ABC: Always Be Closing (and not in a good way)

Add another few restaurants to the VOABE (victims of a bad economy) list. Red Lotus is down for the count. The upscale-ish Asian joint from the owners of Kru called it quits last night. In my handful of experiences there I can’t say I ever had a great meal. Decent, yes. A few good dishes, sure. But it was never my go to place. The prices seemed just a hair too high, and the food, just a bit too, well, less-than-rad. It may have suffered from proximity to its sister restaurant as well, since Kru is the go-to place in town to hit up when your stomach is empty, your wallet’s full, and you’re in the mood for Asian cuisine.

Following close on RL’s heels is Celestin’s. The long-running cajun/creole/island joint is calling it quits at the end of this month, and a new venture by Capitol Garage will be taking over its K Street digs. I was always a proud fan of Celestin’s. Their grio (fried pork) and plantains never failed to delight. The gumbo consistently pleased. The flavors sparked and jumped but the vibe always seemed a little sleepy. Strange coincidence then that the space Celestin’s used to hold is now held by Kru. Looking back, you wonder if Celestin’s should have just stayed in the smaller spot.

So, add these casualties to the list already pretty heavy with places like Spin, CPK, and Brew-It-Up (not to mention the strange limbo status of L Wine Bar).

Yeah, California. Yeah, Education.

We suggest a donation, you know, if it isn't too much trouble.
We suggest a donation, you know, if it isn't too much trouble.

The RonTopofIt family received a letter the other day from our son’s principal informing us that our child “has been identified as a GATE student by our district.” Well, that’s cool, way to go, right? The letter continues, discussing the program and the teacher. etc. Remember, however, this is California and we’re talking about educating our youth…

As you may be aware, there is no funding for this type of program by either the state or district. However, we are asking parents for a donation to help with the costs. We estimate the donation amount to be $35.00 for the school year.

Sigh. It’s not about the $35 as I am happy to pay it, it is just one of those “really?” things that gets you about our educational system.

The letter closes with a reminder that “the cost of an enrichment GATE program is not funded by state or district money. A parent donation of $35.00 per year is suggested.” Not mandatory, of course, just suggested. Cause, you know, we wouldn’t want to offend anyone.

A bunch of really cool sh!t coming up

Ok, this post is going to be all over the place, but there’s so much to do in the next few months, I don’t know where to start. I know, I’ll start by looking backwards:

The Cambridge Footlights performed last night at the Sacramento Comedy Spot and were nothing short of hilarious. If you missed it, you probably don’t care whatsoever about English comedy, so telling you it was great won’t make you feel the least bit guilty. So…take that I guess.

Doughbot, the new doughnut establishment on 10th and W has started off with a bang and a whimper. Their opening day (last Saturday) lasted all of 2 hours and 45 minutes, from opening to close, due to a huge rush in the early morning hours that exhausted the small bakery’s inventory in less time then it takes to read the new Grisham book. Good for them. However, waiting until Monday when things had died down a bit, I went and sampled the goods and found them to be quite underwhelming. While the flavors and combinations sounded interesting, I found that they tasted a bit bland and uninspiring. And, worst of all, their doughnut dough is a bit dry and dull and overly dense. I’m giving them a few months to get their nuts together and start pumping out something truly exceptional.

There are a slew of great shows coming up all over town. Here’s the short list

Colin Hay- Sep 11 Harlow’s: The former lead singer of Men at Work is an incredible musician, songwriter, storyteller. He’s a joy to watch and listen to.

White Noise Jazz Festival- Sep 11 Torch Club: Harley White Jr. is awesome. He’s bringing together a rich group of musicians to play from 2-midnight. Bay Area cats The Broun Felinis, local guitar wizards Aaron King and Mike Farrell, and more will be performing all day.

Rebirth Brass Band- Oct 6, Harlow’s: You feel like funkin’ it up NOLA style? Trust me, this will be a fun night.

Bill Cosby- Oct 29, Community Center Theater: Dude, it’s Bill Cosby. There’s no one better still alive.

Cars on K Street?

The shovels are in the ground and K Street between 8th and 12th will soon once again have cars. But there will be no parking, no curbs and gutters, and 11th will still be people only.

So business was booming in the 80s and the place is desolate now, but somehow adding cars is going to bring people back? Because they’ll be able to see from their cars what K Street from 8th to 12th Streets has to offer? But then they’ll have to park somewhere else and walk back? Color me unconvinced.

