Greetings fom The Historic Crest Theater

In the heart of the Big Tomato, here is a greeting to all!

Photo Courtesy of The Crest and thanks to Sid!

This is a perfect greeting to fans of The Crest Theater
1013 K Street   |   Downtown Sacramento   |   (916) 44-CREST (info)


and to all reading The Big Tomato blog.

As you know, The Crest is one of Sacramento's greatest destinations for films, concerts and lecture series. The lights of this fabulously restored theater are the warm notes making our Downtown special and a place it is always exciting to be a part of!

From The Crest's Website   http://www.thecrest.com/

This brief history:


The site that the Crest Theatre sits on has housed a theatre since 1912. The first, the Empress, was a vaudeville theatre which opened in 1913. The second, The Hippodrome, was originally a vaudeville house which converted to a motion picture theatre in the late 1920's.


In 1946, the Hippodrome interior was demolished and the Crest was built inside the Hippodrome building shell. Opening night for the Crest was Thursday, October 6, 1949 and the picture was "That Midnight Kiss" from MGM. In attendance from Hollywood were stars of the film Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza. Government officials included Governor Earl Warren (later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court), and the Honorable Belle Coolidge, the first woman mayor of Sacramento. Searchlights filled the air as the theatre was properly christened.


The theatre then began to showcase films for thirty years, until late 1979 when a variety of factors including the decline of the K Street mall, television and the multiplex forced it to close.

In 1986, the theatre was re-opened by a group of local Sacramentans with the vision of preserving the Crest for all of Sacramento to enjoy once again. The grand re-opening took place on November 18, 1986 with the MGM musical "Singin' in the Rain" starring Donald O'Connor who attended the event in person. Mr. O'Connor was given a pair of scissors and, with a smile, snipped the celluloid ribbon across the front doors and the Crest was in business again.


In 1995, the Crest received a one million dollar restoration bringing Sacramento's last picture palace back to it's glittery 1940's appearance. The Crest boasts one of the most elegant settings Sacramento has to offer, featuring a fabulous gold leaf art deco interior.


Over the past ten years, the Crest has been a host to many different types of shows and events. It continues to host a program of classic and recent films, concerts such as Cab Calloway, B.B. King, and Dave Brubeck and a variety of comedy shows such as Bernie Mac, Carrot Top, Sam Kinison and The Mommies. Community events include the popular Sacramento Symphony "Jeans and Beer" and "Mocha and Mozart" series. In addition, the Crest is frequently used for private events such as political fundraisers, receptions, movie screenings, conferences employee orientations and weddings.

Thanks for the support and your readership!

I look forward to sharing more secrets and fun in the Big Tomato in 2011!

Trivial Pursuits: Question Time!

Get off the computer, ditch the phone, get out of the house and come have some fun.

Trivia nights are hosted by a quiz master and usually consist of a few rounds of general knowledge trivia questions. Most trivia nights are done with teams (but solos are always welcome) and all discourage the use of electronic phones, laptops, notebooks. It is supposed to be fun and surprising, not about the competition!

Trivia nights have migrated here from pubs in the UK, which are immensely popular and everyone has there favorite pub or their favorite quizmaster.

My favorite is Tuesdays at 7:00 at The Fox and Goose with Quizmaster Morgan.

I love trivia nights and there are a few in and around The Big Tomato. Here is a small list of the ones I know about and I know I am missing a couple. If you know of them, let me know so we can share them!
The Big Tomato Trivia Nights I know of include:

Sunday Nights:  The Bonn Lair, 3651 J Street at 7:00 p.m. and The Streets of London, 1804 J Street, also at 7:00 p.m.

Monday: DeVere's Irish Pub, 1521 L Street 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday: The Fox and Goose, 1001 R Street at 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday: The Shack, 5201 Folsom Boulevard at 7:00 p.m.

I have heard there are trivia nights as well at Bella Bru on Natomas Park Boulevard in North Natomas and also at The Western Bar at 2001 K Street in Midtown - but check with them to see when they are on (and pass it along, please)!

