You’ll see stars when you dine at Enotria Restaurant & Wine Bar. Start with four- and five-star raves from critics, bloggers and Yelpers, an amuse bouche for the mind. Then, enjoy multiple courses of modernist California cuisine – precise, composed plates of farm-fresh meats, fish, vegetables and grains that scale sophisticated heights, dazzling your eyes and palate. The biggest star, of course -- the Louis Prima of Enotria’s big night -- is an unapologetic courtship of culinary recognition, specifically a sought-after star from Michelin, never minding that the regarded guide does not, currently at least, rate Sacramento restaurants. At the center of this constellation of accolades and

This Saturday, head over to Del Paso Boulevard for a fun evening of storytelling and more. Starting at 6:30pm, Fenix Drum and Dance will host Tellabration, an event for all ages with entertainment from some of Sacramento's best storytellers. There will be stories galore as well as poetry, music, dance, and refreshments. Fenix Drum and Dance is located at 2110 Del Paso Blvd. in North Sacramento, and is Sacramento's premier West African and Afro-Caribbean drum and dance ensemble. Tellabration is a nationally-acclaimed festival with the goal of keeping the traditional art of storytelling alive. This event is held the weekend before Thanksgiving at locations all over the world.

The Greens Hotel on Del Paso Boulevard hosted the first event of a summer series that will hopefully become a requisite Thursday evening activity for Sacramentans in-the-know. The REEL Bike-In Theater hosts an outdoor movie on the big screen every first and third Thursday through the end of October. The purpose of the event is two-fold: to give the creative minds of the city something fun to do on Thursday night and to work towards changing the stigma that has been placed upon the area of Del Paso Boulevard for so long. Indian Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was up first. The hotel complex was the perfect place to start the cool down after an ultra-hot Sacramento day, and neighborhood

Grab a bike, blanket and popcorn. Organizers of new monthly event called Reel offer a “bike-in” movie theater with music and art at The Greens Hotel on Del Paso Boulevard from August through October. Reel co-organizer Chris Jarosz, who is also the co-operator of The Greens Hotel and the owner of the Wicked 'wich food truck, said he was tired of the same bar scene filled with the same people “totally bored out of their minds,” so he and Matt Chong developed Reel a free movie series that has a movie, DJ, mini art gallery, pop-up vendors, beer garden and food trucks. The “bike-in” theater is a modern take on a car-centered tradition. “That’s what the hipsters do,” Jarosz said. “They want t

The Good: street food + design market got off to a roaring, fun and funky start Sunday in a warehouse at 1409 Del Paso Blvd. The marketing firm behind the event, Unseen Heroes, released this "Quick Wrap Up" time lapse video from the event on Monday afternoon: More than 2,500 people came out for the festivities, which will occur every first Sunday of the month through November, according to event organizers. There were food trucks in the back and a wide spectrum of vendors inside, from brewers and baristas to artists and clothing and jewelry designers. A DJ spun, giving the crowd full of families and young couples a beat to step (and eat and shop) to on a warm late spring afternoon.

Sacramento's best storytellers will be entertaining at the very first Spring into Stories festival on Saturday, April 21. From 10am to 10pm, Carol's Books at 1913 Del Paso Boulevard will feature stories, music, poetry, dance, juggling, food and more. The all-day entertainment includes a Story Slam, a Liar's Contest, Kids' Place, Spoken Word, and cultural performances. A story concert begins at 7pm. All events are free, with a suggested donation of $5 during the reception and story concert. The program is “a must for the entire family” according to Angela James of Fenix Drum and Dance. The festival is sponsored by Carol’s Books and Fenix Drum and Dance Company, Sacramento's premier West A

The Del Paso Boulevard Partnership is hosting its 3rd annual Spring Carnival on The Boulevard from Wednesday, April 4, to Sunday, April 8. It will be held in the Rite Aid/O'Reilly Auto Parts Lot at Del Paso Blvd. and El Camino Ave. in North Sacramento from 3pm to 10pm Wednesday-Friday and 10am to 11pm Saturday and Sunday. Carnival attendees can enjoy rides, games, corn dogs, cotton candy, and other fun. Proceeds of the event go to the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership Foundation. Their website (with information on the carnival and other events) is http://dpbpartnership.com.

The North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce may have thrown its annual holiday tree lighting a 21st birthday party Dec. 8, but even the adults who donned skates, munched cookies and quaffed hot chocolate eschewed the slightest trace of yuletide cynicism in favor of youthful Christmas-morning smiles. Hosted by Iceland, the men and women, boys and girls who laced up courtesy of the venerable Del Paso Boulevard ice rink, barely noticed when the switch was thrown, and pumped current through the strings of multicolored lights that formed the "tree." Those who didn't hit the ice themselves, found plenty of pre-Christmas cheer in picking out rinkside vantage points to watch singles, couples and en

Sacramento dads have an ally when it comes to navigating family court and help on parenting: the nonprofit Center for Fathers and Families. “Our goal is to make fathers into men and make men into fathers,” said Terry Moore, director of adult services at the center. “A lot of them don’t have that take-charge mentality, and we help them provide for their families and look after their families’ safety, even if they’re not with the mother.” The center, at 920 Del Paso Blvd., was founded in Sacramento in 1994 and provides myriad programs for fathers, kids and families in general, but the focus is on helping fathers develop and maintain the skills needed to be active members of their families,

