Month: November 2008

KVIE’s “On Tap” quenches

Gary Gelfand from "On Tap" on KVIE's "ViewFinder"
Gary is on point this time.

During the holiday break I had the opportunity to catch the latest installment of “ViewFinder” on KVIE. This series is always on the money, but Episode 8 welcomed me with a cold pint of refreshing goodness…beer! And what a treat it was.

Hosted by Gary Gelfand, (I know, right, “The Sports Show” notwithstanding) this episode “chronicles the rich history and science behind brewing and takes a look at how the recent craft-brewing revolution was born right here in our backyard.” Mixed in with a little Sacramento history and “did you know” tidbits and I was hooked! I especially enjoyed the reference to the now-defunct Buffalo Brewing Co.

The episode airs again on Sunday at 6pm. You can view the full episode here as well. Please to check it out. You won’t be sorry.

Roseville Restaurant Report Part I: The Greenhouse

The Greenhouse serves no green beerThe Greenhouse is fine organic dining. The Greenhouse is casual comfort food. The Greenhouse is a brewpub. Somehow, all of these statements are true.

Let’s start with the brewpub aspect of The Greenhouse. Brewmaster Kevin Pratt has put together an absolutely stunning lineup of organic beers. Brewed mostly in the English tradition, each beer a textbook example of its type. The brown ale is a perfect brown ale, the blonde a crisp brew, and the stout a rich, creamy, decadent beer made beautifully in the British vein.

I don’t wish to in any way sound conditional in my praise for these beers. They are absolutely brilliant. In a recent visit, I was joined by a group of self-proclaimed beer snobs and all in attendance were either mightily impressed or simply blown away. Kevin is doing some fine work up in Roseville, and The Greenhouse should be a destination for the beer alone. Bring a growler. Continue reading “Roseville Restaurant Report Part I: The Greenhouse”

Dude, where’s my cart?

The obligatory weekend trip for groceries means for me to hit the Costco. As an Elk Groover, the closest location to me is the South Sacramento store. Yep yep y’all, we’re going to South Sac.

Unfortunately, the only thing this store has going for it is that it’s a Costco that’s closest to those of us in the south side of the county but north of the cattle.

The staff are very friendly, but the store itself is wrought with overcrowding, rude customers and people who line up for free samples of orange juice and bacon, and then loiter in the middle of the aisles like they’re partaking of a United Nations relief mission. When you’ve finally navigated through the Dixie Cup buffet, you get stuck in a horrible feeder line system at the check out that also falls smack in a major thoroughfare in the store, so people with arms full of Christmas ornaments are running crosscurrent through the lines to get through.

The indoor food court is just as overcrowded as it is unsanitary. The time it takes to wait in line for the $1.50 hot dog and soda while you study the story told by the tattoo on the back of the neck in front of you, is worth more than the $1.50 you’ll spend. And, because people have had too much of a good thing back in the store, people also loiter around the soda vending machines refilling their cups of soda after every sip and making the rest of us wait for sweet flavourless bubbly. You also do not want your food to touch the picnic tables (complete with umbrellas) in the indoor sitting area, lest you disturb the flies. Besides, good luck pulling your food off the table once it’s been placed there and permanently affixed by old ketchup.

To top it off, last weekend, as I was browsing in an aisle, someone jacked my half full shopping cart and disappeared into the crowds. My bad. I forgot to padlock my cart to the shelf when I turned to browse.

My recommendation: go to another location. It might take longer to drive but you’ll save that time in the store, with a more pleasant experience.

Costco South Sacramento
7981 East Stockton Boulevard
Sacramento, California 95823
Rating: *

UFO story brings us back

Remember when things were going so well in this country that we cared about space exploration and whether or not we were alone in the universe? This UFO story in Sacramento should help you recall those memories of old.

Plus, this story is one of the few examples of the comments feature being used less annoyingly by “news” organizations. They read like a story. A real page turner…

So, please to enjoy. And, if you’re like me, you can’t help but remember that episode of The Brady Bunch where Greg plays a joke on the gang by fabricating his own UFO.

Sac Food Bank turkeys get big turnout

I think this qualifies as heartening news. Mrs Cool reports that the line outside the Sacramento Food Bank for the thousands of free turkeys being given away today — courtesy of a food drive last week sponsored by KCRA — was around the block. As sac-eats pointed out, this is a great week to do some good.

Continue reading “Sac Food Bank turkeys get big turnout”

Worst parent of the week award UPDATED

Davis mom drives to Nebraska to abandon her 14-year old son. Nebraska’s safe-haven law passed in July had no age limit. I’m sure there will be plenty of time to post feel good stories this week so we have something to be thankful for, but this law and some of the stories are just terrible. Happy Monday!

UPDATE 11/25/08 10:02 am It looks like the boy will be returned to Yolo County.

How to find a job

“Nobody is indispensable” is what my mom has always said when the economy has started to look bleak, encouraging me to work harder and diversify my skills.

The downturn affected me (and also sac-eats, as he is married to me, and my layoff also greatly affected him) in early October as I was laid off.  I had the feeling that it was coming — namely, I had been involved in closed-door meetings in the previous two cycles of layoffs, yet I was not included in these meetings this time around — so I had at least mentally prepared myself a bit.

Here is how I got into an even better position in five weeks flat: Continue reading “How to find a job”

Three Rather Off-putting Meals

I’m on a roll lately.  Unfortunately, it’s a roll of shitty meals.  We’re not talking average, moderate, unremarkable meals, but ranging instead from rotten to atrocious.  And it’s not like I’ve been eating at shady unlicensed joints hoping to find a gem in amongst the filth.  We’re talking about long-standing, reputable places here that have failed, and failed huge.

Meal #1- 33rd Street Bistro– Last week I attended a private event at 33rd Street and couldn’t have been more ticked off at the food situation.  There were six tables at the event, and only food enough for three or four of them. And what food there was was sad, limp, underseasoned chicken parts, a green salad, and roasted vegetables. It was depressing and tasteless. I had to go to Del Taco after I left just to have something for my bile to work on other than my continued rage at the Haines brothers. Continue reading “Three Rather Off-putting Meals”

et tu, Santa?

Not only does Roseville have the better mall, but they’ve now even taken Santa from Sacramento:

The jolly old one will attend holiday events in Roseville on Saturday – including that city’s annual parade – but Sacramento’s annual Santa Parade has been canceled.

The event, always run on the Thanksgiving weekend, has been called off for the first time in the event’s 26-year history, said parade organizer Laurie Hensley.

The decision to cancel the privately organized event was prompted when organizers came up $15,000 short for stages, sound equipment and cash prizes for parade participants, Hensley said.

Sorry Sacto kids, but it looks like your Christmas Eve milk and cookies will go uneaten this year. Santa is off to more lucrative pastures.

In Roseville, however, the Sylvia Besana Annual Holiday Parade is ready to roll at 10 a.m. Saturday.

It will begin at Riverside Avenue and Douglas Boulevard and Vernon Street, proceed along Vernon Street and end behind the Roseville Square shopping center.

Really, Roseville, have you no shame?

UPDATE 11-24-2008: Sac-Eats called it, the Sacto parade is back on after a hefty donation from Mayor-elect KJ. One wonders if Santa was being held as an innocent hostage in some kind of parade-financing dispute.