4370 Town Center Blvd.; (916) 932-5025; sellands.com. L–D–Br. Gourmet takeout. $$

SIENNA RESTAURANT A luxurious Tuscan interior features a large bar and pretty patios. The menu includes a playful melange of global cuisine, including fresh seafood, hand-cut steaks, stone hearth pizzas, inventive appetizers and a stacked French dip sandwich. 3909 Park Drive; (916) 941-9694; sien narestaurants.com. L–D–Br. Global. $$–$$$

STICK HOUSE ASIAN FUSION AND MONGO BAR This hot spot offers a new, tastes-fresher take on Mongolian barbecue—noodles (including zoodles and other gluten-free options) or rice or mixed greens, choice of additions ranging from veggies to crispy toppings, and sauces galore. You’ll also find Asianinspired street food such as crab wonton nachos, bao sliders, rolls and meatballs. 2023 Vine St.; (916) 673-9620; stickhouseedh.com. L–D. Noodles/Asian street food. $

ELK GROVE

BOULEVARD BISTRO Located in a cozy 1908 bungalow, this bistro is one of the region’s best-kept dining secrets. Chef/owner Bret Bohlmann is a passionate supporter of local farmers and winemakers, and his innovative food sings with freshness and seasonality. 8941 Elk Grove Blvd.; (916) 6852220; blvdbistro.com. D–Br. New American. $$–$$$

JOURNEY TO THE DUMPLING This Elk Grove eatery specializes in Shanghai-style dumplings (try the soup-filled xiao long bao), along with Chinese dishes such as green onion pancakes, garlic green beans and salt-and-pepper calamari. 7419 Laguna Blvd.; (916) 509-9556; journeytothedumpling.com. L–D. Chinese. $$

LEATHERBY’S FAMILY CREAMERY For description, see listing under “Arden Arcade.” 8238 Laguna Blvd.; (916) 691-3334; leatherbys.net. L–D. Sandwiches/ice cream. $

MIKUNI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR For description, see listing under “Downtown.” 8525 Bond Road; (916) 714-2112; mikunisushi.com. L–D. Japanese/sushi. $$

Noodle bowl from Stick House Asian Fusion and Mongo Bar

NASH & PROPER For description, see listing under Downtown. 9080 Laguna Main St.; (916) 897-8437; nashandproper.com. L. Fried chicken sandwiches and plates. $

THAI CHILI This restaurant offers a menu just for vegetarians, plus a raft of interesting meat and fish dishes, such as chicken and shrimp with eggplant in a spicy sauce, and mango curry with salmon. 8696 Elk Grove Blvd.; (916) 714-3519; thaichilielk grove.net. L-D. Thai. $$

FAIR OAKS

MIKUNI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR For description, see listing under “Downtown.” 4323 Hazel Ave.; (916) 961-2112; mikunisushi.com. L–D. Japanese/sushi. $$

SUNFLOWER DRIVE IN This casual spot serves vegetarian and vegan fare. Order the Nutburger and a fruit smoothie. 10344 Fair Oaks Blvd.; (916) 9674331; sunflowerdrivein.com. L–D. Vegetarian. $

FOLSOM

BACCHUS HOUSE WINE BAR & BISTRO With a seasonal menu packed with innovative, globally influenced dishes, this restaurant has plenty to choose from. Dig into pasta with salmon, or start with the brie cheese puffs before moving on to prime rib. 1004 E. Bidwell St.; (916) 984-7500; bacchushouse bistro.com. L–D–Br. New American. $$–$$$

BACK WINE BAR A pocket of coziness and urban sophistication in a retail center, this place has been a hit since it opened in 2008. Its appealing menu is

a refreshing combination of casual nibbles and swankier entrees. But it’s the wine program that really knocks this charming little bistro out of the park. 25075 Blue Ravine Road; (916) 986-9100; backwinebar.com. D. New American/Mediterranean. $$–$$$

CHICAGO FIRE Oodles of melted cheese blanket the pizzas that fly out of the kitchen of this restaurant, a local chain with four locations, including two in Folsom. You get to choose between thin-crust, deep-dish and stuffed pizzas. Order the thin crust, which offers an equal proportion of toppings and cheese. 614 Sutter St.; (916) 353-0140. Also: 310 Palladio Parkway; (916) 984-0140; chicagofire.com. L-D. Pizza. $

FAT’S ASIA BISTRO AND DIM SUM BAR At this glamorous restaurant, the menu focuses on Asian cuisine, from Mongolian beef and Hong Kong chow mein to Thai chicken satay served with a fiery currypeanut sauce. 2585 Iron Point Road; (916) 983-1133; fatsasiabistro.com. L–D. Pan-Asian. $$

