Daily Dining News: RIP Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar
April 04, 2012
Sweetwater Restaurant & Bar moved to midtown from East Sac in August 2009, replacing Finns, a seafood restaurant. In that time, I've gone there for happy hour a few times and ate brunch there recently on a Groupon. I thought their happy hour food as solid, but their brunch left a lot to be desired.
Here are some more details bout the closing from the Sac Bee's Chris Macias:
[Co-owner Brad] Ross said diners simply aren't spending money like they used to.
"Business had been solid but the economic climate has changed," said Ross. "People rely on Groupons and happy hours. It's now a big part of our culture, but the profit margins haven't changed. Therefore, some other things have to change as well. People used to come in and spend $100 on the way home from work. That $100 doesn't exist very often now."
Ross, who co-owned Sweetwater with Tom Rockenbaugh, said there's no plans for now to re-open Sweetwater in a different spot.
Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.
So maybe I was their exact problem. I'm sad that they're gone and for those who have lost their jobs, but I'm hopeful that a new and vibrant (and better) restaurant will fill that spot.
PS: I want to add that I'm forever thankful that Sweetwater hosted the one charity event we did a couple years back. At that event, we raised $100 so a needy family could have gifts that Christmas. I wish their owners good luck in whatever their future holds.
More News:
Dining review: Old Sac's refined Firehouse has an edgy side, too - The Firehouse Restaurant, stately and refined as it may be, faces more challenges than any other eating establishment in the city. It has to live up to its lofty reputation – and overcome it. It has to be all the things it used to be – while keeping pace with the many wonderful restaurants that have burst onto the scene over the past decade...How is it doing? It's nailing it. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.
5 Great Seafood Dishes - Hankering for a tasty dose of seafood? Here’s five dishes that are sure to satisfy...Featuring Roxy Restaurant & Bar, Viet Ha, Tapa the World, Selland's Market Cafe and OneSpeed. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.
Simply Southern: Corn cakes, sandwiches on the go - Southern food and corn cakes will take to Sacramento’s streets once again in a slightly different twist on mobile food than the popular food trucks. Simply Southern Foods is the catering and one-time mobile food business owned by Donell Hendrix, and he said the city’s recent look-the-other-way attitude toward enforcing its controversial 30-minute limit to stops enticed him to get back in the game. Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.
The Eatery to unveil its new burger creation [Yesterday] - The Eatery, that cool and casual restaurant in West Sacramento, is at it again -- it already has an excellent burger, but it's going over the top with this new creation. Sounds incredible, from the meat (a blend of cuts ground in house) to the aioli (with peanut butter). A portion of sales today goes to charity. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.
Insight discusses the city's culinary reputation - Insight on Capital Public Radio recently took a look at the the Sacramento restaurant scene, interviewing Pajo Bruich, executive chef at Lounge ON20, and a member of a new group that aims to get Sacramento a higher profile on the statewide and national culinary scene. It's called Sactown Dining Collective. Conducting the interview, in dulcet tones, I might add, is Rick Kushman, a lover of food and wine, and a former colleague we miss at The Bee. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.
There's one main reason my friends and I would avoid Sweetwater when deciding where to go for brunch: their horrible ice. Sounds ridiculous, but hear me out. Sweetwater had a sweet bloody mary bar with all the fixin's. One problem, though, is that it was only an unlimited bloody bar on one weekend day. I could never remember if it was Saturday or Sunday. That was annoying. But the far bigger issue was the only ice they had was little rabbit-pellet ice that turned your bloody mary into a slushy. It completely ruined an otherwise good bloody. Unacceptable. With so much competition out there for our hard-earned brunch dollars, little things like crappy ice make all the difference in the world.
Posted by: TC | April 04, 2012 at 01:29 PM