Art of Chaos at The Boardwalk

Vega’s [Old Sacramento] – Mix of History and Haunted Club – This underground establishment doesn’t require a password to get in, but it has managed to remain a bit of a secret. It’s not exactly romantic, but seems to beg for a little intimacy while you’re there. Explore all the crannies in which to cuddle up with a partner and then bundle up for some cozy time by the outdoor fireplace. They (pretty much) only serve beer and wine (and a mysterious homemade punch if you dare), but it’s worth a dip into the underground and the building is as old as Old Sac gets. 910 2nd Street

The Boardwalk [Orangevale] – Bonafide Long-time Rockin’ Establishment – The Boardwalk has been hosting local and not-so-local hard rock and heavy metal bands and fans since 1987. A somewhat small and dark venue tucked into a vacuum-like section of Sacramento’s suburbs, its sound quality keeps bringing them back for more. They serve lots of fried food and are open to all ages, so don’t be surprised to see a few adolescents roaming the premises. While it’s not exactly an enchanting place, it doesn’t claim to be such. www.boardwalkrocks.com

On the Y [Arden-Arcade] – Dive Bar Meets Metal Madness – With that dive bar atmosphere, On the Y could simply be perfect for a cold beer (known for being “the coldest in town”). But late at night it comes alive with the sounds of screaming voices and thrashing instruments. A respected venue for hard-core music, On the Y manages to contain order with the music tidily tucked away in a corner, so you can still hold a conversation should you choose. If you prefer a more mainstream vein, they also host karaoke regularly. 670 Fulton Avenue

Shenanigans [Downtown] – Two-Headed Musical Monster – Not too many late night venues have two levels with such different feels. Shenanigans has a stage for all kinds of live music upstairs, while downstairs is all about DJs, dancing and dark corners. You might also just stop by early in the evening for a game of bar Jenga, plate of club grub, and chat with a friendly monkey (stuffed or otherwise). www.shenaniganssacramento.com

Views from the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza

If you’re a downtown/central city type… Stay at the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza, order some delicious and (surprisingly) reasonably-priced room service, and then enjoy the views as the sun sparkles through the Tower Bridge and settles into the Sacramento River.

Convenience is king here with immediate freeway access, but I suggest you park the car and leave it because you can hoof it to pretty much whatever your heart desires. Shopping and a brewery (River City) await you at the Downtown Plaza – just steps from your room – and Old Sacramento is not much farther the other direction, home to a handful of classy restaurants, historic sites, intriguing shops and photo ops.

Try Ten22 for dinner or drinks on the patio, Steamers for some breakfast tacos at a sunny sidewalk table, or the Delta King for river views and a more lavish (but still affordable) champagne brunch. Haven’t seen the newly-expanded and highly renovated Crocker Museum yet? It’s just another short jaunt away and will fulfill your more artistic, creative and cultured tastes.

If mom-n-pop is more your style… Stay at the comfy, cozy Amber House Bed & Breakfast in Midtown, unwind with a welcome drink on the porch, and then head out for some boutique shopping ‘afoot. Once those hunger pangs grab hold, grab some grub at Chicago Fire or Zelda’s pizzeria or try Kru or Tamaya Sushi. Independent bookstores and art galleries also abound around here.

Seriously, we’re all feeling pretty spoiled here since the New Year hit, and we’d like nothing more than to share our fine weather, amenities and attractions with you!

[Watch for more photos soon to come~]

Jim Denny's Outdoor Patio

What the best thing about Jim Denny’s is can surely be debated. Could be the food, could be how hard you have to work to get the food. Could be the nostalgia, could be all the Food Network attention it gets. Could be watching the gals behind the counter operate like a (fairly) well-oiled machine, could be sitting outside on a warm, lazy morning. Could be the charming retro vibe, could be that the small but mighty structure stands out like a sore thumb amongst a set of otherwise-numb fingers.

Sad to say it was my first visit to Jim Denny’s in Downtown Sacramento, especially since I was born and raised here. What excuse do I have other than being a creature of habit and allowing most of my younger-year decisions to be made by others?! Anyway, what matters now is that I’m a bit more “in the know” when it comes to this long-held tradition and establishment.