Hope to see you soon and welcome to the secret world of trivia nights in The Big Tomato!

Life in The Big Tomato: All Hail The Claw!

When all hope had ceased

It finally came back

Today

We greeted it

As a liberator of the oppressed

The Claw was back.

Scrapping the giant leaf piles

Eating all things organic

The funeral piles of deceased leaves departed

And we were

Happy

Hidden Places: Tiny spots in The Big Toamto

Photo courtesy of Peter Dalldorf

In the Center of Downtown, if you are walking down K Street, you will see a real gem of a retail space! 

Between 9th and 10th Streets on K Street, if you look hard enough on the North side of the street, you will see the remains of what must have been one of Sacramento's smallest retail businesses - the former locksmith shop at 911 1/2 K Street.

When I first went to work in the Capitol, this was a very active business.  The Locksmith had a dutch door and customers stood on the sidewalk.  Inside the tiny space, there was walls filled with keys and tools. There was a tiny workbench with a grinder and key machine.

Amazingly, this small space, sandwiched (hahaha...) between the Subway Sandwich shop and the Sequoia Hotel survived the facade improvement to the sandwich shop.  It is built in the ally between the two buildings.

Peter and I were thinking of uses that could go in here. We thought of a doughnut shop and if you were able to create a small space in front, you could even put a table here - I was thinking of the smallest pub in the UK, located in Bury St. Edmonds in Suffolk called The Nutcracker.

What do you think? 

Are there any other spaces like this around The Big Tomato that you know about?

Diving in Sacramento: The Pine Cove

This is an old favorite and stands the test of time.  PBR's and free popcorn are the signature drinks in this hideaway, above the Pine Cove Liquor Store on the corner of 29th and E Streets.

Enter on E Street and head up the stairs to a world of a blaring juke box, a full bar and great window seats!

Unpretentious and a real neighborhood feel - the Pine Cone is a great place for a fun evening or a place to sit and read the paper on a rainy Sunday afternoon in The Big Tomato.

Life is short - relax and put your feet up awhile!

The Pine Cove
502 29th St.

Tell 'em The Big Tomato sent you!

Cool Innovations in The Big Tomato

Walking along the alley between 17th and 18th Streets, south of l Street, going to Old Soul Co for coffee, be on the lookout for the very cool bike shop and new food delivery service,

The Edible Pedal
ediblepedal.com  (916) 342-0813

The Edible Pedal delivers food from some great local Downtown and Midtown Restaurants directly to your door.  And they do it in great style - pedaling on classic bikes rehabbed and maintained at their cool bike shop in the alley. My sweet three speed bike is do for some lubrication and a tune-up so we are heading there stat!

Some of the restaurants they deliver from include Hot Italian, The Waterboy, One Speed, Steamers, Happy Go Lucky, Thai Basil and Magpie Caterers!

According to the The Edible Pedal, "Edible Pedal has the goal and purpose of delivering fine foods to your space of work or rest. We do this by greening the grid with a unique fleet of  delivery bicycles capable of delivering lunch or diner up to 40 people. We are capable of delivering fine food family style or individually boxed."

Read about Edible Pedal on their website:

http://ediblepedal.com/about/

So, what are you seeing out in The Big Tomato that is cool and innovative? Tell us about it!

The Secret to Growing The Big Tomato in 2011

Not just for holiday Shopping - We need your help to make The Big Tomato economically sustainable!  SHOP LOCALLY!

Courtesy of http://sustainableconnections.org/thinklocal/why/

Why Buy Locally Owned?

There are many well-documented benefits to our communities and to each of us to choosing local, independently owned businesses. We realize it is not always possible to buy what you need locally and so merely ask you to Think Local FIRST!

