The Wienery: Old fashioned Steamed Hot Dogs the right way!

Oh my - there is nothing like a lunch at East Sacramento's Wienery!

About the Wienery

Located on 56th Street (Elvas Avenue) inside the small retail center just off the corner of H Street.  The Wienery is the place to go to have an affordable lunch with great hotdogs. These are the hotdogs that bring back great memories of eating in New York and Chicago!


They have several options, but my favorite is their hotdog with their home made cucumber relish.

I have never had anything like it anywhere and I think it is fabulous.  The dogs too!

The Wienery serves soups and chili.  Old fashioned, great taste in a relaxing setting. 

Save me a seat and I bet you can't just eat one!

715 56th Street
Sacramento, CA 95819
ph: (916) 455-0497 thewienerysacramento@yahoo.com

Big Event This Saturday! Museum Day!!!!!

This Saturday ios a great event and a good excuse to get up and get out of the house.

Call the in-laws! Call the outlaws !  Gather ye your friends and neighbors from near and far!  Take advantage of a great day of exploring the cool museums of Sacramento.

This Saturday is

SACRAMENTO MUSEUM DAY



26 Sacramento Museums will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and all 26 have FREE admission on Saturday.

Check it out at get details at:  http://www.sacmuseums.org/museumday.html

Meet your friends or find new ones. This is a huge event and altough thousands of Big Tomatoans will be making the rounds, with 26 musems there is more than enough room for everyone!

Packed on K Street, Downtown at night - with families

A quick stop on a Thursday night into Mermaid Bar and Pizza Rock on the 1000 block of K Street - between 10th and 11th Streets.



Lots of people on the street on a cold, wet foggy night. Still, it was way too crowded to find a place for a glass of wine and wound up in Pizza Rock. which quickly filled to the brim.

The draw of the 900 degree oven was only a small part of why people were flooding in!

What a great scene on K Street - formerly empty retail spaces filled to the brim, people on the street rushing over to the Crest and the Cosmopolitan and Cabaret. 

People on K Street, 10th Street and 11th Street heading into restaurants Chops, Pyramid Brewery, Temple Coffee, Megami's, and then between the Hyatt Hotel and restaurants on 12th Street and Chops...and beyond!

What's happening downtown?  Get up, get out and find out! 

See you Downtown.

At least we don't have to shovel!

January in The Big Tomato -

A complete juxtaposition of cold, wet fog, interspersed with warm sun. 

In a short couple of hours we go from 42 F. cold and wet - to 666F. sunny and dare I say, hot?  And in a snap, back into the cold, wet white soup.

I lived in the UK for a few years and don't mind the fog so much. But after a few days, those sun breaks are so sweet!

Pictures of yes ANOTHER big snowstorm that hit New York City and my Brooklyn Boys are all over The New York Times and one made the Sacramento Bee today.....

At least we don't have to shovel.....

Pitching in and Eating Well!

Mmmmm...Mmmmm...Good!
While the Big Tomato focuses on life in the City of Sacramento, we are all very conscious that we are part of a greater region.  And we live, breathe and share so many issues, events and the wonderful lifestyle of this part of Northern California together.

We will explore and help pump up events that support our neighbors around us too.

Photo Courtesy of Stevosoups.wordpress.com

Newly elected Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor is hosting a fun event this Friday evening, January 28 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. called "Soup's On!"  This year, Don's "Soup's On!" event is a fundraiser for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Yolo County.

Soup's On! will be at the Davis Flight Support facility at the Yolo County Airport, only 35 minutes from Downtown Sacramento!

Photo courtesy of GELSIGA.com

.Come taste a selection of great soups to keep that cool wet fog at bay. There will be live music by The Caribbean Jazz Collective.

Tickets are: $25 per person; Students $15 and kids under 10 are FREE.

For more information and to buy tickets:
http://www.suicidepreventionyolocounty.org/

Directions from Downtown Sacramento:

Business 80 WEST to Davis
Exit onto Highway 113 North to Woodland
Take Exit 31 for Road 29
Right turn on Road 29
(the exit passes below Road 29 and turns back to it, that is why you turn right to head West)Left turn on Aviation Avenue
The event will be on your right at the Davis Flight Support Center

Have fun, enjoy some great selection of hot soup and thank you for pitching in with all of our neighbors to make The Great Tomato and the entire region such a special place to live.

Camellia's

There was a time when the Camellia was celebrated in The Big Tomato with flower shows, folk dancing at Memorial Auditorium and other civic celebrations.

With some sun and warmer weather, Camellia's are exploding everywhere.  There are so many to see, but I was struck at a beautiful covering to walk on during a Saturday morning excursion with Lindsey.

BTW - Sacramento shares it's love and appreciation of the Camellia with one of our Sister Cities, the City of Matsuyama Japan. Check it out!

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/sistercities/matsuyama.htm

Cool in The Big Tomato: We Do It Our Way!

OK, there is nothing new about the craze for Korean Tacos. They have been around awhile now in Los Angeles (made famous by making the rounds in a catering truck announced only through Twitter Tweets) and other foodies cities.

