Here are the 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of November 2015 (based on page views) on Cowtown Eats:

1. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (Last month's rank: 1)
2. Bento Box (Last month's rank: 2)
3. Chicago Fire (Last month's rank: 3)
4. Zocalo (Last month's rank: 4)
5. Fat's Asia Bistro (Last month's rank: 5)
6. 33rd St. Bistro (Last Month: Unranked)
7. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Last month's rank: 5)
8. Cheesecake Factory (Last month's rank: 10)
9. Firestone Public House (Last Month: Unranked)
10. Hook & Ladder (Last month's rank: 10)
11. Burgers & Brew (Last month's rank: 12)
12. 3 Fires Lounge (Last Month: Unranked)
13. Magpie Cafe (Last month's rank: 6)
14. 58 Degrees & Holding (Last Month: Unranked)
15. Broderick Restaurant & Bar (Last month's rank: 9)

Thanks for visiting Cowtown Eats! We had more than 50,000 page views and nearly 22,500 unique visitors.

I also want to give a special shout out to Cask & Barrel, Hook & Ladder and Ernesto's Mexican Food for generously sponsoring Cowtown Eats and keeping the lights on here. 

Joe Marty's, a Sacramento sports bar that closed after its kitchen was damaged by a fire in 2005, is set to reopen in December, reports Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

[In mid-September], crews have been working on plumbing and structural upgrades at the building, part of the Tower Theatre complex on Broadway. On Sept. 25, framing started, with electrical work to follow next week and construction set to be finished by late November.

Then, prior to opening, the owners will start the fun part: filling the place with the baseball memorabilia that was a hallmark of the original bar and grill opened by former major leaguer Joe Marty in 1938.

For the new place, the emphasis will again be on honoring this city’s rich baseball history, with pictures, bats, gloves and other sports mementos. Some have been contributed by former professional ballplayers from this area.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

When it reopens, Joe Marty's will be located at 1500 Broadway and can be found online at http://gojoemartys.com/.

More News:

Feast Q&A: Getting restaurants to think twice about waste - A longtime cyclist as well as an environmentalist, Baker founded the Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento (GRAS). He is likely a familiar sight to many locals as he makes his way through town on a heavy-duty cargo bike equipped with a trailer usually piled high with kitchen scraps. With ReSoil, another green initiative he helped start, he and a small band of volunteers run what he calls “a pedal-powered community compost network.” He has also been known to drive a diesel car fueled with recycled vegetable oil. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Six craft beers for cravers of quality - Here are some truly outstanding beers I have enjoyed recently. The first three beers, it’s worth noting, are all on tap at the moment at Nido, the new casual cafe from the owners of Magpie that replaced Magpie when it moved to 16th and P streets. Nido’s draft pints are $5, including tax. Featuring Auburn Alehouse, Track 7, Bike Dog, Berryessa Brewing and Stone Brewing. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Want someone to bring you food? Here's a new option - It's a good time to be hungry and couch-bound in Sacramento. Another food-delivery service, called Caviar, entered the local mix on Tuesday. The service partners with independent eateries in the area. Its website currently lists at least 23 restaurant partners, most of which are in the downtown and midtown areas. The list includes places such as Hot Italian, Thai Canteen and Federalist Public House. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Local dining scene gets another shout-out from national media - Another national publication is spotlighting Sacramento's food scene. An article published Monday by USA Today features "30 flavors only found in the Capital City..." These venues made the cut: Frank Fat's, Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., Ella Dining Room and Bar, Mother, Grange, Magpie Cafe, Empress Tavern, Ruhstaller, Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Chando's Tacos and Mulvaney's B&L. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Amid craft beer boom, new law loosens social media rules for breweries, wineries - A new state assembly bill is loosening the rules on what distilleries, wineries and breweries can post on social media. California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 780, which will allow alcoholic beverage producers to identify where their products are sold on social media. Annie Sciacca in San Fran Biz Times.

TableVine, a restaurant serving a regional wine country menu, will replace Bistro Michel and will open early next month, Cowtown Eats has learned.

"Our cleaning and cosmetic remodeling has been at a fever pitch as of late," owner Dan Sneed told Cowtown Eats via e-mail. "Trying to make our opening by the end of the month, but had one other [set]back so we hope to be open by the first week of November instead at this point."

The chef for the restaurant will be Scott McNamara, who recently left Brasserie Capitale. He was also the chef for several years at Bistro Michel. In 2011, under chef McNamara, then Sac Bee dining critic Blair Anthony Robertson raved about his cooking.

Enough about the fries (though you must get them as a side dish if they don't come with your entree). The mussels are also delicieux. On a different night, dining inside with an old friend and colleague, the two of us couldn't get enough of these mussels, fresh and clean and in broth so full of flavor we couldn't resist using our bread to sop it up. Again, there are no shortcuts to something this good.

Cowtown Eats first brought you news of the new restaurant in late August. In that post, we learned that Sneed:

[I]ntends to serve the clientele south of the State Capitol, which tends to have fewer fancy lobbyists and more rank and file state workers. He's aiming to hit a $20 price point for the dinner crowd and emphasize service.

In addition to Pearl on the River, Sneed has worked at Ella from 2008 to 2010, The Park from 2005 to 2007, San Francisco's Gary Danko from 1999 to 2005 and The Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco from 2000 to 2001.

