The good people of Sacramento have demonstrated their..err.. exquisite taste and sophistication (?!) by selecting the SacRag as Best Local Blog in the News and Review’s annual Best of Issue, tying with Heckasac and decidedly kicking the shit out of the extremely weak Mark Williams Radio Show Blog.
Congrats to our writers and thanks to all our readers, fans and detractors!
but I will totally toot my own horn here. It looks like some of the local “amateur” food writers (for “some,” read “mostly me”) have gotten the attention of the 2nd stream media and prompted a spread in October’s issue of “Sacramento” magazine. Yes, that’s me, in the very large picture, uh huh, totally me, media whore.
It’s only a matter of time before we get a series of certifications on the doors of local eateries reading “Sacrag Certified: Sac-eats says…” We’re working on it.
It is Oktoberfest season, kiddies, so get your livers ready.
First up is the second annual Fair Oaks’toberfest this Saturday, September 30 at Fair Oaks Park from 1-5pm. This is definitely the beer festival bargain of the area with admission at a mere $20 for unlimited microbrews from across the West Coast. Your friendly neighborhood Stickie will be on hand, as usual, and may even slip behind the taps to provide relief to the hard-pouring brewers who grace us with their presence.
For those who prefer a more traditional Oktoberfest, the following weekend will feature the 39th Annual Turn Verein Oktoberfest celebration. Admission is $10, with various beers, sausages, pretzels and other food sold inside. Expect to see hundreds of Germans decked out in lederhosen and dancing to the fabulous oompa band. October 6 & 7 at 3349 J Street. Call (916) 442-7360 for more information.
Prost, and try not to step on any Bierleichen!
Sacramento media are all of a dither about the Maloof family’s $700,000 investment in a low-budget horror movie called “Feast,” but fans of Bravo’s series “Project Greenlight,” which created the movie–including Mrs Cool and myself and DB of The Barnesyard, have known this for like 2 years, ever since episode 3 of that series where the Maloofs were called on to provide financing for the project.
So if you were not aware of this, and you are filing this away as evidence that the Maloofs are giving up on the arena and moving on to greener pastures, think again. If, however, you live in Sacramento and have a pulse, one thing you don’t lack right now is evidence that the Maloofs are giving up on the arena and moving on to greener pastures.
WordPress in the house. If anybody finds anything wrong or missing email me at cooldmz-at-sacrag.com.
Oh, and obviously the first person to comment on the WordPress site gets a fun prize…
All squirty tips must go, half off. I’m taking The Sac Rag to the WordPress platform this weekend, which will take care of that nasty timeout problem on the comment script that we’re experiencing with Movable Type. This is pretty big for me, as I’ve been a Movable Type customer since 2000.
What this means for you is that I’m going to universally turn off comments before I leave work today, and move all content up to that point to the new system. The design will be the same for now, but there will be neat WordPress enhancements, especially “Subscriber” level registration for readers which will mean you can create a login that will follow you as you browse and post comments (no more typing your name and email, it’ll say “You’re logged in as so and so.” Somebody should signup for an account as “so and so.”)
UPDATE: Comments are now off. Check back soon for your new WordPress version.
A buddy of mine scored awesome seats to last night’s outstanding A’s game, so I missed the opening night of The CW and with it the premiere of “America’s Next Top Model.” My wife informs me that, building on the success of Sara from Davis in the last cycle, Norcal is going for 2 consecutive finalists with A.J. from right here in Sacramento. Right awn Sactown! (Where did that guy go, by the way. Let me know if you’ve seen him.)
So how ’bout it, peanut gallery… anybody do A.J.’s hair or go to high school with her? Let’s get the scoop.
Via KCRA, the pot house crackdown is still turning out results:
Police in Elk Grove raided several homes overnight and discovered more indoor marijuana-growing operations.
The homes are on Snowy Egret Way, Oreo Ranch Way and Haflinger Way
Oreo Ranch Way? No wonder they were growing pot. “Dude, I heard this street was like named after this real place, this real ranch where they grow giant Oreos.” My wife gets the credit for that one.
But you can’t pick your nose on the bus, evidently. Not that I’ve tried. Not that I’ve ever considered the question, frankly. On the Sacramento RT there’s always a common assortment of entertaining people – the teenager on her cell phone and the guy rambling about Noam Chomsky and how President Bush is the devil (oh, wait, that might be the president of Venezuela). But sometimes you hit the RT jackpot and get something really different and special. Like last night. My first clue that something good was afoot was that a man wearing an eye patch that actually had a skull & crossbones on it sat down next to a lady with barely any teeth. As we all settled in comfortably for the ride up J Street, she starting shouting at him “Sir, could you please not pick your nose on the bus? That’s very rude.” What followed was so good I had to take notes in the back of my book:
Continue reading “You Can Pick Your Friends”
If you don’t like Italian food, you’re probably not an American. Whether it’s pizza or pasta, raviolis or rigatoni, Italian food is tops in most Americans’ food preferences. Italian food restaurants are in every city and every state, offering high carb goodness that can’t be beat. Beware, though, the Italian restaurant that fools you with inferior sauces and horrible, soggy pastas. A simple moustache and overweight accordion player will not make up for tough meat and lousy service. My favorite Italian joint, Bravo, recently closed its doors, leaving me in search of a new haunt. What I came up with is a few hits and a lot of misses:
Continue reading “Italian Roundup”
The Sac Rag 