Editor's note: This story was updated at 11 a.m. May 8 with information from restaurant consultant Andy Soto and customer Donelle O'Brien. Lounge on 20, which combined high-end dining with a lounge feel in Midtown’s MARRS Building at 20th and K streets, took a step back from the more complex menu items as the top chefs left the business last week in a move owner Ali Mackani said was due to the economy. The business will move back toward its roots as a lounge with more mainstream fare, said Pajo Bruich, former executive chef. Mackani said he, Bruich and Sous Chef Mike Ward collectively made the decision, and neither is with the company any longer, though he stressed they weren’t fired.

Midtown’s Lounge on 20, known for its all-white décor and dim lighting and as a place to grab a drink and relax, transformed last month to include dining and incorporate a warmer color scheme. “We added almost 100 seats for dining, a new menu and (Executive Chef Pajo Bruich),” said owner Ali Mackani. “There are color changes, new lighting, a freestanding sculpture that’s also a fireplace, and we still have areas for lounging.” He added that a dessert chef, Elaine Baker, formerly of Grange Restaurant and Bar, is also working at the remodeled space. Also included is an elevated stage for live performances Thursday through Saturday nights. Careful preparation enabled the transformation to

The Sacramento City Council will take a closer look Tuesday at four development teams competing for a new Sacramento Kings arena project. The teams will take turns presenting credentials, experience and plans to analyze the financial feasibility of building a new sports and entertainment center to replace the Kings' current home, Arco Arena – soon to be known as the Power Balance Pavilion. The City Council is expected to decide at its Tuesday night meeting which team will work exclusively with the city for the next three months. The council postponed that decision two weeks ago so council members could get more information about the developers. The teams are: • The ICON-Taylor team, pu

Sacramento developer David Taylor and a prominent Colorado sports facility developer have been pegged as the top contenders in an effort to build the city a new downtown arena. Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force is recommending city officials work with Taylor and ICON Venue Group to determine if building a sports and entertainment center is feasible now and if they're the right team for the project. In an analysis released Friday, the task force encouraged the city to give the ICON-Taylor team 90 days to study the viability of such a project and to develop a proposal and financing plan. The team was handpicked by Johnson after another team, which then included Taylor, failed to produ

An arena task force will use flexibility to analyze a second round of project proposals because there is such a wide range of plans now before them, a task force co-chair said Thursday. Co-chair Chris Lehane called the proposals to build Sacramento a new sports and entertainment facility "apples and oranges.” Each plan from the four teams has different levels of detail and preparation, ranging from three weeks to more than a year, he said after a public hearing at historic City Hall. Lehane and member Matt Kelly, executive secretary of the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, said they appreciated the work Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos and the Convergence Team

A team handpicked by Mayor Kevin Johnson and led by Sacramento developer David Taylor and national sports facility builders has emerged as one of the frontrunners to develop a new arena. Taylor quietly ended his partnership with developer Gerry Kamilos after their first proposal, a complicated land swap, didn't produce a viable proposal by its October deadline. Taylor is now partnering with the historic railyards' new owner, Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, and others. On Thursday, his group submitted a letter of interest to Johnson's arena task force briefly outlining a proposed process for developing a sports and entertainment center. Another three teams submitted new or modified

Ali Mackani has made a career out of developing potential. As a computer science engineer at Intel, people came to him with ideas and asked how to make them work. Mackani usually found a way. In 2002, the Folsom resident and partners brought Sacramento a bit of high-tech fame by creating the first large-scale outdoor wireless fidelity or "wi-fi" network. He created a buzz on Capitol Mall, where he opened his first restaurant, 55 Degrees. He then opened a bar, Lounge on 20, that anchors one of the trendiest corners in Midtown, 20th and K streets. Now a team led by this ambitious 40-year-old entrepreneur is a top contender to develop a new arena in Sacramento. That possibility has left s

Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force resumed its work to get a new facility built in Sacramento Thursday – minus two members who've now thrown their expertise behind a runner-up proposal. At the same time, the task force is opening the process to more developers after its top choice – a complicated three-way land swap submitted by developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor – didn't pan out. The task force is accepting new proposals as well as updated versions from the first round of proposals submitted last December. The public is expected to get its first look at the contenders in early January, the group said Thursday in a press release. In a surprise move, two task force members dec

Prospective developers for a new sports and entertainment complex were questioned by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s volunteer task force Wednesday night. The 12-member task force, which includes real estate, finance and communications executives, asked numerous follow-up questions after listening to presentations by Matt Haines, Doug Tatara and Ali Mackani. Haines, who owns Bistro 33 in Midtown, told the task force about his proposal to build the complex in downtown’s Docks Area. “This would be a direct front-door” to Old Sacramento, he said. Old Sacramento is north of the proposed area. Task force project coordinator Matt Massari wrote earlier that Haines’ Docks Area project would be “adjacent