Month: September 2009

Farmers’ Market Fresh: Cactus Paddles

Farmers from Satiety Vineyards do the prickly work for you.
Farmers from Satiety Vineyards do the prickly work for you.

Combing the farmers’ market is unlike any grocery store experience. You can’t simply head to aisle five in search of tomatoes. Instead, you’ll be looking behind the croissant baker, next to the kiwi preserves vendor, and beside the rhubarb bucket. If you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to miss that single farmer selling something uniquely special.

Thankfully, GreenBeet is here to do the browsing for you! I’ll leave no turnip unturned to bring you the most delectable gems from the downtown Sacramento Sunday market.

This week’s pick? Cactus paddles from Satiety Vineyards of Woodland.

Continue reading “Farmers’ Market Fresh: Cactus Paddles”

Best Of is Best!

Once again we’ve been chosen by you readerfolk as the Best Of something in the News & Review’s annual contest! Specifically, we are the 3rd Best Web site (in a tie with sacbee.com, hilariously) and the 2nd Best Blog, in another heartbreaking loss to the formidable Heckasac who can of course be found at heckasac.blogspot.com. Taking home top honors in the Best Sacramento Web site category is none other than … The Sacramento News & Review. Congratulations on winning your own contest!

And a special sexxy congratulations to Stickie, whose alter ego “Daniel F. Scott” was named #2 Best sexy Sacramentan! (And as a reminder, catch Stickie’s sexxy brain in action at The Shack tonight and every Wednesday night for trivia!)

Continue reading “Best Of is Best!”

Smart Eats- Grub and Trivia Nights

Ok, maybe you’re not quite as obsessed with trivia as I am. Not too many folks consider Ken Jennings, all-time JEOPARDY! champion, a personal hero. But to me, anyone who can house that much info in a human brain is impressive beyond category.

So if you’re looking to test your wits against other folks and looking for a good meal while you do it, it’s hard to beat the area’s trivia nights and pub quizzes. Here’s a list of some of the most popular knowledge nights with a few suggestions on meal pairing to go with your brain teasers.

Streets of London– Probably the longest running pub quiz in town, the Sunday night quiz at Streets of London is also one of the most challenging. Quizmaster Ken Koch, the grand daddy of local quiz purveyors, can be jovial, bombastic, or even downright surly, but he’s always fair. It’s a written quiz, so don’t even try to shout out the answer or you will receive a tongue lashing to remember.
To keep your stomach from grumbling and keep the brain fed, try Street’s fish and chips. It’s one of the best in town. Or for the more adventurous, go for the Scotch egg, a hard boiled egg rolled in ground sausage and deep fried. I’m told it’s an acquired taste.
Where: Streets of London, 1804 J St., Sacramento
When: Fridays, 9PM (also held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at their Folsom and West Sacramento locations respectively, both at 8:30) Continue reading “Smart Eats- Grub and Trivia Nights”

United State v. City Hall

United State boutique
United State boutique, from Yelp

Via the sac for tourists blog we learn that the City of Sacramento pulled the September Second Saturday permit for United State, a “DJ/Clothing Boutique” in Midtown. According to the United State blog, Sac PD cited “Attract(ing) a younger audience” as the reason for the notice. Sac For Tourists’ Nick Miller (also of SN&R) followed up on the gossip with a roundup of mostly nonevents between Sac PD and hip-hop folks at last weekend’s Second Saturday.

Continue reading “United State v. City Hall”

Bill Clinton backs Newsom for Governor

ABC News is reporting that SF mayor Gavin Newsom has won the support of President Bill Clinton in the 2010 governor’s race. I suppose he see Newsom as sort of a younger version of himself. Newsom has apparently not raised as much money as Jerry Brown, but shockingly is beating Brown in the Faceybook friends department.

Notably, the 2010 gubernatorial race creates a reason to use “succeed” and “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger” in the same sentence, hardy har.

Source: Biz Journal

P.S. What ever happened to commenter Lynn???

Cal Brewers Fest ’09

Sacramento’s two largest brewfests coincide with the coming and going of summer. The West Coast Brew Fest always seems to be on that first 100 degree weekend of the year, and the California Brewers Festival is always on the freshly moistened ground of the first rains of the coming Autumn.

This Saturday is the 15th annual California Brewers Festival hosted by the Point West Rotary Club. It is held every September to coincide with the beginning of school, as the beneficiaries of your $30 donation is Operation School Bell, a project of the Assistance League of Sacramento. Children in 34 schools throughout the Sacramento area will have new clothes for school thanks to this program and Sunday’s 4,000 swollen livers.
Continue reading “Cal Brewers Fest ’09”

Second Saturday: Sneak Peek inside the Artists’ Studios

Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento
Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento

Looking for the best of Second Saturday? This weekend offers a unique glance at more than 90 Sacramento artists’ studios—all within a 4-mile, bike-friendly radius of downtown. The Center for Contemporary Art is hosting its fourth annual Capitol Artists’ Studio Tour. Participating artists will open their private studios to the public today and Sunday from noon till 5pm. Check out their latest works, purchase art directly from the artist, and see first-hand where their creative genius takes shape. Maps and a list of participating artists can be found here. This handy guide breaks down studio locations by artist and by region.

Continue reading “Second Saturday: Sneak Peek inside the Artists’ Studios”

Centro’s 15th Anniversary Fiesta

Try some fine tequila from El Tesoro at Centro
Try some fine tequila from El Tesoro at Centro's 15th Anniversary
After attending the Midtown Community Festival, wander over to Centro for their 15th anniversary extravaganza! Centro is Midtown’s premiere tequila bar, with more than 150 selections, most of which are 100% agave. In case you are wondering, tequila that is not 100% agave is not suitable for human consumption, regardless of the numerous attempts to do so that regularly occur across America. For tequila neophytes, try a flight of a single brand’s three most common styles, their plata, reposado and anejo, to learn the differences between them. I recommend Chinaco or El Tesoro. One authentic touch that I appreciate at Centro is the option to sip a fine tequila with a handmade sangrita, a mix of tomato, orange and lime juices with spices. Delicioso. The back parking lot will feature live music, DJs, an art show, a tequila making demonstration, and outdoor bartenders shaking up margaritas made from fresh juice and natural sweeteners, not crappy mixes or sweet and sour.

Oh, yeah, the food is pretty damn good, too.

Midtown Community Festival

I’m glad that Sacramento is getting into the habit of closing more streets for community block parties, and one of the best is this Saturday. Rubicon Brewing is the primary sponsor for this annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento that takes place on Capitol Avenue between 20th and 21st streets from 1pm to 6pm. Admission is free, but you’ll want to check out the beer garden that features Rubicon and about a dozen other NorCal breweries. Beer garden admission is $25, but you can stop by Rubicon before Saturday for a $20 advance ticket. There are plenty of games and fun for the kids, including a cake walk and a walkathon, great BBQ and local bands. If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation to the Boys & Girls Club through their website!