Happy birthday to everyone’s favorite prankster, policy wonk, campaigner, imbiber, proud dog papa, non-participant in Facebook games like Scrabulous, and all-around good guy.
Month: June 2008
RIGHT AWN: Phase I of The Big Fix is complete
Unless you’ve been too busy reading old posts on The Sac Rag, you know that northbound I-5 has been closed for the past nine days to repair drainage issues and to repave.
Caltrans, CC Myers, and a host of subcontractors worked around the clock to meet their initial deadline of 5am today.
Not enough credit is given to Caltrans for projects like this. While Myers is the main man, a lot of the brains and guts behind projects like these goes to Caltrans Director Will Kempton — a take-no-prisoners transportation expert who has laid down the law within an organization that has long been the butt of countless jokes. Kempton is more than the figurehead of the agency (as some would argue that previous directors have been), as he has the experience and clout to make things happen.
Credit, surprisingly, should also go to lawmakers who have allowed public-private partnerships to be able to expedite significant projects like this one.
It was downright impressive seeing hundreds of people and pieces of equipment moving all at once, 24 hours a day. Parts of the project were adjacent to regular traffic, so there were plenty of men and women toiling away with just a cone between them and distracted drivers.
Wondering what’s next? Check it out. (Now with the correct link. Thanks, T Mc!)
Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?
Friday-
Celebrity Chef Challenge– This annual event and fundraiser for InAlliance, a non-profit organization that provides employment and living services for adults with disabilities, pits some of the area’s best chefs against one another in a contest of Olympian proportions. There’s bound to be great food and copious wine and talented chefs.
Where: The Old Sugar Mill, Clarksburg (10 min south of Sacramento)
When: Friday, 5-9pm
Continue reading “Watcha Doin’ This Weekend?”
The Best Sushi in California
Forget traveling throughout the state looking for the best sushi. Next week, the best sushi will be in Sacramento. Why? Because the best sushi chefs will be at the Sacramento Convention Center as part of the annual SushiMasters competition on Tuesday, June 10.
Chefs vying for the ultimate SushiMaster title include Chef Koji Ogawa, Sakura Chaya (formally with the Japanese Kitchen), Fresno, Chef Billy Ngo, KRU Restaurant, Sacramento, Chef Tomaharu Nakamura, Sanraku Four Seasons, San Francisco, Chef Akifusa Tonai, Kyo-ya Restaurant, San Francisco, Chef Takuya Matsuda, Sushi Bar Nippon, San Diego and Chef Aung
Soe, Geisha House, Hollywood.
The event goes from 5:30- 8:30pm. Tix are $50 online/$65 at the door. Price includes sushi sampling, sake tasting, and a free bag of rice, which, with the escalating price of food, might be worth more than the ticket price itself. The event is sponsored by the good people at the California Rice Commission who remind you that rice production is yet another thing at which California kicks the rest of the world’s ass (ok, fine, I made that last part up myself, I doubt that the California Rice Commission would use the word “ass” in a agricultural slogan).
See you there.
Ugly Flyer Tries to Fool Naive Voters
Ah, what kind of election would it be if we didn’t have last-minute desperation from candidates with too much money in their campaign chests?
The SacBee reports today on a mailer sent out by a group called Democratic Voters Choice with the catchy slogan, “Make it Emphatic, Vote Straight Democratic!” The only problem is that this group has been sending out virtually identical flyers for almost 20 years to trick Democrats into voting for GOP candidates in non-partisan local races. Local candidates Susan Peters, who is VERY Republican, and Kevin Johnson, who I will very kindly refer to as an “idealistically conflicted Democrat”, are both endorsed and are both listed in the fine print as the folks who paid for this deceptive flyer.
Kudos to the Bee for being on top of this story. The flyer is included for your enjoyment after the jump.
The Tree Circus and “Gilroy Gardens”
It’s official: Everything sucks. The Cool family is planning a getaway to the Scotts Valley/Santa Cruz area, and I was excited to take my crew to see The Tree Circus, which as a kid I dragged my family to see once. Basically, this was a quaint little garden full of trees shaped into funny sculptures, as you can see at right. Tee hee. My recollection is that I was ridiculed for taking the whole family to see a bunch of braided trees, but I’m sure my family would rather braid their own eyeballs than witness what has become of my beloved Tree Circus…
Eat, Write, and be Merry
This past Sunday Mrs. Eats and I were lucky enough to attend the second annual Sacramento food bloggers potluck. ‘Twas a rousing event filled with tasty vittles and plenty of food-geek conversations. I won’t give you the litany of flavor delights that were available to the attendees, for it would only make you jealous.
What you might find interesting, however, is a list of the local cooks/writers who attended, and the gastronomical riches available on their respective blogs. Continue reading “Eat, Write, and be Merry”
Coloma play structure adds tent
Attention parents in the south and east areas: the play structure at Coloma School, pictured below, now sports a massive tent. This plus its manageable size, the low fence, and the cuteness and seclusion of Coloma the makes it a great overlooked spot — especially when the heat comes. Those of you without tots might not appreciate what a coup it is to score a shaded play structure. Of course, a mention on The Sac Rag means you can soon expect to see massive crowds… 🙂
Coloma School
47th Street at T Street
The Sac Rag 