While local nonprofit clinics The Effort and the Health and Life Organization are not as well-known as major hospitals like Sutter Health or UC Davis Medical Center, they each serve tens of thousands of people in Sacramento County and play a major role in health care for the region’s low-income and homeless residents. The Effort and the Health and Life Organization allow patients to pay for medical services on a sliding fee scale. About six community health organizations run 29 clinics in Sacramento County, according to Chris Patterson, a media relations consultant for the Capitol Community Health Network. About 14,000 patients made about 35,000 visits to The Effort’s medical sites last

Artists have spent the last few nights preparing Sol Collective for an anniversary show Friday. But they're not installing framed paintings and sculptures. Sacramento's very own activist art collective is celebrating six years by becoming art. Show organizer Shaun Turner, a 29-year-old muralist, has brought together at least 19 artists from Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Colombia, by way of New York, to create art on the interior walls and ceilings of the building at 2574 21st St. The big, bold pieces are the artists' way of giving back to a community organization that has given so much to so many of them, said Turner and local artist Gabriel Romo, who also goes by the name 2

My girlfriend recently finished a 21-day yoga and dietary cleanse at Deep Yoga. While I did not join her on her daily 5:30 a.m. yoga pilgrimages, I went stride for stride with her on the dietary portion of it. The first week we were allowed fish, but from the second week on we were no longer allowed any animal products. Or corn products. Or wheat products (I cheated here. I wouldn't have made it without soy sauce). It was not easy for this lifelong omnivore to give up meat, and even harder to give up cheese and grains, but I did, and lost nine pounds in the process. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it's over. But I'll also concede that I both look and feel better. There is something to this

Skating has returned to Del Paso Boulevard Iceland Ice Skating Rink re-opened today to skaters for the first time since burning down in March 2010. “Such a journey from March until now,” said Terrie Kerth, whose family built the rink in the late 1930s. “So many volunteers who have helped, so many people who care about skating and thanks to them, we’re open.” “Still lots of work to do, but we can skate.” Iceland has played host to ice-skating, ice hockey, and ice shows. Former President and California Governor Ronald Regan skated at the facility, as did former boxer Max Baer. The facility burned down last March following a private party, but the primary structure remained intact. Sinc

Volunteers and ice-making equipment were hard at work Monday turning ashes into an ice rink. Debris from last spring's arson fire has long since been cleaned up. But efforts to lay down ice for the first time since Iceland burned just began Sunday night inside the thick concrete and rebar exterior walls that survived the flames. The Kerth family, now operating Iceland as a nonprofit, hopes to be able to open a 13,500-square-foot temporary outdoor rink as soon as Thursday afternoon. Earlier this month, the city Planning Commission awarded a special use permit needed because of the potential noise now that the rink at 1430 Del Paso Blvd. will be outside. A problem with the plan cropped up

Dozens of skaters are expected to turn out Thursday night when the Sacramento Planning Commission holds a public hearing on Iceland Skating Rink's request to build a temporary outdoor rink. About 70 skaters have promised to show up to support a rink being built at the site of Iceland, which was burned by an arsonist last spring, said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Rob Kerth, whose family owned the indoor ice rink on Del Paso Boulevard for nearly 70 years. "It's kind of heart-warming to know that so many folks would like to see the rink open again," said Kerth, a former city councilman. The family is asking for a special events permit so a 13,500-square-foot, non-profit

Word is growing about free weekly skate jams at Surf & Skate's Sacramento headquarters. At least 20 skateboarders have been showing up each week since the Citrus Heights shop's custom-built Skatelite bowl and street course opened a year and a half ago. The skate sessions changed this week from Wednesday to Thursday nights. Most skaters are locals. But up to 60 people from as far as San Francisco and Truckee have dropped in to carve the bowl, practice tricks and learn from each other on any given evening, said Surf & Skate owner Bob Mitchell. "You'll see some of the best skateboarders in the country show up here," he said. "(These) nights are pretty off the hook." Mitchell was a record-

You could smell the smoke as you approached the 70-year old structure on Del Paso Boulevard on Sunday morning. Dozens of firefighters looked to put out the five-alarm fire, but it was too late. ICELAND, the historic North Sacramento ice skating rink located on Del Paso Boulevard, burned down this morning leaving only its four main structural walls and iconic marquee standing. "This is probably the biggest icon that remained in terms of an entertainment venue in North Sac," said Robert (Bob) Slobe. "It's a shame." According to early reports, ICELAND was open Saturday night until 12am for a private party. The fire started at 3:30am around a car parked behind the ICELAND facility. Fire cre

"Welcome to the Boulevard!" This was the theme Wednesday night at the grand opening of the new Sacramento News & Review building. Their new location at 1124 Del Paso Blvd. is a state-of-the-art green complex that will set the standard for new buildings in Sacramento. Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy emceed the event, which included guest speakers from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and Jeff von Kaenel, the chief executive officer of SN&R. Close to 100 people attended the event. "This project was weighed down by problems facing infill developments," Sheedy said. "If it wasn't for the extraordinary work of SHRA and Jeff and Deborah Redmond, chief operating officer of SN&R, this w

"So what do you mean by noise?" That's probably the #1 question about the Noisefest, except maybe "Do you have any earplugs?" The answer to the latter question is simple (yes, we do) but the first question is more complex. People know what noise is in the general sense, but not very many know what noise is in the musical sense. In some ways, the Norcal Noisefest is intended to answer that question by showing people what noise is, instead of simply telling them. The 2009 Norcal Noisefest, formerly known as the Northern California Experimental Music Festival, is the thirteenth festival in a series orignally started in 1995 here in Sacramento, intended to bring noise music to the public ear