Month: August 2009

In Defense of Hot Italian

pizaOver the last few months that it’s been open, I’ve discovered that I’m not crazy about Hot Italian.  Really, it’s not my bag. I find nothing about it appealing, other than the gelato and Peroni on tap. A very knowledgeable friend of mine begs to differ however.

Normally, I wouldn’t trouble you with a little friendly bickering, but I feel like he provides some insight into the whole pizza debate that is pretty valuable and worth sharing. So here, in the great tradition of the Socratic dialogue, is the Sacramento pizza argument. I will be labeled as ME while my friend will be labeled as Pierre:

PIERRE: Hot Italian has the best pizza in town, without a doubt. It’s the only true Neopolitan pizza.
ME: Are you on something? Every time I’ve been there, the pie has been bland, floppy, and not too inspiring.
PIERRE: Good Neapolitan pizza comes down to three simple factors- dough (flour type and water), tomato sauce, and toppings.
ME: I notice that flavor doesn’t enter into the argument here. Continue reading “In Defense of Hot Italian”

Screaming Deal at Paragary Restaurants

For the month of August, Cosmo Cafe, Esquire Grill, and Spataro are offering a 3-course meal for $20. The meals look good, the deal is recession proof, and the value seems…well…valuable.

Here are the details:
Call the restaurant of your choice (Cosmo 446-9800, Esquire 448-8900, Spataro 440-8888), reserve a table, and give them the reservation code “I-Eat.”

Check here for the menus being offered. I’ve got my eye on the corn, cod, and cobbler at Esquire Grill, but don’t take my word for it. Wait, take my word for it, go for the triple C.

2009 Nor Cal Blues Fest Canceled

In an email today from organizer Matson Breakey, (yes that is his real name) it appears that the 2009 Nor Cal Blues Festival has been canceled. The event was to be held on Sep 12 at Southside Park. Refunds, of course, will be given to those that have already bought tickets.

The real question is how sustainable are America’s original musical styles. Jazz and blues are slowly draining out of middle market towns like Sacramento. While the clubs and shows and performers in towns like Chicago and New York and San Francisco are still thriving, smaller market towns are losing any vestige of their former prominence.

The Jubilee is on life support, NCBF has been canceled, and fewer and fewer national acts come anywhere near our reasonably sized city. For example, when’s the last time Keith Jarrett swung through town? You see my point exactly, I’m sure.

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I know some progress has been made in keeping a few venues in town going 3-5 nights a week on nothing but jazz and blues: clubs like Torch Club, and JB’s lounge. But more work needs to be done, especially in thinning the ranks of blues bands around here. If I see another “authentic” blues group fronted by a couple of bearded 50ish white guys wearing shirts with flames on them, I might never listen to the blues again. Clean up your house, blues musicians, and kick these guys to the curb. They’re giving you a bad name.

Railyards Project featured in NYT

Today’s New York Times Real Estate section features a story on the Railyards development. It is interesting to read about it from an out-of-towner’s point of view. We locals seem to be wrapped up in the details of making it happen, such as the toxic clean-up, the I-5 expansion, transit issues, the stadium controversy, and more. I think we forget the immensity of the project (one of the largest proposed urban expansions in the nation) and the history behind the land. Enjoy.

Watch out for crosswalk sting today

Sac PD are out today in a sting to nab drivers who don’t stop for pedestrians at crosswalks:

Plainclothes officers will be attempting to cross between the white lines of crosswalks at different intersections in the city. Nearby, motorcycle officers and officers in patrol cars will be watching for motorists who don’t yield the right of way to the pedestrian cops.

Are plainclothes officers really needed for this? Couldn’t the pedestrians in this operation just be … pedestrians? I suppose it’s possible that would make it seem like they are “putting the public in danger,” though unless they are banning pedestrianism entirely until the scourge of right-of-way-refusal is smote from the land, they aren’t really doing anything either way, harms-way wise. Bottom line: stop for pedestrians.

Continue reading “Watch out for crosswalk sting today”

RT service changes: Tahoe Park getting the shaft

neighborhood rideIn the upcoming September service changes for RT, my beloved Tahoe Park apparently drew the shortest straw and will be hit with 2 cuts out of 11 total changes.

  • 37 – Tahoe Park – 21st Avenue – Weekdays – Eliminate; Route 8 provides alternative service.
  • 83 – 14th Avenue – Weekdays – Decrease service frequency from 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

I’m not really sure how Route 8 can provide alternate service to Tahoe Park as their routes (8, 37) don’t intersect.

Continue reading “RT service changes: Tahoe Park getting the shaft”

Jerry Perry to sponsor five more free downtown concerts

No, not this Mike Farrell
No, not this Mike Farrell
The Downtown Partnership has announced new free all-ages shows downtown:

Every Friday August 21 through September 18, free concerts will continue in Cesar Chavez Plaza with a special series presented by Jerry Perry. The line-up will include Sacramento favorites including Kai Kln, Prieta, Shannon Curtis, Jackpot and The Golden Cadillacs. This is an all ages event.

(Via Sac Music Blog)

Readers of this blog — who have some sort of steel trap mind for my preferences as expressed over time — will know that Jackpot is my favorite local band. They play September 18 with multiple SAMMIES winning pop band Agent Ribbons and guitar god Mike Farrell.

The current run of concerts in Cesar Chavez concludes Friday with Sol Peligro, Retrograde Revolution, and La Noche Oskura.

About the Bee’s water use map

Bee water map
Sacramento's top water users&lt
Big Brother Bee has expanded its water waster coverage from its original “spy on your neighbors” approach to this Google maps mashup showing the biggest water users and whether they have increased or decreased use since 2006.
I’m still not sure I understand the point. An increase in water use does not imply any water is being wasted. The population of our city keeps growing, and if energy producers are going to meet increased demand — and manufacturers are going to come out of this economic downturn — that’s going to mean more resources are used up. Can’t the benefit of the doubt be on water users and the onus be on the city to find ways to provide the water people need? There is more data that would be needed for this map to actually indicate any wastefulness. For example how do I know the Alsco linen plant isn’t doing 33.16% more businesses since 2006? And on the flipside, does anyone think Land Park has almost 20% more grass and water fountains than it did in 2006?
I think the most important issue here is that the City has not done anything to officially restrict its own water use, but is helping the Bee (by providing data) highlight private businesses who are increasing their use. As the data shows, many of the city parks are among the top users and show big 2-year increases. I’m glad the Bee appears to be backing off its original approach of asking neighbors to turn each other in for watering on Sunday. That’s not the issue. The issue is that if there is a water shortage there are better ways to combat it — metering, efficiency, incentives for conservation, increased supply — than by putting all the responsibility on homeowners.

Sacramentans getting lucky abroad

No, this is not about sex tourism. First, we had journalists accused of spying in Korea getting freed by Big Dog Bill. Now we have a local musician narrowly escaping imprisonment in Iran.

Former Cake bass player Shon Meckfessel was traveling with the three backpackers who are being detained for espionage for crossing the Kurdish border into Iran. Meckfessel likely would have joined his traveling companions, but he had a cold and decided to recuperate in his hotel.

All Sacramentans who plan to travel abroad are advised to purchase this shirt, available exclusively from your culturally savvy friends at The Sac Rag in the language of your choice:

shirt front shirt back
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