Here in The Big Tomato do it our way.  We might not be first, or do it the way others have, but we are in this big foodie trend and serving it up in Downtown!

Here was a cool line of people queued up for the new GoGi's Tacos served on the corner of 15th and L Streets Thursday afternoon.  Fun to see a big line outside on the street and everyone having a good time waiting for their chance to taste these amazing Korean Tacos!

For a story about GoGi's and a video, courtesy of The Sacramento Bee - Click here!
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/20/3336948/queue-up-for-barbecue-at-new-korean.html#mi_rss=Dining

Diving In The Big Tomato: Nolan's Hilltop Tavern

Nolan's Hilltop Bar is a no nonsense, neighborhood bar in East Sacramento.

4757 Folsom Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95819-4425
(916) 456-2843

The Hilltop is a favorite in a neighborhood that has many options for neighborhood bars!

Everyone is welcome and The Hilltop has one of the longest bars in The Big Tomato.  The Hilltop has a full bar and some great beers on tap.  Lindsey was also very pleased to discover The Hilltop having Two River's Blood orange cider on tap!

By the way, Two Rivers Cider is an amazing company, based in Sacramento and doing some delicious and eclectic hard ciders - check out Two Rivers Cider an be prepared to be surprised and delighted at:

http://www.tworiverscider.com/

Meanwhile, back at the Hilltop, there is a fabulous game room with two dart boards, shuffle board, a ping pong table and a pool table (coin operated).

Get out, meet some Big Tomatoans and have some fun!

Life is way too short...

(in memory of Mark Hudson Giles, ESPN Magazine News Editor and resident of Brooklyn)

Great Streets: T Street in Elmhurst

There are many great streets in The Big Tomato and several have been spotlighted here.

What are your favorites????

Yesterday I was on my bike for a long ride and did a big circle through East Sacramento, Sacramento State, Elmhurst, Newton Booth (one of my favorite neighborhood names), Midtown, Downtown, Old Sacramento and back.

One of my favorite Sacramento streets is T Street between 39th Street and 53rd Street.  The street is divided by green space in sections and the homes are a mix of interesting architectural styles.  The street has excellent tree cover and is cool enough to ride on the hottest day,

The Elmhurst  neighborhood sign indicates the neighborhood beginning development in 1908.  The neighborhood is home to the UC Davis Medical Center and also to the Coloma Community Center on 46th and T Streets.

Want to go out and explore Elmhurst? It is a great neighborhood to walk and there are benches in the green space to sit and enjoy.

Ride your bike over, or you can take Light rail to 39th Street. Walk South and turn left on T Street and you are there!

Report from Weekend Doings in The Big Tomato

Andrea Jackson, one of The Big Tomato's good friends and special field correspondent, sent a few pictures of her ice skating adventure last night at St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K Street Downtown:

Photos courtesy of Andrea Jackson

A great evening for skating with perfect temperatures!

The ice rink is open tonight and this is the last weekend if you want to get out there.

Just Do it!.

 Thanks for your report and hard work in the field on behalf of the readers of The Big Tomato Andrea!

Things to do this sunny weekend ahead!

A few things to think about doing this weekend (and for some people it is a long one too):

The sun is out and it will be close to 60F. so it is a great weekend to do some old favorites, if you haven't been there in a while.

The Sacramento Zoo
3930 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento - (916) 808-5888
http://www.saczoo.org/

Fairytale Town
3901 Land Park Drive
Sacramento, CA 95822-1270
(916) 808-5233
http://www.fairytaletown.org/

Both in Land Park- Having no children at home anymore, I was able to go visit both with Lindsey's niece, the famous Ms. Maddy just before Christmas. We had a great time and so much has changed at the Zoo. Fairytale town was a great place to let Maddy blow off steam and I only got stuck in one or two of the slide, requiring removal courtesy of the jaws of life....

This is the final weekend for ice skating at St. Rose of Lima Park in the heart of Downtown on 7th and K Streets. We haven't had too many days without rain this season, but the weekend looks perfect to take a few spins on the frozen spray. Maybe make the US Olympic Ice Skating team too....

I am definitely taking the bike out as much as I can this weekend. Just had it serviced, cleaned and lubed at East Sacramento Bike, and my horse is humming. Had it out on a test ride and it is sweet!
5520 H Street Sacramento, CA 95819-3314 -
(916) 254-2453
http://www.esbnb.com/

Kick the soccer ball and runabout - head over for one of Sacramento's choose up matches or just go on out yourself and have a bit of a run and fun.  Need a ball or do you want some shoes? May favorite place for football gear (soccer to you Yanks) is Kombat Soccer in South Land Park:
5958 South Land Park Drive
Sacramento, CA 95822-3313
(916) 391-3788
http://www.kombatsoccer.com/

Get outside and enjoy some of this warmer weather and some sun!
Get moving and see you out there!

Something to think about on a cold rainy day!

February 26-March 6, 2011

This year the Rubicon will have 9 beer events in 9 days!

