At just four months old, little Ivy has endured three surgeries to repair Gastroschisis, a congenital condition where there is incomplete formation of the abdominal wall so that the contents protrude outside the body.   This birth defect affects about 2 of 10,000 babies in the United States. Ivy’s family lives in Fairfield and even though this is the third time Ivy was scheduled for surgery at Sutter Memorial Hospital, her parents Jacqueline and James Wilkins never knew about the Sacramento Ronald McDonald House, until one day, when they were deciding who was going to stay with Ivy, their social worker mentioned the Ronald McDonald House. “It was such a sight of relief knowing that we cou

Is it true that when something becomes mainstream that it’s just not cool anymore? In this case I hope not—because the latest player to jump into the farm-to-fork pool is the most mainstream and recognizable of Sacramento restaurateurs, the Paragary Restaurant Group, with it’s new venture, Hock Farm Craft & Provisions (1415 L Street). According to the menu, Hock Farm is a “celebration” of John Sutter’s original agricultural settlement, the farming tradition of the Sacramento region, and the current self-designation of the city as the “Farm to Fork Capital”.  They have even gone so far as to print a map on the back of the menu, highlighting Sacramento County with it’s surrounding environs

Is there a place for you at the Farm to Fork table? Certainly any person will be able to participate in the activities planned for throughout the year. There are the farmers markets and farm tours as well as many upcomng food events. Yet there are those who are more interested in taking an active part in the food community, in their own way.  Sacramento has several of these individuals who have successfully taken ideas and created their own place at Sacramento's table. How is that Sacramento's food scene is so easy to get involved in versus other cities? A big part of it has to do with size. If we lived in San Francisco or Los Angeles we would be lost in the noise. Sacramento, while a siz

Q. My wife and I recently discovered that our one-year-old daughter has several food allergies, including peanuts, dairy, eggs, and peas. Are there any laws in California that require restaurants to indicate any of these ingredients on their menus, if they are not immediately obvious from the nature of the dish? Thanks, Nicolai A. Good question, and one that is applicable to a growing number of parents and children each year. According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), “food allergies affect as many as 15 million Americans, and the prevalence is increasing among children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergy causes more than 300,000

Blackbird Kitchen & Bar does everything a little backwards, admits co-owner and chef Carina Lampkin. After eight months in business, the 9th Street downtown eatery opened its doors to lunch patrons last week. The reason for this delay? Lampkin says she wanted to feel comfortable and confident with the staff, the concept and "to make sure everything was 100 percent stitched together, and we made it." The lunch menu includes salads, soup, sandwiches and even oysters. Lunch is served starting at 11:30 a.m., Tuesday through Friday.   Doing business in the "West K," as Lampkin called the area between J and K Streets, can be challenging. "It's still under development and in need of gentrific

From the handwritten posters on the wall, to the familiar faces greeting you as you walk in, Hagen’s Orange Freeze gives off the feeling of home. The place brings one back to years ago, having the charm of an “old-school” diner with homemade comfort food and a welcoming atmosphere that is rare now. The restaurant has been there for years, since it replaced Merlino’s Freeze, another well-known restaurant and name in Sacramento. It is owned by the Hagen family, the parents, along with their five sons, who all attended school around the area. They’re known for having an “extended” family, one that includes their workers, who are students and friends from around the Sacramento area. The rest

Empty restaurant buildings continue to sit idle throughout much of the greater Sacramento area. Not so for the old Jolly Burger located at 7150 Auburn Blvd in Citrus Heights. A new operator will open the local burger stand with the same name on Friday, September 28, 2012. Jack and Sue Darting were the original proprietors of Jolly Burger for many years and worked hard to create a memorable dining experience. In addition to friendly staff, customers were always greeted by a three dimensional cheesy hamburger affixed atop the building… one of Jack’s personal creations. The Dartings offered good old fashioned quality food including burgers, sandwiches, frosties, sundaes and shakes. Their foo

Garlic Shack, Lounge on 20, Red Lotus, California Pizza Kitchen, Hangar 17 and Brew it Up! are all restaurants that have closed in the central city in the past few years. Meanwhile, others thrived, celebrating 10- and 20-year milestones. Why? The Sacramento Press talked to local restaurant consultant Andy Soto, owner of Spectrum Restaurant Consulting, and asked what he thinks are some of the mistakes restaurants make that cause them to shut down. While Soto said there are many reasons restaurants fail, he sent us his top five.  Why resturants fail, by Andy Soto: Not connecting with the community. Things like participating in events like Make a Wish Foundation, Grape Escape, etc. Those

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

Capitol Beer and Tap Room opened in Campus Commons Friday, and now owner Ken Hotchkiss is ready to share his love of beer with Sacramento. “I’ve been chasing great beers for 20 years,” Hotchkiss said. “It made sense to me to open a place like this.” The taproom and bottle shop is located in a sprawling retail and restaurant complex on the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Howe Avenue, about 2 miles from Sac State. The front door is within a few yards of Tokyo Fro’s and Bandera on one side, and Ruth’s Chris Steak House on the other side. So what makes this place stand out? “We offer quality beer on draft and a quality bottle shop,” Hotchkiss said. “We have a nice patio, a great tasting

The Sacramento Press has thorough coverage of the 3rd Annual Bastille Day Waiters' Race here and here, but I happened to be in the area with my camera and took some photos. Ah well: the more, the merrier. Or as the French say, "plus on est de fous, plus on rit" (literally: 'the crazier we are, the more we laugh').        

