A farm-to-fork style restaurant is set to take over downtown fixture Spataro Restaurant & Bar, and a separate nightclub is primed to come in as well. Owner Randy Paragary will stay on board, and is partnering with three former employees – Chef David LaRoche, Shaun Freeman and Brad Peters.  To be named Hock Farm Crafts & Provisions, the restaurant is expected to open at 1415 L Street in early April, and will use local ingredients gathered from farmers' markets. Some Hock Farm dishes will remain on the menu regardless of the season, according to a press release from Paragary Restaurant Group, and others will change weekly and daily, depending on what's available at the markets.  The namesa

Assembly, local restaurateur Randy Paragary's latest baby, is almost ready for visitors. "This is adult entertainment," Paragary said. "Other cities have ammenities like this and there isn't anything like that in downtown now."  The concert venue at 10th and K streets is set to open Friday, March 22, said Callista Wengler, marketing director for Paragary Restaurant Group. Cover band Pop Fiction is set to perform at 10 p.m., and the night's show is free to the public, Wengler said.  Assembly has been touted as a state-of-the art concert venue, with 9,000 square feet that includes an open floor on the main level, a full bar and tiered seating behind it. It can accommodate either cabaret-s

Before opening in Midtown in summer 2011, BarWest's owners told neighbors and the press that they wouldn't seek an entertainment permit from the city. Not quite two years later, the bar/restaurant that took the place of Aura on J Street is doing exactly that, inciting the wrath of neighbors who say BarWest isn't holding to its original agreement. "Needless to say, I'm incredibly disappointed that they have gone back on their word," said Julie Murphy, co-chair of the Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood Association. "And we have grave concerns about how an entertainment permit will affect the ecosystem on that block." In a letter dated Feb. 22, 2013, the City of Sacramento's communi

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret will have new tenants soon, as the California Musical Theatre has pulled out of the downtown entertainment venue. According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, local restauranteur Randy Paragary will take over theater operations to open a nightclub called The Assembly. At 10th and K Streets, the cabaret includes a 200-seat theater and shares the ground floor with Cafe Bernardo on K and the KBar, which Paragary operates. Local historian William Burg said this is good news for Sacramento, as it lacks many medium-sized performance spaces. "It's also a natural synergy with the growing number of dance clubs and live music venues around K Street like Marilyn's and She

The opening of Cafe Bernardo and KBar on K Street in the past two weeks by local restaurateur Randy Paragary are the latest steps in what many see as the street's return to its former status as a vibrant shopping and entertainment district. “What we’re seeing is a return of the nightlife centers to K Street, and that’s historically something it traditionally was,” said local historian William Burg. “A lot of it was forcibly done away with during the redevelopment era, but from the Gold Rush to the 1960s, K Street was where it was at.” Burg said the street was, until the latter part of the 20th century, a hub of activity – from retail to restaurants and nightlife spots. In later years, bu

BarWest Burgers & Wings will be taking the place of Aura on J Street in Midtown, and in addition to food, it is bringing a sense of cooperation with a local neighborhood association that has filed complaints for previous bars in that area, including the now-closed GV Hurley’s. The opening day is tentatively set for mid-July. Co-owners Trevor Shults and Todd Zancaner are teaming up with local restaurateur Randy Paragary, for whom Shults worked in numerous positions – most recently in marketing. Shults said he has always been a fan of the block that contains Centro Cocina Mexicana, Red Lotus and Harlow’s, so moving into the two-level spot at 2724 J St. was a “no-brainer.” “It will be affo

Ace of Spades music club recently got its liquor license under limited hours following area residents' concerns about possible problems. On March 3, the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) transferred a liquor license to the club, which opened in early February at 1417 R St. The license was transferred from Empire Events, a nightclub operated there by the building's owner, Randy Paragary, and partners from 2004 until February 2010. Ace of Spades' owners, Eric Rushing and Brett Bair, had hoped to serve alcohol at the club until 2 a.m. every night. Under the conditions of the liquor license, the music club must stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursday

Concerts by the Richard Thompson Electric Trio, Rob Zombie and Papa Roach are already being booked for a new music club called Ace of Spades, expected to open in early February. The 1,000-person-capacity club at 1417 R St. most recently housed Venue, which was open for six or seven months after a $2 million renovation but closed Aug. 13. Its owners – Bob Simpson, Rick and Earl Lobley, and the building’s owner, Randy Paragary – had operated Empire Events Center there since 2004. Tickets are on sale and the shows are being promoted, with the first concert featuring San Francisco rapper Andre Nickatina Feb. 5. Some acts are more hardcore, including deathcore band Whitechapel on its Welcome

Randy Paragary, Bob Simpson, and Rick and Earl Lobley opened Empire Event Center in 2004. It was almost alone on the R Street Corridor for four years, before being joined by, among others, Shady Lady Saloon, Magpie Catering, Burgers and Brew, Space 07 Salon and Top This Yogurt. With all of these businesses opening in the past year, it was time for the space to undergo a facelift - to the tune of $2 million. Well, not just a facelift - a complete change. Today, all that remains of Empire are memories of past performers, including The Roots, Muse and David Garibaldi, Sacramento's own performance painter. According to its managers, from now on there will be no more 18-and-over club nights,

K Street Mall is getting some activity after work began again on a mermaid bar and two other nightlife venues. San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty originally hoped to open Dive Bar, a dance club named District 30 and a gourmet pizza restaurant, Pizza Rock, near 10th and K streets by late 2009. The $6 million-plus project was delayed at least in part by opposition, including a lawsuit to stop it that was thrown out of court last summer. Saying he wanted to move forward, Karpaty declined to discuss the reasons the project on the blighted mall was thrown off schedule. But, he said, he now expects to open all three sites by late summer. "We had some delays. But we're coming," he sa

Chris Nestor knows people are in need of a little comfort right now. The chef behind INK decided the time is right for a restaurant which may be able to provide that. On Jan. 12, he will open House Kitchen & Bar at 555 Capitol Mall. Opening first for lunch, House will serve re-imagined American comfort food in a warm setting, with dinner prices that won't go above $17. The concept is a response to the times, with many people facing continuing economic challenges, said Nestor. "Everybody has changed their mindset about what they want to pay when dining out," Nestor said. "Times are different right now. Meals are different right now. People's needs are different. So I just think it's a ne

Tom Hanks, John Travolta and Robin Williams have been to Midtown. And they have another thing in common, besides being humongous stars. They've all eaten at Centro Cocina Mexicana. Saturday night, "el restaurante" at the corner of 28th and J streets is throwing a party to celebrate 15 years of tequila and tacos. While some residents have expressed concerns about the party, which will spill into a back parking lot, Centro co-owner Randy Paragary said he would welcome neighbors. "I want to thank them for their support over the last 15 years, and we hope that they come by and enjoy themselves," he said. "We hope this is truly a neighborhood celebration of a business that I hope they've enj

K Street Mall has seen some movement this month with restaurants reopening renovation continuing and a legal challenge dismissed. Big changes may still be in the works. Two restaurants -- Three Monkeys and the Crepe Cafe -- have reopened in their old spots. Work continues on the renovation of St. Rose of Lima Park and relocation of the adjacent light rail station. In addition, a judge dismissed a lawsuit contesting development of a mermaid bar and two other nightlife venues in the 1000 block of K Street. Following the suit's dismissal, San Francisco nightclub operator George Karpaty said he expects his proposed businesses would help change the city's nightlife landscape. For some time,