Saturday morning, 10:40am, November 19

We were able to find a seat right away because a couple of barstools opened up right as we walked in, and we got to watch the cook juggle Hubcap pancakes and monster omelets right in front of us.  But then we had to wait nearly an hour to actually eat anything. In hindsight I think it’s good to know this kind of thing ahead of time, so you don’t bite someone’s head off if you happen to stumble in starved from the get-go.

We got the Works Omelet, which they recommend sharing. Loaded with meat, cheese and veggies, and served with toast and potatoes on the side, it was a nice hearty meal. We both agreed, however, that my husband could have eaten it all himself (if I’d be willing to roll him home, that is). And the $11.50 price tag seemed a little high, but we’re probably paying for TV-worthy food at this point. Still, steaming and delicious, it hit the spot and then some.

Founded in 1934, Jim Denny’s certainly has a certain charm, and I had the urge to back up the truck, hook it up and take her away with us. Overall, the staff was friendly but not sweet-as-pie. Curiously, I’d say at least half of the diners were out-of-towners.  The place is mostly counter seats because the back part of the “building” (if you can call it that) is for food prep, dish washing and what-not. There’s more to the story of course – check out their website and reviews on Yelp -  just don’t believe everything you read. The website says they’re closed Saturday and Sunday. (I found this to be half true).

 http://jim-dennys.com/

816 12^th Street (between H & I), 916-443-9651

[P.S. If you do eat the whole thing yourself, there are plenty of hotels nearby to fit any budget. Check out the hotel finder on www.DiscoverGold.org]

Early Summer Fun

From Farm to You~
Announcing New Farmers’ Markets Locations:
1)Beautiful east end State Capitol Park, 15th & L Streets, every Thursday, 10AM to 1:30PM
2)St. Rose of Lima Park, 7th & K Street, every Friday, 10AM to 1:30PM (street or mall parking, light rail)
www.ca-grown.com

Portuguese Partay~
Come One, Come All for a Parade, Mass, Auction, Eats, Live Music & Fresh Air! The Freeport/Clarksburg Portuguese Festa will be held Sunday, June 19th at 54113 S. River Rd. 916-373-9942

100 Years of Making a Difference~
Stop to once again celebrate your rights at the Sacramento History Museum with the unveiling of the ‘We Won the Vote’ exhibit on June 16th. 916-808-7059, www.historicoldsac.org

It really seems that every time I refresh my inbox or turn a literal corner, there’s something new in the area to experience. Most recently, we have the Rock & Roll History Tour and Pub Crawl on Friday nights. Running in conjunction with the Friday Night Concerts in the Park, the tour starts at the corner of 9th and J streets at 6pm. Guests learn about Sacramento’s Rock & Roll history and Downtown’s historical connection to The Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Nirvana and more. Cocktail stops include The Torch Club, Tequila Museo Mayahuel, Cosmo Café and Marilyn’s on K, ending at Cesar Chavez Plaza just in time for the headlining act. Tickets are $10 and the tour lasts approximately two hours.

Brought to you by Downtown Sacramento Partnership, more details can be found at http://sacrockandrolltour.eventbrite.com/.

If April showers bring May flowers, then what do May flowers bring?
FUN, of course~

OUTDOOR CONCERTS
Announcing the kick-off the 20th season of Friday Night Concerts in the Park.
May 6th and every Friday night, 5-9PM, through August 12.
Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown
www.SacFridayConcerts.com

ART & WINE AFFAIR
20 area wineries, artists, vendors, live entertainment.
Saturday & Sunday, May 7 & 8, 11-4PM
El Dorado Hills
916-802-6924, www.eldoradohillsartaffaire.com

PIXAR COLLECTION
Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions presents the Pixar Collection worldwide debut — One Day Only!
Sunday, May 15, 11AM to 4PM
California State Railroad Museum, Old Sacramento State Historic Park
916-445-6645, www.csrmf.org

NATURE TOURS
Delta Eco-Tours – Take a short or long nature and cultural history tour of California’s best and most breathtaking locations along the Sacramento Delta.
Saturday, May 21, 2-hour History & Riparian Cruise
Saturday, May 28, 4-1/2 hour Tule Wilderness Adventure
Delta Ecotours/Hartland Nursery
13737 Grand Island Road (P.O. Box 439), Walnut Grove, CA 95690
(916) 775-4545, www.DeltaEcoTours.com

HISTORY TOURS
Gold Rush Legacy Tours and Old Sacramento Architectural Tours begin in May and go all summer long.
Saturdays & Sundays at 11AM
916-808-7059, www.historicoldsac.org

And for more ongoing, engaging and special events check out www.Sacramento365.com!