LAND OCEAN The menu hits all the steakhouse high notes: hand-cut steaks, lobster, seafood and rotisserie, entrée salads and sandwiches. 2720 E. Bidwell St.; (916) 983-7000; landoceanrestaurants.com. L–D–Br. New American/steakhouse. $$$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE For description, see listing under East Sacramento, 25075 Blue Ravine Road; (916) 293-9442; mimosahouse.com. B–L. American. $$

SCOTT’S SEAFOOD ROUNDHOUSE This restaurant offers a solid menu of delicious seafood, from crab cakes and calamari to roasted lobster tail. 824 Sutter St.; (916) 989-6711; scottsseafoodround house.com. L–D. Seafood. $$$–$$$$

THAI PARADISE Standouts on the extensive menu include spring rolls, tom kha koong (coconut milk soup with prawns), green curry, spicy scallops and pad thai. Try the fried banana with ice cream for dessert. 2770 E. Bidwell St.; (916) 984-8988; thai paradisefolsom.com. L–D. Thai. $$

GARDEN HIGHWAY

CRAWDADS ON THE RIVER This riverfront restaurant draws crowds looking for a great place to party on the water during warm-weather months. Boats pull up to the restaurant’s deck, where you can sip a cocktail, and roll-up doors blur the line between indoors and out. The Cajun-inspired menu includes fish tacos and several fun entrées. 1375 Garden Highway; (916) 929-2268; saccrawdads.com. L–D–Br. Cajun/American. $$

THE VIRGIN STURGEON This quirky floating restaurant is the quintessential Sacramento River dining experience. In summer, a cocktail pontoon is connected to the restaurant, where you can drink and enjoy the breezy proximity to the water below. Best known for its seafood, The Virgin Sturgeon also offers weekend brunch. 1577 Garden Highway; (916) 921-2694; thevirginsturgeon.com. L–D–Br. Seafood/American. $$

GRANITE BAY

HAWKS One of Placer County’s best restaurants, Hawks is known for its elegant cuisine and beautiful interior. The dining room has clean lines, soothing colors, and crisp white tablecloths. Framed photos of farmscapes remind diners of owners Molly Hawks and Michael Fagnoni’s commitment to locally sourced ingredients. The seasonal menu is full of delicious surprises, such as seared scallop and sea urchin. 5530 Douglas Blvd.; (916) 791-6200; hawksrestaurant.com. L–D–Br. New American/ French. $$$–$$$$

GREENHAVEN/POCKET

CACIO This tiny sliver of a restaurant has only a handful of tables—and more than a handful of people who want to dine here. The fare is highquality Italian comfort food, with an emphasis on pasta. Service is warm and homey, prices are gentle, and reservations (even at lunch) are a must. 7600 Greenhaven Drive; (916) 399-9309; cacio sacramento.com. L–D. Italian. $$

SCOTT’S SEAFOOD ON THE RIVER Located in The Westin Sacramento, Scott’s has a patio and a view of the river. Breakfast dishes include crab cake Benedict, and lunch entrées range from petrale sole to a prawn Caesar salad. For dinner, splurge on a lobster tail or choose a more modestly priced grilled salmon. 4800 Riverside Blvd.; (916) 379-5959; scottsseafoodontheriver.com. B–L–D. Seafood. $$$–$$$$

LAND PARK

RIVERSIDE CLUBHOUSE The busy kitchen focuses on a solid menu of American classics. Beautifully designed, the restaurant features a stunning outdoor waterfall and a tri-level fireplace. 2633 Riverside Blvd.; (916) 448-9988; riversideclubhouse. com. L–D–Br. American/New American. $$

TAYLOR’S KITCHEN Step inside the cozy space and you’ll notice the focal point is an open kitchen where the chefs prepare meats and produce sold at Taylor’s Market next door. 2924 Freeport Blvd.; (916) 4435154; taylorskitchen.com. D–Br. American. $$$

Banana cream pie from Fat’s Asia Bistro and Dim Sum Bar

MIDTOWN

BEAST + BOUNTY The beating heart of this chic restaurant is its open hearth, where meats and vegetables are roasted over a wood fire. The meaty rib-eye, served over potatoes roasted in the meat’s fat, is meant to be shared. So is the pizza, thin, flat and seductively charred from the wood-burning pizza oven. 1701 R St.; (916) 244-4016; eatbeastand bounty.com. L–D–Br. American. $$$

