Author: CoolDMZ

"X-ray vision to see in between / Where's my kimono and my time machine?"

Mid-town Taqueria: 1 out of 2 ain’t bad

I’m not the only one who doesn’t think Mid-town Taqueria, the aforementioned taco joint recently risen out of the ashes of Sidewalk Pizza on 38th and Jay, is actually located in midtown, right? By most people’s reckoning midtown is bordered on the East by either biz 80 or Alhambra, and maybe even by 28th, putting Mid-town Taqueria and Sidewalk before it in East Sacramento. Anyway, it is definitely a taqueria so at least they got it half right.

Continue reading “Mid-town Taqueria: 1 out of 2 ain’t bad”

Marty Mac on Vick: is there a point in there?

Michael Vick
Dogs were executed
by hanging, drowning,
and crushing

Can anybody tell me what Martin McNeal is attempting to say in today’s piece about Michael Vick? He talks a lot about the “race card” and how it doesn’t really exist. I haven’t really been paying much attention to the media coverage of this scandal. It seems like he’s trying to say that the Bonds home run chase and the Vick scandal point out that black and white people think differently, but I don’t understand what specifically he means. Are people saying that Vick is being unfairly prosecuted? And what exactly does Barry Bonds, who probably rubbed cream on his butt to make his muscles bigger, have to do with Michael Vick, who probably allowed his friends to torture animals and made money off it? I’ll assume they belong in the same sentence only because the scandals are “dropping” in the same calendar season.

Also, in his conclusion about war, is he saying that American soldiers or Iraqi citizens are equivalent to dogs? One or the other.

Breton backpedals on hate crime case

First, I should point out that these are my views. I’m sure others share them, but none of us Sac Rag contributors should ever be construed to be speaking for the rest.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m enjoying watching the Bee squirm after their Slavic Evangelical accusations in the Singh case have all but dried up. But there is squirming going on. Witness Marcos Breton today… Continue reading “Breton backpedals on hate crime case”

DB comes back to life with Movie City USA

DB, creator of one of my former favorite local blogs, The Barnesyard, has come back to the personal publishing world with a new film reviews/lists/humor site Movie City, USA

Many of you may remember that I used to run a little film criticism blog called The Barnesyard. It provided me with an informal setting where I could “rap” with the kids about the real issues facing today’s youth – the validity of the auteur theory, the effects of the monolithic American movie distribution model, early Ozu vs. late Ozu, peer pressure, bullies, and the like. I shut down The Barnesyard almost one year ago due to pressure from
Homeland Security – apparently The Terrorists were so disemboldened by my tales of freedom that they had become lazy and uninteresting – but I’m ready to restart it under a different banner – Movie City USA.

The new site will publish a different type of post every weekday. I look forward to more of DB’s keen film sensibility and devilish wit.

Video game nostalgia open thread

As promised I’d like to open this post up as an open thread for your Sacramento 80s video game memories. That short-lived arcade at Arden Fair near the elevator above Johnny Rockets, different places where you held the high score, your favorite place to game it up, places you were ejected from and why, etc.

RygarI’ll kick it off with my memory of Rygar at Round Table on 51st. Rygar was that side-scrolling game where your weapon of choice was a spinning axe blade on a chain. It wasn’t a very exciting game but I became pretty OK at it and played every chance I got at the Round Table on 51st.

And of course the best of all: free gaming at that home store in Howe ‘Bout Arden where the Rack stands now.

Discuss. (Please)

Public hearing tonight on RT changes

Even though the state budget is not yet complete, Regional Transit is planning to reduce its operations due to the probable inclusion in that budget of $1.3 billion in public transit cuts. In addition to internal cost-saving measures it looks like RT is set to make changes to 20 or more routes. Sac RT has released an announcement with a list of routes slated for trimming (PDF). RT Rider blog has more documents to peruse. RT Driver had some pretty tough words for the RT leadership when the announcement of Arnold’s cuts came out.

There is a public hearing about the proposed cuts tonight at 6 p.m. at the 29th and N RT office.

In honor of the 50E, my line of choice and one of the doomed routes, check out “Stockton Boulevard” by Stars & Garters on Chris Macias’ Sunday Single…

Approaching Graswich critical mass

When longtime Bee columnist R.E. Graswich left his post, you assume it was for greener pastures. And now I realize it was for a greener pasture, a verdant meadow, and a lilac-filled prarie as well… First it was Sac Mag, and SacMag.com, and then more recently it was The Scoop on CBS13. And then on Friday afternoon I heard him doing the afternoon news on KFBK with Kitty O’Neal. Will you soon be able to order up Graswich in any fashion that suits you? A Graswich flavor at Vic’s perhaps? A Graswich roll at Kru? Graswich On Demand?

Maybe R.E. can comment here about what would be in his scoop at Vic’s…

No more Cobbler for you

Out walking the neighborhood, my wife and I noticed that soul/BBQ restaurant The Cobbler was gone, replaced by a new Mexican joint called “Cantina el 7 Copas.” Does that mean “Seven of Cups” restaurant? Like it’s Tarot-themed?

We never got around to eating at The Cobbler, but with that and the bad news (for me) about Sidewalk, it’s almost time to ask: Are tacos becoming the next crepes?

J Street Sidewalk Pizza gone

UPDATE: 7:12 pm – My wife informs me that I misinterpreted her IM earlier, and that the change is official at the location formerly known as Sidewalk Pizza. It’s a taqueria. Sniff. Mmmm, tacos…

I had recently seen what I assumed was a facelift in process at Sidewalk Pizza on Jay street. My wife passed by the spot earlier today and reports that actually what’s going on is that the location is changing over to a Mexican restaurant. Pizza is one of those things — like burgers — that one person can be in love with, and the next guy absolutely hates. Sidewalk on Jay was one of my absolute favorite pies. I’m sad to see it go.

Interesting discussion about this at Yelp… speculation that it was going to be part of the La Fiesta/La Favorita enterprise, accusations of blindsiding the staff. It never seemed like business was very good at Sidewalk but it always seemed like a good location for eats. Plus as my wife just pointed out, it’s hard to complain about another Mexican joint.