Top Ten reasons to Think Local - Buy Local - Be Local

1. Buy Local -- Support yourself: Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms -- continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.(Click here to see summaries of a variety of economic impact studies; these include case studies showing that locally-owned businesses generate a premium in enhanced economic impact to the community and our tax base.)
2. Support community groups: Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses.
3. Keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of this place. Our tourism businesses also benefit.  “When people go on vacation they generally seek out destinations that offer them the sense of being someplace, not just anyplace.” ~ Richard Moe, President, National Historic Preservation Trust
4. Reduce environmental impact: Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases requiring less transportation and generally set up shop in town or city centers as opposed to developing on the fringe. This generally means contributing less to sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
5. Create more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, provide the most jobs to residents.
6. Get better service: Local businesses often hire people with a better understanding of the products they are selling and take more time to get to know customers. 
7. Invest in community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the community’s future.
8. Put your taxes to good use: Local businesses in town centers require comparatively little infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
9. Buy what you want, not what someone wants you to buy: A marketplace of tens of thousands of small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and low prices over the long-term.  A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based not on a national sales plan but on their own interests and the needs of their local customers, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
10. Encourage local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

Think local first + Buy local when you can = Being a local!

Secret Hideouts: Harry's Cafe

Lindsey was feeling a bit under the weather with a cold this weekend -
so it was off for some emergency hot steaming Pho at Harry's Cafe!

2026 16th Street
Sacramento, CA 95818-1507
(916) 448-0088

I have been going to Harry's for years, mostly for the great breakfasts (the fluffiest pancakes I have ever had, anywhere).  We started going more for lunch and my favorite things Harry has are any of his steaming hot Pho

and I am very partial to his chicken and shrimp curry too!

Harry has had many challenges in his life and with his restaurant. He is an amazing and very gracious man. Here he is, from a KCRA-TV story:

Go see Harry - whether you need some Hot Pho to soothe your cold, or great food to soothe your soul. 

Harry's is easy to walk to from anywhere Downtown and midtown and an easy bike ride away too. Light Rail is only a few short blocks away, walk from the 16th Street Station South toward Broadway and Harry's is on the left side of the street.

See you soon!

Secret Hideouts: Oscar's Very Mexican Food

The Big Tomato is spoiled for choice when it comes to great Mexican restaurants.  We have the full spectrum of great regional variations as well as fancy, funky and family restaurants.  One of my favorites is Oscar's.

 (photo courtesy of KCRA-TV)

Located directly across Freeport Boulevard from historic McClatchy High School, Oscar's serves up the most unassuming, down-home California-style Mexican comfort food. 

From the humble Carne Asada taco and burrito to the most epic California Burrito ever designed (chock full of steak, french fries and cheddar cheese)!  

Serving more McClatchy students then the cafeteria ever served through it's long history - you know it is affordable too!

 

Oscar's Very Mexican Food

3061 Freeport Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95818-4347
(916) 443-8310

 

Ex- Noo Yawkah Seeks and Finds Pastrami

Courtesy of The Sacramento Bee - in case you missed this on Friday!

Counter Culture: Pastrami at Mulvaney's and Capitol Dawg is the real deal

By Allen Pierleoni
apierleoni@sacbee.com

Published: Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 44TICKET

Before we chomp into two luscious versions of the pastrami sandwich, let's do a definition.

Real pastrami is fatty and juicy and shares the throne with corned beef at Jewish delicatessens throughout New York. It's the brisket cut of beef cured by brining in seasoned, salted water, then rubbed with the likes of coriander, allspice, cloves, garlic and their cousins, then smoked (and often steamed afterward). Slice it, stack it on rye bread, top it with deli mustard and/or horseradish and you've got a classic.

Every now and then, readers call in search of that pastrami sandwich. The sad truth is, we don't have a local Saul's (Berkeley), a Canter's (Los Angeles) or a Katz's (New York, since 1888). So when diners have asked for pastrami recommendations, I've pointed to the Plaza Hofbrau (2500 El Camino Ave., Sacramento; 916-482-2175) and Sam's Deli (8121 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks; 916-726-7267).

I used to include Max's Opera Cafe, late of the Galleria in Roseville and Arden Fair mall in Sacramento. They're history, but the Bay Area-based chain opened a Max's (no more "Opera") in Auburn in August, with the same menu (110 Grass Valley Highway; 530-888-6100; www.maxsworld.com). Its pastrami is made according to the recipe from the legendary Carnegie Deli in New York City (since 1937), said Max's founder, Dennis Berkowitz.