CHICAGO FIRE For description, see listing under “Folsom.” 2416 J St.; (916) 443-0440; chicagofire. com. L–D. Pizza. $

HAWKS PROVISIONS & PUBLIC HOUSE This sophisticated gastropub is the latest offering from the owners of Granite Bay’s upscale Hawks. The food is Mediterranean, with beautifully executed dishes like country pate and baked rigatoni. Even the burger is top-notch: Wagyu beef is served on a housemade brioche bun with hand-cut French fries. In addition to the restaurant (the “public house”), there’s a casual takeout shop next door serving coffee, pastries and sandwiches (the “provisions”). 1525 Alhambra Blvd.; (916) 588-4440; hawkspublichouse. com. L-D-Br. Mediterranean gastropub. $$$

HOOK & LADDER MANUFACTURING COMPANY Located in a Quonset hut, this restaurant is both hip and cozy. Despite the barlike ambience, Hook & Ladder is serious about food. All the pastas and desserts are made in-house. 1630 S St.; (916) 442-4885; hook andladder916.com. L–D–Br. Californian. $$

LOCALIS This upscale restaurant is a pleasant surprise. Localis (Latin for “local”) is a dinner-only restaurant with an inventive, prix-fixe menu of ingredient-driven dishes. Chef Christopher BarnumDann works with local farms to source most of the menu within 100 miles. 2031 S St.; (916) 737-7699; localissacramento.com. D. Californian. $$$–$$$$

LOWBRAU BIERHALLE This chic yet casual watering hole serves house-made sausages, duck fat fries and stand-out beers. Long communal tables make for an experience that’s noisy and convivial. 1050 20th St.; (916) 706-2636; lowbrausacramento.com. L–D–Br. Beer hall. $

MULVANEY’S BUILDING & LOAN Distinctive and cozy, this topflight restaurant exudes the generous affability of its owner, chef Patrick Mulvaney. It’s housed in a brick firehouse from the late 1800s, and the lush patio is a popular spot in warm months. The menu changes frequently and is focused on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. 1215 19th St.; (916) 441-6022; mulvaneysbl.com . L–D. Californian. $$$

PARAGARY’S This legendary restaurant focuses on elegant, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. 1401 28th St.; (916) 457-5737; paragarys.com. L–D–Br. New American/Californian. $$–$$$

THE RED RABBIT KITCHEN & BAR The menu is a playful jumble of dishes, some robustly American, others with an Asian, Latin or Mediterranean influence. 2718 J St.; (916) 706-2275; theredrabbit.net. L–D–Br. New American. $$

RICK’S DESSERT DINER This diner has a playful ’50s vibe, with red booths and a jukebox. The ever-present line of customers in front of the display case can make it difficult to see the mind-boggling assortment of sweets. 2401 J St.; (916) 444-0969; ricksdessert diner.com. Dessert. $

THE RIND At this cheese-centric bar, you can savor cheese in a number of ways. The menu includes variations on macaroni and cheese, cheese boards

Roasted pear and prosciutto pizza from Paragary’s

and creative grilled cheese sandwiches. 1801 L St.; (916) 441-7463; therindsacramento.com. L–D. American. $$

THE WATERBOY This Mediterranean-inspired restaurant produces perhaps the finest cooking in the region. Chef/owner Rick Mahan honors local farmers with his commitment to simply prepared, highcaliber food. You can’t go wrong if you order one of the lovely salads, followed by the gnocchi, ravioli or a simple piece of fish, finished with butter and fresh herbs. You’ll also find French classics such as veal sweetbreads and pomme frites. 2000 Capitol Ave.; (916) 498-9891; waterboyrestaurant.com. L–D. Mediterranean. $$$$

ZELDA’S ORIGINAL GOURMET PIZZA Zelda’s is legendary for the greatness of its pizza and its attitude. But that’s part of Zelda’s charm, along with the dark atmosphere. It’s all about the food: oldschool, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza that routinely wins “best pizza” in local polls. 1415 21st St.; (916) 447-1400; zeldasgourmetpizza.com. L–D. Pizza/Italian. $$

OAK PARK

FIXINS SOUL KITCHEN This bustling place, partly owned by former mayor Kevin Johnson, serves up friendly Southern hospitality along with delicious Southern fare, including chicken and waffles, gumbo, fried catfish, and shrimp and grits. 3428 Third Ave.; (916); 999-7685. fixinssoulkitchen.com. B–L–D–Br. Southern. $$

