You don't have to be on a legendary quest, nor a hero to dive into the depths of Zelda’s. I travel around California regularly and am always on the lookout for a unique pizzeria; and throughout my travels one place keeps calling me home. Zelda's Pizza in downtown Sacramento conquers all. Zelda's has long been a unique gourmet pizzeria specializing in Chicago-style pizza harkening back to the famous Pizzeria Uno established in 1943 in the heart of Chicago. I arrived at Zelda's a little over a decade ago amidst a bar-hopping evening and the quality experience has been burned into my memory ever since. For those of you who enjoy things that find their niche and don't change, Zelda's i

Hollywood band Black Veil Brides performed at Ace of Spades on Wednesday night in support of their new album "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones." The air was thick with anticipation as support bands Overwatch and William Control played their sets. When Black Veil Brides finally took the stage, the packed venue erupted with the defeaning squeals of teenage girls and made me very thankful I had brought hearing protection. I can say with complete confidence that it was an entertaining show. Want to see what shows are coming up at Ace of Spades? Click here.  

Don't let the party stop after you've had your fill of beer and fashion this week, Sacramento! How do tattoos, black face paint, and tight, black leather sound? Good? Then check out Hollywood rock band Black Veil Brides at Ace of Spades next Wednesday, March 6. While seemingly more known to some for their visual aesthetics than their music, these wild-haired bad boys in eye shadow are continually refining their musical style and have seen it evolve from screaming heavy metal to a more anthemic rock sound. They're making a play for the big time with their third album, "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones," an ambitious rock opera à la My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade.

Cornerstone – the popular restaurant that left the corner of 24th and J streets two years ago – is coming home. The restaurant will reopen Thursday next door to its former location – now a gun store – in a spot recently vacated when River Rock Tap House shut its doors for good. “We’re excited to come back to the old neighborhood and see all of the old customers,” said owner Danny Leung. For the past two years, Cornerstone has been operating out of Headhunters, a bar and nightclub on 20th and K streets. When the business was unable to extend its lease at the former location at 2330 J St. after 14 years being open, the owners looked into moving into an old church. The church, however, di

Last week Townhouse Lounge owner Desmond “Desi” Reynoso said he would have to close his business because the landlord was raising the rent –– but county records appear to tell a different, or at least more complex story. Until recently, Reynoso – who said he goes by Desi David – was his own landlord. Sacramento County Assessor’s Office records records show he was one of the owners who took control of the property on July 17, 2003, but the building housing the business was foreclosed on and sold at auction this month. Records show that Shirley Johnson purchased the property on the morning of Oct. 16 for $574,789.33. The Sacramento Press was unable to contact her. When contacted by The Sa

Oishii Sushi Bar and Grill held its grand opening Thursday, announcing it will offer half-price karaoke rooms for the first week. The restaurant, located above the Cosmopolitan Cabaret at at 1000 K St., is the third one for owner Joe Zheng, who also owns similar places in New York and San Francisco. Combining sushi, Mongolian barbecue and teriyaki fare, the restaurant also incorporates 15 private karaoke rooms, that can accommodate anywhere from six to as many as 40 people. The ceiling in the room above was created in-place and took about two months, according to Zheng. Lighting effects on three levels allow the LED lights to change colors with ease. Sushi rolls at lunchtime will range

Townhouse Lounge, the bar and nightclub located at 1517 21st St., is expected to close early next year, according to owner/operator Desi David. “We’ve been there so long – it’s been 15 years – and the landlord is going to raise the lease,” he said. “We don’t blame them, and we don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” David said the business won’t close immediately, and will likely stay open through the holidays, and possibly into next year. “We’re being completely positive about it right now,” he said. “We’ve got a nice community, and we will see what happens.” The business is open from 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. every day and features multiple levels of dancing, a bar and live music

Does Midtown have an overconcentration of bars? It’s an issue that has divided readers on The Sacramento Press since we launched four years ago. Sacramento Bee Associate Editor Foon Rhee wrote about the issue on Sunday, and we’ll have him and Midtown resident George Raya on Sac Press Live Wednesday to discuss it. The video chat window will be live streamed here on Wednesday at noon:   Some longtime residents say the Midtown area is overrun with drinking establishments, and it’s destroying their quality of life. Others cite the walkability of the district – and the amount of bars and restaurants – as reasons to live nearby. When new restaurants apply for alcohol licenses, they ofte

Local professionals, business owners and others in the community will gather from 6 - 8 p.m. Thursday for the annual Midtown Mixer at the Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Co. space. The event is the first public look at restaurant, which is soon to be opened by the owners of The Golden Bear. Hosted by the Midtown Business Association, the event at 1630 S St. is free to members, and tickets are $5 for non-members. The admission price includes light appetizers and a no-host bar. Tickets can be bought in advance by clicking here, and eventgoers must RSVP.  Check the event Facebook page for more information.