Now I've got more pastrami recommendations, at two disparate restaurants within a block of each other. These pastramis are, as they say, the real deal. Words to describe them include juicy, spicy, smoky, chewy, tender, crispy, messy. In Yiddish, the word is "m'chaiah."

Some context: About a year and a half ago, Capitol Dawg owner Mike Brown created the River Cats Dog. He topped it with pastrami, Swiss, sauerkraut and ballpark mustard. His pastrami was supplied by a friend, restaurateur Patrick Mulvaney, and was smoked at the nearby Mulvaney's B&L.

For business reasons, Brown switched to a Bay Area purveyor a year ago. Its pastrami – "Made in the East Coast style," Brown said – is brined, hand-rubbed with spices and smoked for hours over hickory-wood coals. On Monday, Brown broke with Capitol Dawg's wiener tradition and added a pastrami sandwich to his menu.

"We slice it, grill it and put it on a sesame-seeded French roll," Brown said. That's it: the purity of brisket and bread for $6.39. If you want toppings, choose from more than 50. We stopped by Wednesday for a taste.

We swooned and ordered another one.

A few days before that, lunch pal and author Tim Comstock ("Reunion in Carmel") and I gorged on pastrami at Mulvaney's B&L, a white-tablecloth restaurant in a building dating from 1872.

"We use Niman Ranch brisket," Mulvaney said. "We brine it for eight days, rub it with a secret spice blend and slow-smoke it over almond wood."

The pastrami was heaped on grilled rye from the Bread Store on J Street and served with a salad. We left off the cheddar cheese and cabbage but kept the spicy dressing. We swooned again and got a second one to go ($13).

Capitol Dawg: 1226 20th St., Sacramento; (916) 444-1226, www.capitoldawg.com.

Mulvaney's B&L: 1215 19th St., Sacramento; (916) 441-6022, www.mulvaneysbl.com.

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Secret Hideaways: Sacramento's Green Boulevards

On of the things I like best when I bicycle around Sacramento are some of Sacramento's Boulevards with green space in the median.

Capitol Mall is probably the most prominent space,

Other green media streets include 21st Avenue from Stockton Boulevard east all the way to 79th Street (I think this is Sacramento's longest green median street). 

T Street from 39th to 53rd Streets with the green median broken into two sections.  Today, we were riding bikes along 21st Street from H Street north to C Street and took these pictures.

What other streets am I missing in this list?

The Big Tomato's Most Urban Corner???

Maybe it is 12th and K Streets?

This corner has light rail trains bending around the corner with a street scape surrounded by the Class A office building at 1201 K Street (The Big Tomato loves nicknames for many of our downtown buildings including 1201 K Street: "The Ban Roll-on Building").

On the Northwest corner is the very elegant Ella's Restaurant 

on the ground floor of a new mixed use project (ground floor retail/ restaurant - upstairs apartments).  The street scape is also framed by the neon marquee for the IMAX Theater and the refurbished former historic department store now an Office Building. 

Looking East you can see the Sacramento Convention Center with lights and public sculptures,

as well as when you look west you have the twinkle lights along K Street leading to the Downtown Plaza retail mall.

12th and K Streets may have all the makings of one of Sacramento's most urban corners. 

What do you think????????



You Are Here: The Heart of Downtown

A couple of recent pictures of one of my favorite places Downtown, Cesar Chavez Plaza.

The Plaza has changed over the years from being considered a dangerous, needle park to a friendly, more open Downtown Plaza.  Changes around the Plaza have really helped change the atmosphere and use of the Plaza - especially the addition of The Citizen Hotel at 926 J Street (corner of 10th and J Streets).

Additional key additions that have transformed the neighborhood include the spectacular US Bank Building housing Class A office space and attaching to the expanded Sacramento Main Library branch.