LA VENADITA This colorful, casual taqueria has a concise menu that includes inventive street tacos,

a brightly flavored ceviche and an enchilada with rich mole sauce. It also boasts a full bar and an enticing menu of craft cocktails. Happy hour deals include $7 margaritas. 3501 Third Ave.; (916) 4004676; lavenaditasac.com. L–D. Mexican. $$

OLD SACRAMENTO

THE FIREHOUSE Since opening in 1960, this has been Sacramento’s go-to restaurant for romantic atmosphere and historic charm. Located in a 1853 firehouse, it’s white tablecloth all the way, with crystal wine glasses and top-notch service. The outdoor courtyard is one of the prettiest in town, and its canopy of trees sparkles at night with tiny lights. The food is special-occasion worthy, and the wine list represents more than 2,100 labels. 1112 Second St.; (916) 442-4772; firehouseoldsac.com. L–D. Californian/American. $$$$

RIO CITY CAFE Located on the riverbank, the bustling restaurant offers stunning views of Tower Bridge. The menu changes seasonally and offers a wide selection of creative, solid dishes. The restaurant also offers a fun weekend brunch. 1110 Front St.; (916) 442-8226; riocitycafe.com. L-D-Br. New American. $$

RANCHO CORDOVA

CATTLEMENS This classic Western steakhouse serves up big slabs of prime rib, porterhouse, T-bone and cowboy steaks, plus all the trimmings: shrimp cocktail, loaded potato skins, deep-fried onions and more. 12409 Folsom Blvd.; (916) 985-3030; cattle mens.com. D. Steakhouse. $$$

J.J. PFISTER RESTAURANT & TASTING ROOM In addition to a tasting room where you can sample locally made premium gin, vodka and rum, this family-owned distillery also operates a restaurant serving lunch and dinner. The all-day menu features salads, sandwiches and tacos, along with the whimsical “Adult Lunchable”—an assortment of cheeses, deli meats and accompaniments. Desserts get the boozy treatment: Order cheesecake topped with bourbon caramel and whipped cream, or fudge clusters made with Pfister’s Navy Strength rum. 9819 Business Park Drive; (916) 672-9662; jjpfister. com. L–D. Casual American. $$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE For description, see listing under East Sacramento, 3155 Zinfandel Drive; (916) 970-1761 and 2180 Golden Centre Lane; (916) 8224145; mimosahouse.com. B–L. American. $$

ROSEVILLE

CATTLEMENS This classic Western steakhouse serves up big slabs of prime rib, porterhouse, T-bone and cowboy steaks, plus all the trimmings: shrimp cocktail, loaded potato skins, deep-fried onions and more. 2000 Taylor Road; (916) 782-5587; cattle mens.com. D. Steakhouse. $$$

FAT’S ASIA BISTRO AND DIM SUM BAR For description, see listing under “Folsom.” 1500 Eureka Road; (916) 787-3287; fatsasiabistro.com. L–D. Pan-Asian. $$

LA PROVENCE RESTAURANT & TERRACE This elegant French restaurant offers some of the region’s loveliest outdoor dining. The seasonal menu features items such as bouillabaisse and soupe au pistou. 110 Diamond Creek Place; (916) 789-2002; laprovence roseville.com. L–D–Br. French. $$$–$$$$

MIKUNI JAPANESE RESTAURANT AND SUSHI BAR

For description, see listing under “Downtown.” 1565 Eureka Road; (916) 797-2112; mikunisushi.com. L–D. Japanese/sushi. $$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE For description, see listing under East Sacramento, 761 Pleasant Grove Blvd.; (916) 784-1313; mimosahouse.com. B–L. American. $$

PAUL MARTIN’S AMERICAN GRILL The bustling, comfortable restaurant is a local favorite. The kitchen offers a great list of small plates and robust, approachable entrées. 1455 Eureka Road; (916) 783-3600; paulmartinsamericangrill.com. L–D–Br. New American. $$–$$$

R UEN THAI Simple and serene, Ruen Thai offers a large selection of fresh-tasting food. 1470 Eureka Road; (916) 774-1499; ruenthai.net. L–D. Thai. $

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE This swanky dinner house serves some of the tastiest meat in town. Expertly cooked steaks are seared at 1,800 degrees. Don’t miss the cowboy rib-eye or the fork-tender filet mignon. 1185 Galleria Blvd.; (916) 780-6910; ruthschris.com. D. Steakhouse. $$$$

THE MIMOSA HOUSE For description, see listing under “East Sacramento.” 761 Pleasant Grove Blvd., Roseville; (916) 784-1313; mimosahouse.com. B–L–D. American. $$

SIERRA OAKS

CAFE BERNARDO AT PAVILIONS For description, see listing under “Downtown.” 515 Pavilions Lane; (916) 922-2870; cafebernardo.com. B–L–D. New American. $