The Rubicon Brewing Company is located at

2004 Capitol Ave. Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916)448-7032

 

Here are the events that the Rubicon has planned for you so far…dates still to be determined:

Ballast Point Brewing Co. Pint Night
Morant's Sausage and Rubicon Beer Pairing
Cask Beer Tasting
Sierra Nevada Pint Night
Mexican Micro Beer & Taco Night
Bear Republic Pint Night
Last year was a huge success, with over 200 beer events!
If you missed out, mark your calendars now!
Check out the Sacramento Beer Week website for more details!

Who's the Sausage King? Morants, of course!

In an unassuming storefront on Franklin Boulevard south of Sutterville Road (or north of Fruitridge Road)

(photo courtesy of infoUSA)

is the master of all things great and wonderful in tube form:

Morant's Old Fashioned Sausage Kitchen
5001 Franklin Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95820-4731 (916) 731-4377

This is not a trendy new crazy flavored gourmet sausage place.  This is the real thing, sausage made on site from old world recipes. Yes, there are some of those gourmet sausages, but the great thing about Morant's is their selection of sausages from the old and new worlds. Handmade and select - this is sausage that pops on the grill and sizzles in the pan and makes you feel glorious inside and out.

They will do special orders and if you happen to have meat you want to get smoked or something you want to special order, Morant's can make it happen.

Buy local, stay local and enjoy the best quality sausages money can buy! Incredible customer service is standard here and once you go to Morant's, there is no turning back.

Three cheers to this great Big Tomato treasure and craftspeople

Cool things in The Big Tomato

A very cool thing I just discovered happens on Sunday nights in Oak Park and occasionally on Thursday nights at The Crocker Art Museum, courtesy of Movies on a Big Screen here in Sacramento. 

Movies on a Big Screen is an on-going weekly film screening series of docs and independent films, with some cult and classics thrown in.  This is what they are calling an on-going film festival, shown on the big screen in a very cool, traditional old movie theater.  http://www.guildtheater.com/about-1.html

Movies on A Big Screen is currently on Sunday nights at The Guild Theater (at 35th & Broadway - just down from the Oak Park Old Soul) and are beginning to do some sporadic screenings at The Crocker. 

More info is at http://www.moviesonabigscreen.com

Upcoming events for January:

Sunday, January 9, 2011  The Last Lullaby

7:30 PM

Admission: $5.00

Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild

2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA

Sunday, January 16, 2011 The 2010-2011 Media That Matters Short Film Fest

7:30 PM

Admission: $5.00

Movies on a Big Screen at The Guild

2828 35th St, Sacramento, CA

Good to be in a Company Town

The Big Tomato is a company town and our anchor tenant, the State of California started things off with a great series of swearing-in ceremonies that brought lots of visitors into town and generated a lot of TO tax in our hotels, as well as meals eaten throughout Downtown and Midtown.

A great way for Sacramento to start the new year - there were photographers hired, flowers ordered, wine bought - limos abounded and restaurant staff was jamming early in the week - where things usually become hushed following the holidays.

It was great to be around and see so many Members of Congress here to see the Governor and Constitutional officers being sworn-in. You could have thought you were at the other Capitol - the one in DC.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

While the entourages circulated around to different events, there was definitely a feeling of optimism and while there are challenges ahead and we know the economic downturn is turning ever so slowly - things looked and felt great around town this week! 


Three cheers for the fog lifting right on time and the sun shining on our company town as we start 2011 with a bang. It was great to see people enjoying our City and even better that there was lots of tipping and  lots of cash being left in The Big Tomato as things slid back to normal again...

Join THE Club! The Market Club.

Yes, it is a New Year but I am not here to get you to join one of THOSE clubs, ties to New Year resolutions or anything like that.

I am hear to tell you about one of my all time favorite breakfast and lunch places in The Big Tomato.

photo by Peter Dalldorf

The Market Club is a very unassuming, hidden treasure located in the center of the historic Sacramento Produce Market.

You will have a tough time finding it - you have to head south on 5th Street from Broadway.  You turn right into the second driveway of the fenced produce market. You go along the loading dock and half way down, you will find, up on the loading dock, the barely signed entrance to The Market Club.

DON'T park in front of any of the ramps or in front of the loading dock. Park in the spots marked along the back of the opposite building.  This is a working produce market and there are lots of trucks (including 18-wheelers) navigating in and out of here. The ramps are used by fast moving fork lifts and you have to keep a heads up going in and out.

photo courtesy of sacratomatovillepost.com

The Market Club is CLOSED on SATURDAYS! This is a great place to head before you go over to the Farmer's Market on Sundays, and it is open most weekdays (although I have arrived to find a "Gone fishing" sign, and they really do go fishing...).

There are some great egg dishes, French Toast, pancakes and all the good things that make breakfasts special.  Lunches are also a real treat and there are set specials for each day - may favorite is Broasted Chicken day). When is it? - you have to get off your duff and go find out mate! The dining room is unassuming but always welcoming. The Market Club has a fabulous counter to sit at too!

photo by Peter Dalldorf

The Market Club

2630 5th St # 16
Sacramento, CA 95818-2826
(916) 498-9953

It is my kind of place. You will love it.