Also transforming this center city neighborhood are government investment - the Class A offices in the Joe Serna Jr CalEPA Building on 10th and I Streets; the mixed use (ground floor retail) City Parking garage and the joint project - the restored classic City Hall Building, with the new City Hall addition that wraps around the back of the beautiful historic 1911 building.

Lighting the Way to Holiday Bliss

From our friends at The Downtown Sacramento Partnership - http://www.downtownsac.org/blog/

(Picture courtesy of  Katie Garner, published on the Downtown Sacramento Partnership Website Blog - linked above)

This holiday season Capitol Mall will be aglow with 22,450 LED lights – that’s 10,334 feet! The lights will be on display every evening starting at One Capitol Mall and stretches up to 7th Street courtesy of the high rise property owners. Stay tuned for more photos of Downtown’s holiday lights – next stop 7th & K streets.
View more of Kati Garner’s spectacular photos of the lights on Sacramento Press. Watch this video clip from KCRA 3 to see the lights from above.

Secret Hideouts in The Big Tomato: The Shack!

One of my favorite hideouts is the American Pub, The Shack - serving East Sacramento since 1931!  Menu and beer list here:

http://eastsacshack.com/

The Shack is located on the corner of 52nd Street and Folsom Boulevard and has great pub food and one of the best Belgium beer collections in the Big Tomato!

Tonight at The Shack we will be hosting Sierra Nevada Brewery as they release their 2010 Northern Hemisphere Harvest. You can purchase a logo glass filled for $5 and refills for $3. We will also have a table of complimentary appetizers from 6-8pm.

This is a special beer brewed every fall since 1996 using "wet" whole-cone Cascade and Centennial hops from Yakima, Wa. 6.7% alcohol by volume and 66 IBU's it is perfectly balanced with a beautiful fresh hop flavor.

Yes, it's only Tuesday, but it is definitely worth the trip. The outside fire pits will be going strong to keep you happy and warm.

Open Monday 11am-3pm

Tuesday through Friday, 11am-8pm

Brunch Saturday and Sundays, 8am-3pm

5201 Folsom Boulevard . Sacramento, CA  95819

Great Sacramento Buildings: Old Ironsides

On the corner of 10th and S Streets, just off the R Street Corridor, sits the fabulous and historic tavern and former bottle shop - Old Ironsides. 

Framed by a great neon sign, the building is a classic urban, mixed use brick building. 

Old Ironsides has that great prominence and pride - it is inviting, interesting and the building is a declaration of time and place.  This is a landmark building in architecture and a landmark in the geography of The Big Tomato.

For history and great photographs, visit their website at: 

http://www.theoldironsides.com/history.html

Yes, it is a drinking establishment and the business has developed into one of Sacramento's hippest nightspots.  Old Ironsides serves lunch with or without a PBR.

I performed here a few times doing stand up comedy during open mic nights in the early 1990s and am more than pleased it was before the advent of YouTube...

See you around for a pint maybe?

Great Sacramento Buildings: The Thayer

This sweet downtown gem is celebrating it's 100th birthday. 

The Thayer, located at 1228 N Street  is a true mixed use building right across the street from Capitol Park.  It is sandwiched between the old Mirador Hotel on the corner of 13th Street and the California Department of Agriculture Building on the corner of 12th Street.

The Thayer has a mix of offices and residential apartments and is a real architectural gem!

Inside, the basement is subdivided into storage for offices and residents but if you look closely you can see these were once horse stalls. The back part of the basement still has a ramp where the horses came and went from the basement! Maybe the one of the ffirst downtown residential building with secured parking!

I lived on the second floor of  The Thayer from 1989 - 1992 and it was a perfect place to live Downtown. My son was a toddler and we had the run of Capitol Park and came to know the park very well. We became huge fans of the Koi Pond, Cactus Garden and the Native American grinding Stone, right across from the Thayer in the park.

The sound of the bells from Westminster Church on 13th Street and even the light rail trains making the turn on 12th onto O Street were soothing urban noises that became part of the music of our downtown life.

Happy Birthday and walk by and have a look at this great Sacramento building, right in the heart of The Big Tomato!