Hook and Ladder Manufacturing Co. – the new venture from the owners of The Golden Bear – is set to open by the end of the month, co-owner Kimio Bazett said Friday. The menu at the restaurant located at 1630 S St. is nearly complete, but Bazett said he’s keeping tight-lipped on what, exactly, will be on it. “We’re trying to be as secretive as possible,” he said. “We don’t want too many details, except that there’s going to be a lot of handmade stuff. We’re trying to do all of our baking in-house, have handmade pasta, homemade sausages and farmers market-sourced produce as much as possible.” He’s being equally mum about the interior of the building, saying that not even the workers are pe

Have you ever been stuck on a project at work for so long that once you look at the clock, you realize you have missed happy hour? Joining the ranks of other restaurants that feature late-night happy hours, The Porch Restaurant and Bar has a solution: a new late-night social hour that goes from 10 p.m. - midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.  The Porch, an American/Southern comfort speciality restaurant, offers $5 drink specials every Friday and Saturday night as well as a dollar off on wine and draft beers.  The menu consists of a variety drinks, including gin, vodka and bourbon. “We figured late-night social hour would be a great way because we’re so close to a lot of the bars that are ar

When Mark Twain advised, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company,” he could have been talking about the newest hotspot coming to J Street in Midtown: Purgatory. The restaurant-by-day, dance-club-by night venue is nearing completion, according to operations manager Mark Garcia, and, when it opens its doors at the end of August, Garcia promises it will have a lot to offer. “Purgatory is the place between Heaven and Hell and that’s where people will enter our place,” Garcia said. “Once they’re here, they can choose what to experience.” The concept behind Purgatory, Garcia said, is to combine two contrasting themes – heaven, hell, sinners, saints – into one venue. There are two

The Pour House held its grand opening on Friday – Midtown's newest bar features taps at tables with whiskey and beer, sandwiches from the Coast to Coast food trucks and decor reminiscent of a Prohibition-era speakeasy. The bar/restaurant will be open from 11 a.m to 1:30 a.m., serving lunch and dinner, with plans to add a Sunday brunch soon, according to operator Trevor Shults. Shults said he was going for a "rustic, older vibe" that utilized the historic nature of the building and its location at 1910 Q St, next to railroad tracks. "The design, I feel, complements the building well," he said Wednesday. The interior is divided into two rooms with distinct designs. The front room is open

A new central city hop-on/hop-off bus route begins June 22, and it aims to provide a low-cost shuttle service between restaurants and bars on the weekends, according to owner Laura Allen. Called the Lil' Hopper, the 27-seat bus will make 30-minute loops throughout downtown and Midtown. It will likely start at 7:15 p.m. and end at 1 a.m. The scheduled route will begin at 12th and J streets and make stops along J, K and L streets and Capitol Avenue on its loop. Stops include 15th and J, 18th and J, 23rd and J, 24th and K, and 18th and Capitol Avenue.   The Lil' Hopper will run Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $10 for the night, and they can be purchased from the bus driver. “Peo

How well do you know bars on the grid? If you’ve gone out to have a beer, you’ve probably spent some time eyeing the beer taps at various bars, but will you recognize them again? The Sacramento Press took some shots of downtown and Midtown bar beer taps. Can you identify them? If so, you could win $20 in cash. Last week, we had 28 people respond to our restaurant quiz, and seven people got perfect scores. One winner was drawn to receive a $20 gift card to de Vere’s Irish Pub. The drawing can be viewed here. Do you have what it takes to win this week’s quiz? Entries will be accepted as comments on this article, and the deadline to enter is midnight on Tuesday, May 29. Those with the hi

Downtown Sacramento’s Firestone Public House opens Friday, offering 60 beers on tap, a multitude of TVs and a classic American fare including pizzas baked in the old California Pizza Kitchen oven. The Sacramento Press got an early look inside the business located at 16th and L streets, which features a rectangular bar dominating the main entry area. Originally scheduled to open in February, co-owner Henry de Vere White previously told The Sacramento Press that building and design delays necessitated a later opening, but that it’s better to open with a finalized business than to open earlier. Along with the de Vere White family, the Wong family of Mix Downtown, Cafeteria 15L and other en

Ace of Spades hosted the tour finale of the Glow Sticks for Breakfast Tour Sunday night, featuring performances by Hyper Crush, Benzi, Silver Medallion and Sacramento band Playboy School. Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's DJ project with Spencer Peterson, Black Cards, was also scheduled to perform, but the duo had to pull out a few days before the show due to an ankle injury. Playboy School kicked things off in the early slot with a lukewarm set as people trickled in. Benzi livened the mood up with an electronic/Top 40 set that had a few guys raging, and a while later Silver Medallion came out and grabbed the mic, adding some organic energy to the stage as he ran around, whipping his lo

Two Sacramentans are looking to bring a kombucha bar to the Midtown space that formerly housed Hina’s Tea by the end of July, if they can raise $50,000 via the Internet to launch. The drink, which is carbonated through a fermentation process, contains probiotics and a living culture, co-owner Joseph Melrose said, adding that the probiotics are good bacteria that typically are absent in the average American diet. “It really works to helping with everything from irritable bowel syndrome to bad hair and bad skin,” he said. “People have been drinking it for 2,000 years for its health benefits.” Kombucha Kulture will not brew its own kombucha – a fermented tea drink – but stock about 10 flav

Get your green out of the closet or beware getting pinched: St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner. St. Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland, and now he brings the party to you. The Sacramento Press compiled a list of fun, Irish-related things to do on March 17 so you won’t miss out on the fun. 16th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday Location: Second and L streets in Old Sacramento Hours: 1 - 3 p.m. Admission: Free Contact: 558-3912 See the 16th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Old Sacramento. This year, the Girl Scouts of the USA will lead the parade with 100 girls dressed in green to celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary. “We have some great vint

"We've got quite a set here," announced MUTEMATH vocalist and keyboardist Paul Meany. "We've been around for eight years. That's a lot of songs to choose from!" Quite a set it was. Making an unconventional entrance from the back of the venue with instruments and Christmas lights in tow, the New Orleans electro-alt rock band went on to do a little face-melting for the packed house at Ace of Spades Wednesday night. The Grammy-nominated four-piece put on a sonic and visual spectacle, covering a massive setlist over more than two hours and sampling a bit from all their studio albums and EPs, including all 13 songs from their latest release, 2011's "Odd Soul." Aided by tons of frantic, colo