Two prominent Sacramento infill developers are in a pissing match over parking. The owner of Midtown's L Street Lofts – Bob Clippinger of Southern California – is suing previous owner Sotiris K. Kolokotronis for failing to pay for allegedly breaching a parking arrangement, according to a report in the Sacramento Business Journal. The arrangement allowed residents of an apartment complex across the street (at 1801 L Street), which Kolokotronis owns, to use 25 parking spaces at the luxury L Street Lofts, through a city parking permit. But when Kolokotronis lost 70 loft units to foreclosure in 2011, and Clippinger bought most of them in May, Kolokotronis allegedly stopped paying rent for t

Chef Tony of Headhunters didn't hesitate when asked what's changed since Cornerstone restaurant moved out at the end of October. "Everything is made in house," he said. "Everything is homemade. Nothing is from a mix." That includes the hamburger buns, gravy, hollandaise sauce, pastries, desserts, you name it. Chef Tony, formally known as Tony Crane, makes nearly everything from scratch – and with love – a source of pride for the man now running the food show at the Midtown eatery/bar. "I want people to thank me, not Betty Crocker or whoever the supplier is," he said. The restaurant at Headhunters is back after a two-and-a-half year hiatus during which Cornerstone restaurant rented out

In the 1970s, a wave of young people, including Sacramento State students and state employees, moved to Sacramento’s central city, drawn by inexpensive rents, beautiful homes and tree-lined streets. Many shared an interest in craftsmanship, sharing techniques to restore older homes and create unique works of art, and used these skills to fix up their own houses or started businesses to help others turn faded homes back into gems. Tim Holt, publisher of Sacramento's Suttertown News weekly newspaper, called them “Sacramento's Urban Pioneers--New People in Old Houses.” They left a legacy of art, craftsmanship, entrepeneurship, neighborhood activism, and restored historic homes. Join us for a

All across Sacramento, people are bringing boxes down from attics, unraveling tangled wires and testing the limits of extension cords. Holiday displays are going up fast, and Midtown merchants are about to get into the act. This year marks the third annual Light up Midtown contest in which businesses compete to see who create the most impressive, holiday cheer inspiring, oh-and-ah provoking store window display. As always, the contest is begin run by The Midtown Business Association, but this year we're proud to say The Sacramento Press is also playing a part. First, we need your input: Midtown shoppers and visitors will be able to vote online at ExploreMidtown.org for their favorite wi

The city of Sacramento is giving Downtown, Old Sacramento and Midtown shoppers a special treat this holiday season: free on-street parking. From now through Dec. 26, the city is offering free on-street parking after 4:30 p.m., and free on-street parking all day on weekends in specific locations. The free parking zone will extend from “I” to “L” streets and from Front to 29th streets, and only applies to metered on-street parking spaces. City of Sacrameto's 2012 Holiday Parking Map Please note: all parking violations are still enforceable as posted, such as time limit restrictions, street sweeping and colored zones, so if a parking space is limited to one hour, free parking is limited to

At a time when the microbrewery business is booming and specialty ales are sought-after, Midtown Sacramento is falling behind trend in a major way. Although one can find any number of bars and restaurants offering an array of beers on tap or in bottle on any given block, single bottled beers for purchase remain elusive. Midtown residents are often puzzled by the lack of single beers in grocery stores and liquor shops stretching from Front Street to Alhambra Boulevard and 2nd Street to Broadway. Unbeknownst to many, this deliberate lack of single bottled beer is due to an outdated ordinance law from the 1990s. In an attempt to decrease open-container and public intoxication violations in

The wait was well over an hour and the restaurant actually ran out of food, but loyal Capitol Dawg customers waited patiently for their last taste of a Sacramento institution on Monday, Nov. 19. "It's sentimental and shocking that they're closing," said Donna Price, who works nearby the Midtown eatery. "It doesn't feel like it's trying to be something it isn't." Capitol Dawg, on 20th Street between L Street and Capitol Avenue, is set to close its doors after lunch Tuesday, Nov. 20. Owner Mike Brown, a Chicago native, said the last day was exhausting, extremely busy and very emotional. He reflected Tuesday afternoon on the business' nearly five-year run and his hopes for the future.  "Th

The race for the District 4 seat on the Sacramento City Council was at times billed as the Land Park (Joe Yee) candidate versus the central city candidate (Steve Hansen), but it turns out the district's redheaded stepchild – River Oaks – was more important than many people realized. That's the conclusion Sacramento Current blogger Devin Lavelle reached in his smart post breaking down the vote. With Land Park and the central city essentially canceling each other out, River Oaks served as the tie breaker, or as Lavelle calls it, the "Ohio of District 4," and it tilted slightly in Hansen's favor. While it made up 10 percent of the total vote, Hansen's 4 percent advantage in River Oaks added

Lowbrau owners Michael Hargis and Clay Nutting say they expect to open their German-style beer hall and sausage restaurant in the first few weeks of December, if construction stays on track. The restaurant will take the 20th and K streets location of the former Lounge on 20, which closed earlier this year after an extensive redesign failed to draw fine-dining customers in the numbers needed to make it succeed. Hargis and Nutting say they have a markedly different concept, with the communal tables, larger square bar and decor that’s a cross between modern and Bavarian styling designed to foster a sense of community at affordable prices. “We were really lucky,” Hargis said Tuesday. “We’ve