What do you think? Will cars on K Street return the block to its former glory?

Rare beer auction at Rubicon

Rare beer from across California will be auctioned for charity at Rubicon Brewing this Saturday.

This 28 year old beer could be yours!

You may not have noticed it, but Rubicon Brewing is quietly raising lots of money for local charities. Their 501c Wednesdays have hosted a variety of organizations who get a cut from the daily till and a chance to promote their organization to the beer loving public.

This Saturday, Rubicon will host the Northern California Brewers Guild and the California Small Brewers Association for a fundraiser for the craft beer industry itself. Both organizations are active in promoting craft beer among consumers, businesses and lawmakers. The highlight of this event, without a doubt, will be the two silent auctions of rare beer. How rare? Some of these beers have never even been for sale to the public.
Continue reading “Rare beer auction at Rubicon”

Cambridge Footlights in Town This Week

Besides being English, were you aware that John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Douglas Adams, Geoffrey Frey, Hugh Laurie, Sascha Baron Cohen, and Emma Thompson all had one very specific thing in common? Yes, they all were featured players in the Cambridge Footlights. The venerable British institution has been THE seedbed of British comedic talent over the last 50 years, culling the smart-asses of Cambridge University and steering them away from honorable professions and into the ranks of grubby performers.

This Thursday, the Footlights will perform their new sketch comedy show “Pretty Little Panic” at the Sacramento Comedy Spot. It will most likely be the only time in your life you’ll ever get to see this group, so if you’re a fan of the British ha-has you’d better be there.

Cambridge Footlights- Sep 8, 8PM, Sacramento Comedy Spot, tix $12

Sheep take over Garden Highway

Sheep the size of sheep, but they're sheep!
I'm sure the homeless will learn to love their new neighbors

I was riding along the Garden Highway this morning when I noticed some temporary style fencing along the river side. I quickly discovered why this fencing was installed (excuse the poor photo quality as my “smartphone” is anything but).

I even noticed a dog herding the weed eaters. There were so many, too, it was fun to watch. Anyone know what’s going on here? Just some inexpensive weed control? Or is it?

What is biggest risk in Arena deal?

This week will see Mayor Johnson’s financing plan for the downtown arena, which Johnson calls “the city’s greatest economic opportunity since the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.”

At least in the Bee report, the Maloofs seem cautiously optimistic and willing to play ball, though they do want to see a solid plan:

Maloof said he is holding the city to the March 1 deadline. “They’ve got to deliver. Everything has to be in place, ironclad. No risk. No ifs.”

No risks? Sure, sure, sounds like a plan. For example you wouldn’t want to take on a risk that your major tenant can’t make rent payments, right?

Maloof has said the Kings only want to be tenants, not operators, of the new arena, and warned the team doesn’t have much money for rent payments.

Not sure how Maloof expects the City to handle the risk of Maloof not being able to make rent.

I would personally hate to lose an NBA franchise–and though I have been critical of the Maloofs in the past, I guess it is pretty standard to be completely beholden to the team even when their commitment is in question. It is just business, after all.

City of Sacramento to allow backyard chickens (at a price)

http://www.hulu.com/embed/z4nukuhUJ3JQ1yUx1fWk9Q
RIP Phil Hartman

On Tuesday night, the City Council passed an ordinance that will allow city residents to keep up to three egg-laying hens in their back yards starting November 1, 2011. It has been legal to own chickens in Sacramento County for some time as long as your property lot size meets the 10,000 square feet requirement.

This is good news, right? Sure, but there are a few catches, cause it’s, you know, politics and stuff.

Households that want to keep chickens will be required to pay $15, plus an annual fee of $10 per chicken. No roosters will be allowed.

Really? You couldn’t just pass an ordinance for the fun of passing an ordinance?

And for those concerned that the new law will lead to chickens roaming city streets, the law requires that hens be kept in pens, coops or cages at all times. Those holding areas must be at least 20 feet from a neighbor’s home…Chickens will be tagged for identification.

Oh, this can’t miss. Folks will have a field day ratting out their neighbors when their chickens cluck their way inside 20 feet. Not to mention random chicken busts of non-tagged hens.

Next thing you know Sacramento will try to tax tourists for having an accident in our city or something.