PIATTI Muted colors and dark wood provide a comfortable, contemporary vibe. The culinary focus is on Italian cuisine with an American influence. The menu includes delightful variations on Italian staples—margherita, pesto or roasted chicken pizzas; ravioli, pappardelle and fettuccine pasta dishes. 571 Pavilions Lane; (916) 649-8885; piatti.com/sacra mento. L–D. Italian/American. $$

WILDWOOD RESTAURANT & BAR This chic restaurant serves New American and global cuisine, with naan, ahi poke, pancetta prawns and rock shrimp risotto sharing the menu with an all-American burger. The spacious patio is a great place to grab a drink and listen to live music. 556 Pavilions Lane; (916) 922-2858; wildwoodpavilions.com. L–D–Br. American/global fusion. $$$

SOUTHSIDE PARK

BINCHOYAKI Small plates of grilled meats, fish and vegetables are the stars at this izakaya-style restaurant. But you can also order ramen, tempura and other Japanese favorites. 2226 10th St.; (916) 4699448; binchoyaki.com. L–D. Japanese. $$–$$$

TAHOE PARK

BACON & BUTTER Lively and delightfully urban, the place is packed with fans of chef Billy Zoellin’s homey flapjacks, biscuits and other breakfasty fare. 5913 Broadway; (916) 346-4445; baconandbutter sac.com. B–L. Breakfast/American. $–$$

MOMO’S MEAT MARKET This family-run business serves simply first-rate barbecue, smoked over wood in huge drums in the parking lot. Sides include pepper Jack mac ’n cheese, cornbread and deep-fried cabbage. 5780 Broadway; (916) 452-0202. L–D. Barbecue. $$

WEST SACRAMENTO

DRAKE’S: THE BARN Located in a stunningly modern indoor-outdoor structure along the river, Drake’s serves excellent thin-crust pizzas, along with a few salads and appetizers. You can get table service indoors or on the patio. But if you prefer something more casual, grab a folding lawn chair, find a spot at the sprawling outdoor taproom and order a pizza to go. It’s fun galore, with kids, dogs, fire pits and a tap trailer serving beer. 985 Riverfront St.; (510) 423-0971; drinkdrakes.com. L–D. Pizza. $$

FRANQUETTE This contemporary French café from the owners of Canon is an open-all-day, drop-in-fora-glass-of-wine kind of place. You can order a croissant or tartine at breakfast, a salad, quiche or jambon sandwich on a baguette for lunch, and something more filling—say, duck meatballs or boeuf bourguignon—at dinner. It’s grandma food—or, in this case, gr andmère food: satisfying and homey. 965 Bridge St.; hellofranquette.com. B-L-D. French. $$–$$$

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Pasta alla Bolognese at Piatti

Reflect

Help for the Heat

Here’s a hot-weather scene from July 1984, courtesy of The Sacramento Bee: Sacramentan Rich Caulfield cools off at the fountain in front of Union Bank on Capitol Mall.—DARLENA BELUSHIN MCKAY

VOTED BEST BRUNCH

The Mimosa House

ATMOSPHERE:

Family is one of the most, if not the most important thing in our lives. It is for that reason we created this restaurant. A place where families & friends can come together, over food & drinks, and show why the best memories are made around the table. VOTED BEST BRUNCH IN 2021!

SIGNATURE DISHES:

Brunch Burger: Pure angus beef beef patty with two fried eggs, hickory smoked bacon, melted cheese, tomato, red onion, lettuce and aioli on a toasted brioche bun.

Maui French Toast: Flambéed Sliced bananas with six thick slices of cinnamon vanilla battered French toast, coconut, macadamia nuts and salted caramel.

Don’t Miss!

THE LARGEST CHAMPAGNE AND BUBBLES LIST IN CALIFORNIA.

THE LARGEST LIST OF MIMOSA COMBINATIONS WITH OUT OF WORLD FLAVORS!

SWEET & SAVORY CREPES

PANCAKES, OMELETS & BENEDICT’S

RANCHO CORDOVA: 3155 ZINFANDEL DRIVE (916) 970-1761

EAST SAC: 5641 J STREET (916) 400-4084

ROSEVILLE: 761 PLEASANT GROVE (916) 784-1313

EL DORADO HILLS: 2023 VINE STREET (916) 934-0965

FOLSOM: 25075 BLUE RAVINE ROAD (916) 293-9442

GOLD RIVER: 2180 GOLDEN CENTRE LANE, GOLD RIVER (916) 822-4145