Revolution Grand Opening!

Revolution Wines will be celebrating all weekend in their new location at 28th and S. Their previous spot, an industrial space behind a hair salon, was too small for their growing winery and their penchant for serving appetizers while local musicians played. Revolution retained its urban flavor in the comfortable and funky new bistro, tasting room and winery.

All weekend, new releases of Malbec Port, Verdelho Blanco Port and Rio Tinto (a Touriga/Tannat blend) will be paired with selections from their kitchen along with cellar tours, barrel tasting and specials on award-winning wines. All day Sunday, Gina will be serving her famous Chicken and Dumpling Soup just in time for a wet weekend.

Go wish Revolution Wines good luck and prosperity on their winemaking adventure.

Free parking!

The City of Sacramento will be continuing its popular free parking program this year starting with Black Friday. Metered parking is free after 4:30 p.m. weekdays and all day on Saturdays and Sundays from Friday, November 26, through Friday, December 24. There is also free parking at the East End Garage for the first 90 minutes and $1 per hour thereafter, up to a maximum of $5. Free parking at East End is weeknights 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. and all day on weekends.

The metered parking is bounded by L and I Streets and Front St. and 29th.

Free parking map (PDF)

Sac Bee reports Sac Bee to change comments

The Sac Bee reports today that the Sac Bee will switch over to using Disqus for its commenting system on December 1.

Disqus offers many new options to watch, follow and share comments – and promotes greater accountability among contributors to boost the overall quality of comments.

If we’ve learned anything it’s that technology can always improve human discourse. There will be more integration with Facebook, which is an Internet Website, but it looks like the biggest change is that the Bee will purge its site of all the old comments. Which means that commenters like “derphmm” will need to create new gems of wisdom, like this one on the upcoming comments changes (posted to The State Worker blog)

Boy this is a GREAT IDEA! (NOT!!) Now if any state employee comments on anything those wacked out state employee haters can hunt you down and beat or kill you! Oh boy what a joy to look forward to!!!! And you can’t tell me that there are not enough state employee haters to cause this concern, and you can’t tell me that they aren’t that crazy either, look at so many of the anti worker comments!
Another way for the BEE to Stiffle any reasonable discourse and make it a more hostile place to express any opinion that is not in line with the Ghestapo!
You go and let the lunitics rule!!!

Happy Anniversary, Sierra Nevada!

One of the four Anniversary beers is a collaboration between Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada) and Fritz Maytag (Anchor Brewing)Founded in 1980 by home brewers Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company helped create the modern microbrewery industry. Thirty years later, it remains near the top of this industry in both sales and accolades, still lead by Grossman and still brewing its flagship beer that launched a thousand microbreweries.

Their proximity to Sacramento makes this celebration particularly sweet. If you are a lover of local beer, you have loved Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at some point in your life. No matter what craphole in California I was stuck in, I could almost always find it, and I was damn relieved it was there. I still love it today.

This year, Sierra Nevada collaborated with other pioneers of craft beer and brewed four celebratory anniversary beers. Throughout the area, there are several opportunities to try these and other extraordinary beers in the Sierra Nevada portfolio.
Continue reading “Happy Anniversary, Sierra Nevada!”

Bringing back the “need-to-know basis”

I was reading this story on news10.net about how security at Arden Fall mall used license plate scanners and HD cameras to help police arrest a car thief and couldn’t help but think, “should they really be telling us this stuff?”

One quick scroll down to the comments area (my love/hate with comments continues, btw) and I found I was not alone.

but I wish they wouldn’t release information like this to the media. There are a lot of effective tools out there for law enforcement that have been effective because the bad guys don’t know what they are or where they are. Now there is a better chance that bad guys will know not to drive stolen cars to the Arden mall, which will reduce the effectiveness of the program.

So, what’s your take? Does publicizing these advanced security measures simply help educate would-be criminals to commit craftier crimes? Or, does knowing about this stuff prevent someone from attempting an illegal act? I’m leaning toward the former.

What about you?

Cupcakes vs. Frozen Yogurt

http://www.icingonthecupcake.com/
Icing on the Cupcake - 1121 Alhambra Blvd.

Not sure I get the cupcake thing, but I’m noticing more and more of them popping up all over Sacramento. The only business that seems to be outgrowing cakes in a cup is self-serve frozen yogurt. I’m all for economic recovery and seeing a “Grand Opening” sign is much more comforting than a “For Lease” sign, but I’m curious as to who is eating all of these cupcakes. It seems like a niche business at best.

Speaking of, I did try out Tops Yogurt the other day and was put off by the policy that the employee must fill your free sample cup. Granted, I’ve long wondered when these places would start doing this to control inventory (the obvious scene of the high school crowd coming and filling up on sample after sample comes to mind) but it’s tough when you’re not trying to abuse it.

Is it easier to get a commercial loan if you are opening a cupcake or frozen yogurt shop?

Another DUI for Kings player

Another member of the Sacramento Kings was arrested Thursday night for driving under the influence. I know, blah, blah, yawn, yawn.

What does interest me though are the comments and statements that make up these articles.

…said in the team statement Friday that his client is cooperating fully with police in nearby Rocklin.

Really? So we should think a little more of his client because he’s not kicking and screaming and telling everyone to eff off?

In a press release, Wright said, “I’m sorry for having gotten myself into this situation. I sincerely apologize to my teammates and coaches, the Sacramento Kings Organization, the Sacramento community and my family.”

In your prepared statement the best you could come up with was “having gotten myself into this situation”? And in the history of doing something wrong, how many people have not apologized afterward?

Now *that* would be a headline.

Downtown Ice Rink is open

Sacramento’s original outdoor ice rink, the Westfield Downtown Plaza Ice Rink, opened today at noon.

The 7,000 square foot ice rink can accommodate up to 150 skaters. The rink is located at 7th and K Streets (across from the Westfield Downtown Plaza) and is a short stroll from Old Sacramento, the State Capitol, popular downtown restaurants and light rail trains. Because the ice rink is an outdoor facility, the quality of ice may be affected by weather and other elements. Please note that the ice rink facility does not have lockers/storage and skaters are responsible for their personal belongings onsite.

Remember, as an outdoor facility, the rink may close at any time…

In the event of inclement weather, poor ice conditions, war, acts of God or other reasons beyond the Downtown Sacramento Partnership may close ice rink operations without advance notice.

Good to know. If things get out of hand with our enemies in foreign lands and it starts to go down, your local ice skating rink may close without letting you know.

In other ice related news, Iceland reopened this week in, what, 8 short months? Impressive. Rick Kushman over at the Bee also wrote an article about the frosty stuff. Wait, so did Bill Lindelof, using the same photo.

“East Sacramento” Target?

Mrs Cool pointed out that the new Target store on 65th at US 50 is labeled the “East Sacramento Target.” As this store is firmly located in Tahoe Park East, I would like to start an Internet campaign to refer to this as “Tahoe Park Target.” (This will start just in time to keep the political fires burning.)

The folks at Target may have been going for a strictly geographical appellation, but what they failed to realize is that so were the folks who named our neighborhoods. Who’s with me? I’d love to give my TP some love, but are there any neighborhood experts who have an even more precise neighborhood designation?