Participating restaurants include: 3 Fires Lounge & Restaurant, 4th Street Grille, Biba Restaurant, Brew It Up!, The Broiler Steakhouse, Cafeteria 15L, Capitol Garage, Chops Steak, Seafood & Bar, Dawson’s, deVere’s Irish Pub, Esquire Grill, Fat City Bar & Café, The Firehouse Restaurant, Frank Fat’s, Grange Restaurant, House, Il Fornaio, Mikuni, The Melting Pot, Morgan’s, Mulvaneys B&L, Paragary’s Bar and Oven, Pilothouse, Spataro, Rio City Café, River City Brewing Company, Ten 22, and Tower Bridge Bistro.

“Dine Downtown lets food enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes experience the best of Sacramento’s restaurant scene.” What better way to say ‘Thank You’ than to simply participate, eat, and be merry?! Just note that you may have to ask for the Dine Downtown menu at participating locations. Reservations are recommended but not necessary.

Remember, there are only six days left but a staggering 30 restaurants to consider. It’s like a portal has opened up for regular folks like us to experience local fine dining without breaking the bank. So plan your strategy now and get your appetite revved up!

Dine Downtown is produced by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. www.downtownsac.org/dinedowntown.

Dancing at the Mix

Next stop: Bulls. It’s a fairly new place with a catch: a mechanical bull. But it’s a real cow’s head (sad) with a missing eye (sadder). The place is not a country bar, per se. They play all kinds of music and is really just a regular restaurant/bar (minus the one-eyed cow-bull). It wasn’t very crowded yet, but again, we were out early, so most of us took a ride on the wild side. I sort of liked the casual vibe of the place with its glamorous country accents, but the customer service left something big to be desired (saddest of all).

All aboard the limo for one more casual stop before the finale: Shady Lady (You’ve got to pronounce that like you’re woo-ing it… er, her). Now this place was hopping. I’ve been here a couple of times during the day, but nothing beats the nighttime ambiance. With some sultry acoustical music playing in the background, the velvet wallpaper, period lighting and old-fashioned menu, this place was classy and satisfying.

Final destination: MIX Downtown. First off, you’ve always got to mind the time at these places. According to our watches, we arrived in time to get in for free, with 7 minutes to spare. According to the guy at the door, we were 7 minutes too late. Luckily, our limo driver confirmed our clocks and up the stairs we went. Most – if not all – of us had been to the Mix before. We like it because it caters more to 30 and 40-year-olds than the younger crowd and has with a cool, grown-up atmosphere and open-air patio for minglaxing – mingling and relaxing). So we dove right in and pretty much danced the night away, despite there being an unusually-younger crowd on this night and the bartenders being a little too cool for school.

All in all, a bunch of 40-something-year-olds staying up until 1:30 is an amazing feat. But when the company’s good and there’s a reason to celebrate, not much is going to get us down.

Dark, casual, old…. It’s the kind of place I would normally frequent, so it’s also a little odd that my experiences with Old Ironsides are so limited. I remember someone suggesting going there one night after a party. It was rather late, but I guess we were still in party mode, and we arrived to find Old Ironsides of like mind. Bucho, a popular Sacramento-originated band with an engaging singer, was playing in the back room. The place was lively but there was still room to move around. I liked it.

That’s why it’s odd again that I didn’t return for nearly 4 years. This time: Lunch with an old friend whom I hadn’t seen for over 20 years. I was greeted from afar by the bartender when I walked in. The lunch crowd was much thicker than I expected. I found my friend and proceeded to catch up with her for 2 hours over food that was somehow simple, comforting and vibrant at the same time. We were again bid a farewell from afar as we parted and finally emptied the place out.

I can’t tell you what Old I looks like inside…. maybe perfectly dive-y. I know I have yet to experience this place fully, giving it my full, undivided attention. I know there’s more to discover here, and if it takes a ridiculous amount of time in order for me to do it, well, it’s certainly nothing personal.

Old Ironsides remains anchored at the corner of 10th & S, as it has since 1934. Named after the legendary war ship, “it was the first local establishment to serve liquor after the close of prohibition,” the proprietors say. I’m told by a local historian, however, that it was a speakeasy before that… But maybe that’s still supposed to be a secret?

www.TheOldIronsides.com, (916)443-9751