Pictured: The signature truck cab and Sistine Chaple-inspired mural.

I was skeptical of the latest attempt to revitalize K St. Year after year, we hear that this year is the year that significant progress is made to bring life to a dead downtown street.

Well, I’m ready to declare that significant progress has been made.

On Monday, I was invited to a preview of the trio of restaurants opening over the next week on K St – Pizza Rock, Dive Bar and District 30. I was impressed by all three.

I first went to Pizza Rock and watched the end of the BCS championship game. A friend and I drank our standard 22 oz beers and could envision ourselves spending Sundays there watching NFL football or eating there with co-workers or kids. It’s a very inviting atmosphere, akin to an upscale neighborhood pizza joint with a good bar.

Dive Bar's aquarium rests above the bar area.

We next headed over to Dive Bar. I loved the vibe at Dive Bar. If you like Shady Lady, you’ll like Dive Bar. It has the same upscale sensibility as Shady Lady. If I had friends coming from the Bay Area, I’d definitely make Dive Bar our first stop. It’s too bad that the mermaids weren’t there during the preview. I’d think it’d be really entertaining to watch a mermaid swim in the aquarium above the bar.

I also had a chance to check out District 30 before even the preview crowd got in there. Since the party hadn’t started, I wasn’t able to get the vibe of the place, but you can tell it’ll be the new upscale IT place in Sacramento.

K Street and Sacramento have dreamed of developing bars and restaurants capable of drawing a crowd to after hours. Just like Sacramento has a hit with the Firestone building, they’ve done a great job at these three restaurants. I’m often at the Capitol for work and can see many, many nights spent eating and drinking at these places.

Intrigued? Visit and decide yourself. District 30 opens on Thursday, Pizza Rock opens this Friday and Dive Bar opens on Wednesday, Jan. 19.