If you love French culture or just simply enjoy watching people act silly, the streets of Midtown will be momentarily transformed to those of Paris for the Bastille Day Waiter’s Race on Saturday. Dressed in traditional Parisian wait staff attire, 50 waiters and waitresses from local restaurants will speed walk twice around the block bounded by 18th and 19th Streets and L Street and Capitol Avenue while holding serving trays containing one bottle of Perrier and two drinking glasses three-fourths of the way full. According to event organizer Rob Turner, once people get to the 1801 L St. courtyard, judges will check to see how much water has been spilled. Participants must make it to the fi

From Old Sacramento’s ‘prohibition style’ speakeasies, to the Man Men era of Downtown’s dueling politicos and backroom deals, Sacramento has a long history of working hard and playing harder. The Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s (DSP) new Cap City Sips happy hour promotion celebrates just that, the art of balancing business with a splash of pleasure. This summer, DSP and local downtown businesses have joined forces to create a budget-friendly happy hour promotion for the Downtown District. Each restaurant or bar participating in Cap City Sips will offer a happy hour menu every Wednesday from 3-7pm featuring $2 beers, $3 wine, and $4 cocktails. The deals will continue each week all summer

On Saturday, June 9th the public is invited to to share stories, photographs, food memories, recipes, old family scrapbooks, and more at We Are Where We Eat: A Fresh Look at Sacramento’s Foodscape through the Stories of the People who Grow, Distribute, Serve and Cook Our Food. We Are Where We Eat illuminates the places throughout Sacramento where we produce and consume food, and what they tell us about our towns, region, and culture. Award-winning author and contributing reporter for Capital Public Radio, Elaine Corn, and Project Director, Maryellen Burns, will lead a team that conducts interviews and captures scores of video and audio stories from anyone who would like to participate in t

More than 30 of Sacramento's top restaurants will participate in this year's culinary week, showcasing three- to four-course dinners with wine pairings for a fraction of the normal price. Work up your appetite for the fourth annual Sacramento Wine and Dine Week, which runs from now until June 10. Mulvaney’s B&L and Ella Dining Room & Bar are three of the 35 participating restaurants this year, which are located in Midtown, downtown and the greater Sacramento area, and range in price from $35 to $50 per person. Pricing is based on the quality of the foods and wines served. A full list is on the event website. Educating locals on the restaurant scene while encouraging them to support local

Nagato Sukiyaki's recipe for success is simple. The restaurant has over 100 years cumulative cooking experience and has been around for 42 years. Because of these two simple ingredients, Nagato's regulars continue to return. Nagato Sukiyaki is owned by Fumie and Yoshio Kawano, and is now managed by their son, Don Kawano, 38. The Japanese restaurant, on the corner of Fulton and El Camino Avenues, has a menu with both traditional Japanese kitchen-prepared items and sushi. Nagato didn't start with an exclusively Japanese menu. When they opened in 1970, they started with two menus – one with American food and the other with Japanese. The American menu included items such as hash browns, hamb

Foodies of Sacramento will be gathering for a fourth SactoMoFo mobile food festival. SactoMoFo 4 will be held from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. on April 21. There will be more food vendors, more activities, and more space than the previous events. The new location will be at sixth and W streets under the freeway. “We anticipate seeing a lot of smiling people with food-stained faces,” said Paul Somerhausen, managing partner of SactoMoFo. The first SactoMoFo festival was held in April of last year with 20 food vendors and a crowd of over 10,000 people at Fremont park. Whole Foods, SactoMoFo’s original sponser, will be sponsoring this festival. Access to SactoMoFo is free, and the food is pay-as-you

To the delight of local foodies, wine enthusiasts and the community in general, the 10th Annual Grape Escape is scheduled for Saturday, June 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento.  The popular Grape Escape celebration is the region’s premiere food and wine event that showcases varietals from 60 regional wineries and 40 local restaurants. This annual culinary event provides a rare opportunity for attendees to sip wine from the eight wine regions in the greater Sacramento area while enjoying delicious food samples from Sacramento’s top restaurants. The Grape Escape event first started in 2002 with 700 attendees and 55 participating restaurants and wineries.  This s

Starting Feb. 20 and running through Sunday, community members can turn their dinners out on the town into a battle against hunger in the Sacramento region. The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services and the Sacramento Press joined forces to host the inaugural Eat to Feed the Hungry, which features 15 Sacramento restaurants, cafes and bars. Using social media, community members can “check in” at one of the sponsoring businesses using Facebook of Foursquare, and then order food and drinks. For every participant who checks in, the business will donate $1 to the SFBFS. If people check in with a photo, the businesses will double their donation, with a cap of $500 per business. Sacramento

Q. I love dining with my Black Russian Terrier, Eli at the numerous dog friendly restaurant patios in Sacramento. Why do some restaurants allow dogs on their outdoor patios and some don’t? Julie S. A. More and more, restaurants are recognizing the buying power of dog owners. So restaurants are welcoming pet diners onto their patios some even making special treats and providing bowls of water for their canine customers. With the exception of recognized service animals, Health & Safety Code (H&SC) Section 114259.5  prohibits live animals in food facilities. A food facility is defined as an operation that stores, prepares packages, serves, vends or otherwise provides food for human consump