Restaurant Reviews

Dining review: Tuli Bistro still pretty good, but it has slipped - There is still lots to love about Tuli Bistro, but for now we are in a tough situation, forced to downgrade its overall rating while cheering for it to rise again and take its place alongside some of our city's excellent bistros.  Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Night Life: Happy hour at Sacramento's Il Fornaio a posh but friendly nosh - Little interactions like this are what make any bartender's customers coming back, and it takes just one evening of watching them belly-laugh together like the best of friends to see that Humenik's regulars are no different: his happy-go-lucky temperament keeps barstools occupied week in and week out. Or maybe it's the free food. Casey Mar in the Sac Bee.

Restaurant News

Bistro 33 Midtown closes to become Spin Burger Bar -  Bistro 33 Midtown, the 16th St. restaurant with the urban lounge feel, closed Monday to make way for a new concept. Look for the opening of Spin Burger Bar come mid-November, with a cycling theme and more recession-friendly prices. Most orders will likely cost under $15, said Fred Haines of SRO Inc., the local restaurant group which also oversees Bistro 33 locations in Davis and El Dorado Hills and midtown's Suzie Burger. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Your Guide: What's Sactown's signature dish? -  In San Francisco, it's crab and sourdough bread. In Philadelphia, it's the cheesesteak. In Chicago, it's ribs. And in New Orleans, it's beignets or gumbo or étoufée or a po' boy with shrimp or oysters or almost anything. New Orleans is special. In Sacramento? Not sure. Rick Kushman in the Sac Bee.

New dance club coming to 20th and K - A new dance club and bar is scheduled to come to K street by spring. The 2,500-square-foot night spot will be built atop the Hot Rod’s hamburger restaurant, 2007 K St., and will be the first bar and dance club on the corner to feature food, according to owner T.J. Bruce, who also owns nearby night spots The Depot and Badlands. Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.

Piatti closes Roseville location - Piatti Ristorante in Roseville closed over the weekend. The 5,000-square-foot location at 3003 Douglas Blvd. opened in 1998. Mark Anderson in the Sac Biz Journal.

Paragary's restaurant empire set to take off to Sacramento airport -  Sacramento restaurateur Randy Paragary's empire looks to be taking off again – this time to the new Sacramento International Airport terminal. Tony Bizjak in the Sac Bee.

Mulvaney's To Operate Cafe at New Crocker - The Crocker Art Museum announced today that Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney, owners of Mulvaney’s Building & Loan, will operate the cafe at the newly expanded museum when it opens to the public next month. Marybeth Bizjak in Sac Mag.

Good news on the pizza front: Masullo is now serving lunch - There are a lot of good pizzerias in the Sacramento area, including Masullo at the edge of Land Park. There, for the past two years, Robert Masullo and his crew have prepared a dinner menu starring Neapolitan-style pizza. Now the restaurant is offering a lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring six kinds of pizza (cooked in an almond wood-burning oven), three sandwiches, and appetizers and salads. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

We search for the perfect hamburger bun and find some good ones - Gary Cawood of Fair Oaks loves a good hamburger, but too often he's bummed out by the buns. Why must it be that a hamburger bun too often tastes bland or barely covers the patty or gets reduced to a soggy mess from the burger's juices? Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Looking for more restaurant news and reviews? Find previous roundups at http://www.cowtowneats.com/happy_hour/weekly-news-roundup/