People headed to Midtown’s Hot Italian for a pizza or gelato might be surprised to see two new additions to restaurant – a pair of cars from Italian manufacturer Fiat, which returned to the United States this year after a 27-year hiatus. “We’ve been looking for new pop-up concepts, and they’re stylish, they’re Italian, and they’re a great fit,” said Andrea Lepore, managing partner of Hot Italian, located at 16th and Q streets. A “pop-up,” she explained, is a temporary display that sometimes has retail components to it. “It kind of pops up, and you have to catch it while it’s here,” she said. “It will be up for at least three months.” The two cars, a Fiat 500 and a Fiat 500C Cabriolet –

On Thursday, June 2, Sacramento saw the start of another year of the Hot Lunch Concert Series and a new free music event playing at Cesar Chavez Plaza; “Fiesta en la Calle” (Street Party). The Hot Lunch Concert Series is a collaboration between Hot Italian, Sacramento News and Review and Friends of Fremont Park. Musical guests perform on Thursdays from June 2 to September 1 during the lunch hour (11:30 to 1p.m). Promoter Jerry Perry has put together a great lineup. Fremont Park, located on the corner of 16th and P Streets hosts the event. Musical Charis was the first band scheduled to perform this year. The weather cooperated and made for a delightful lunch concert. People from around t

Hot Italian, having just been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), held an open house on Saturday and welcomed guests to a self-guided tour. The self-guided tour was held in order for guests to come by and see, touch and feel the green features at Hot Italian. Sacramento Municipal Utility District had several representatives to answer questions regarding energy efficiency and business services. SMUD representatives that were there spent much of their time helping customer and answering questions. One of them indicated why they were there, “We’re here to talk to people about energy efficiency. We are also here to educate people to see what they can do to conse

Fabrizio Cercatore is not a chef. He is not a baker. He was trained to specialize in one thing only: pizza. Born in Verbania, Italy, Fabrizio has been a pizzaiolo — a pizza-maker, for 14 years. His knowledge of pizza stretches beyond a typical chain pizza shop around town. The Man Cercatore, co-owner of Hot Italian in Sacramento, has lived in the city to pursue what he calls this “project” of opening an authentic pizzeria restaurant abroad. He studied at a culinary school in Lerici, Italy. His familiarity with pizza hailed from working at his restaurant in La Spezia called La Tavernetta (The Little Tavern), which he owns with his sister. It was always his dream to open up a restaurant a

The Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento has a hand in 10 local restaurants and hopes to reach more with its mission of establishing a sustainable restaurant industry. GRAS is "dedicated to making Sacramento a leading sustainable food community and a leader in the green-restaurant industry," according to its website. The year-old organization helps restaurants reduce waste by composting food scraps and biodegradable material. "This is not a brilliant idea, it's being done worldwide," said GRAS co-founder David S. Baker. "Why can't it happen in our town?" The 10 members of GRAS are Hot Italian, L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen, Mulvaney's B & L, One Speed, Selland's, Grange, Ella, Tuli

The sights. The sounds. The smells. Oh my! The Bicycle Film Festival, held Friday through Sunday, was an exciting outdoor event.   Seeing tons of bicyclists flocking to Fremont Park for opening night was surreal. Hearing cyclists talk about their vintage bikes relayed the camaraderie they felt. And the smell of gourmet pizza was tempting as it wafted through the air. All ages strolled, many with gelato in hand, toward Fremont Park to get a seat before the show started.   The Bicycle Film Fest has been held overseas and across the nation. The event celebrates all things bicycle through film, art and music. The restaurant Hot Italian hosted the event's primary indoor site.   Brendt Bar