Fat Face cafe will leave Bows & Arrows vintage boutique Nov. 30, being replaced by a new operator looking to stretch his legs in the restaurant business by bringing in more hot plates and late-night eats. One of the major draws to Fat Face, according to Bows & Arrows co-owner Trisha Rhomberg, were the popsicles. “Since she’s been at Bows, her popsicles blew up, and they’re in demand everywhere, and they’re kind of like her hot seller, her golden little goose egg, and so she’s doing the right thing by focusing all of her energy into expanding that part of the business,” Rhomberg said. Fat Face owner Jaymes Luu shared the news with her fans in a letter she posted on her Facebook page. “I

Carolee Neronde opened the doors of her children’s clothing boutique, The Moppet Shoppe, Oct. 27 in Midtown, moving to the central city after spending 21 years in Elk Grove. “I had to leave, because the shopping center I was in was dead,” she said. “It was just me and a scrapbooking place for retail, and I stared out at a parking lot full of cars all day.” In her new spot at 2524 J St., she has what she’s been looking for – the constant hustle and bustle of foot traffic. The space previously housed the Upper Playground clothing store, and Neronde said that the first time she saw the place, she knew she had to have it. A month later, her doors were open. Moppet is Old English for child,

There is a stark difference between the two candidates in City Council District 4. Joe Yee has dedicated countless hours over his lifetime to Sacramento. From chairing the committee that released the much-heralded Sacramento 2030 General Plan** to chairing the Planning Commission to serving as an appointed council member, Joe has shown that true leadership takes hard work, integrity, and openness – not backroom deals and political ploys. (**This document is the single most important planning document for Sacramento through the year 2030 and has received numerous awards for its forward-looking focus and its solutions to seemingly intractable planning problems.) He has spent decades talki

A new camera store is coming to Midtown in the same space recently vacated when Ritz Camera closed its doors. Colorado-based Mikes Camera has been around since 1967 and is expanding into California with a new corporation. Sacramento is one of five locations the business will open in the state. The other four are all in the Bay Area. “Sacramento’s a great city,” Vice President of Operations Alex Christianian said Thursday. “Since Ritz was closing their location, and we had been looking at expanding, the timing seemed like a good opportunity for us.” The store is set to open at 2200 J St. sometime during the week of Nov. 12, and he said he expects that many of the Ritz Camera employees wi

After an outcry from neighborhood leaders, police agreed recently to rescind a recommendation for a restriction on the liquor license transfer at Harlow’s, a nightclub at 2708 J St. A shooting Aug. 18 spurred some neighbors to act when the license came up for transfer to new owners – with the residents arguing that alcohol sales on the block, which includes several restaurants and bars, were partly responsible for the shooting. A group of residents have historically opposed alcohol-selling businesses on the block, and one of the most vocal of the group, Vito Sgromo, told police in an Aug. 19 email that he intended to protest the liquor license transfer due to crime in the area. Sgromo d

The last debate between Steve Hansen and Joe Yee took place at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret on K and 10th streets Tuesday night. In a cordial showdown, the differences between the two candidates seemed arguably lessened, as both men agreed that any winner would be good for Sacramento. “After over a year of campaigning, I think a lot of issues have come to the fore,” said Hansen. “Joe (Yee)’s been a great person to run against because we both deeply care about this city.” Within the immediate downtown/Midtown/Land Park area, the race for City Council has been a close one. There were only 75 votes between first and second place during the primaries in June. Even this late in the race, there we

After a push by local residents, a 7-Eleven convenience-store chain opened a new location just across from the convention center on the corner of J and 14th streets. They'll serve Slurpees – but no beer, wine, or Lime-A-Ritas. The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau initially opposed the 7-Eleven, but changed its position when the store’s franchise owner, Imran Lohdil, opted to not offer alcohol at the new location. “Our initial concerns were about the sale of alcohol from that location, especially late in the evening and with it being so close to the convention center,” said SCVB spokesman Mike Testa, “but we’re really pleased and very comfortable with the way that things have tur

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

Jamaican food from a longtime Sacramento restaurateur is now available in Midtown, at a new spot that is replacing Luck’s BBQ on the corner of 25th and J streets. Negril, owned by Cleve Geddes, is named after a resort in Jamaica, and Geddes said his goal is to serve Jamaican food – but not quite as spicy as it’s done in the islands. “I do jerk chicken, and I named it after Negril because that’s where they have the jerk chicken festival,” Geddes said Tuesday. The restaurant opened Oct. 14, and Geddes said it fit the bill for what he was looking: a small space with a fully functional kitchen that would allow him to smoke meats and fish, serving food for dine-in or takeaway. Meats are smo

La Raza Galería Posada and the Midtown Business Association will be holding their annual haunted festivities this weekend, October 27-28, to celebrate both Halloween and Día de los Muertos, a Mesoamerican celebration that honors and remembers the dead. Last year nearly 4,000 attendees participated. This year, local businesses and organizers are hoping for an even larger turn out to join in on the free fun. Midtown Business Association’s “Yappy Hour” pooch costume contest will start the day, as dog owners have the opportunity to parade their spooky pets through haunted Midtown streets with the hopes of winning a prize. Meanwhile, children will be filling their sacks with sweets and treats

At the Midtown Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20, ballerines pirouetted, a woman in Brazilian Carnaval dress danced the samba, a group of students popped and locked to a hip-hop beat and a women in an Indian sari moved gracefully across the stage. And that's a sample of the dance groups that performed - there was lots of local music - from a Rage Against the Machine cover band to a classical quartet, as well as booths with local artists, galleries, theater companies and more. Throughout the afternoon, a constant flow of people moved through 20th Street in Midtown, where the festival took place. Liz Studebaker, executive director of the Midtown Business Association, which organized the e