On the restaurant's Facebook page, Sneed has done a great job chronicling the progress of the restaurant as it works its way towards opening. I look forward to giving the place a try.

TableVine will be located at 1501 14th Street.

More News:

Suburban destination - Slowly but surely, the Milagro Centre is coming to fruition. Last week, the Sacramento Bee’s Bob Shallit reported that the upcoming Carmichael marketplace is finally full. One of the puzzle’s final pieces is Fish Face Poke Bar & Market from Kru’s Billy Ngo. It’s another outpost of his wildly popular poke restaurant on R Street, only this edition will also feature a small specialty grocery section. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Can prestigious beer festival prizes translate into profits? - Now that the brewery on Broadway has two very prestigious medals, the phones are ringing off the hook, craft beer fiends are lined up down the street and New Helvetia’s beer is flying off store shelves throughout the region. Right? Not quite. At least not yet. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Food 101 - No matter where you look, class is officially in session. That goes for your casual culinary education, too. Lucca Restaurant & Bar (1615 J Street) is hosting a multipart, weekly lecture series called Food 101, featuring a variety of food experts who aren't your expected chefs or restaurateurs. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

VIDEO: Food Photo Secrets - We have secrets to taking good food photos. Cambi Brown on Good Day Sac.

Hank Shaw to self-publish next book - Hunter-forager-food blogger and cookbook author Hank Shaw of Sacramento is preparing his third wild-game cookbook – after “Hunt, Gather, Cook” and “Duck, Duck, Goose” – to be on bookstore shelves by August 2016, at the start of deer-hunting season in California. For this one, though, he left the mainstream-publishing path for the riskier self-publishing trail, turning to the crowd-funding platform Kickstarter. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Here are the 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of May 2015 (based on page views) on Cowtown Eats:

1. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (Last month's rank: 1)
2. Zocalo (Last month's rank: 3)
3. Bento Box (Last month's rank: 2)
4. Chicago Fire (Last month's rank: 6)
5. 33rd St. Bistro (Last month's rank: 5)
6. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Last month's rank: 7)
7. Firestone Public House (Last month's rank: 9)
8. Lucca Restaurant (Last month's rank: 4)
9. Chevy's Fresh Mex - On the River (Last month's rank: 10)
10. Burgers & Brew (Last month's rank: 13)
11. Cheesecake Factory (Last month's rank: 11)
12. Paesanos (Last month: Unranked)
13. 3 Fires Lounge (Last month's rank: 14)
14. Alley Katz (Last month's rank: 12)
15. 58 Degrees & Holding (Last month's rank: 15)

Thanks for visiting Cowtown Eats! We had more than 59,000 page views and more than 23,500 unique visitors.

I also want to give a special shout out to Strings Urban Kitchen, Cask & Barrel, Hook and Ladder and ASR Restaurant & Lounge for generously sponsoring Cowtown Eats and keeping the lights on here.

Here are the 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of April 2015 (based on page views) on Cowtown Eats:

1. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (Last month's rank: 1)
2. Bento Box (Last month's rank: 3)
3. Zocalo (Last month's rank: 2)
4. Lucca Restaurant (Last month's rank: 6)
5. 33rd St. Bistro (Last month's rank: 7)
6. Chicago Fire (Last month's rank: 8)
7. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Last month's rank: 4)
8. Fat's Asia Bistro (Last month's rank: 11)
9. Firestone Public House (Last month's rank: 5)
10. Chevy's Fresh Mex - On the River (Last month's rank: 9)
11. Cheesecake Factory (Last month's rank: 14)
12. Alley Katz (Last month's rank: 12)
13. Burgers & Brew (Last month's rank: 10)
14. 3 Fires Lounge (Last month: Unranked)
15. 58 Degrees & Holding (Last month: Unranked)

Thanks for visiting Cowtown Eats! We had more than 70,000 page views and nearly 27,750 unique visitors.

I also want to give a special shout out to Strings Urban Kitchen, Cask & Barrel and ASR Restaurant & Lounge for generously sponsoring Cowtown Eats and keeping the lights on here.

In September, the Sacramento Airport started looking for food trucks to serve food at the cell phone lot, where there could be hungry people waiting for their friends or relatives to arrive.

At that time, I wrote that it'd be hard to imagine a food truck going there full time, but that it's more likely that a consortium of food trucks would take turns at the cell phone lot. Turns out, that's exactly what happened.

Food Mob, a group of food trucks including Orale Mole, Gyro King, Luciano's Gelato (serving coffee) and Slightly Skewed, will send trucks to the lot on select days through the end of the year. Food Mob says that more food trucks will be added as the trucks get approved by the airport.

Currently, the trucks scheduled to be at the cell phone lot are Luciano's Gelato on Monday, Dec. 2 and Gyro King on Thursday, Dec. 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Check SacFoodMob.com for updates.

While I'm excited that the airport and food truck industry are looking for ways to work together, I'm still skeptical that there will be enough volume to make this work. I've been to the airport more than 45 times this year (mostly for work), and I honestly don't even know where the cell phone lot is. Maybe it's not aimed at me since I'm driving myself to and from the airport and not picking somebody up, but it would be a pleasant surprise if this ends up working out.

For another account, check out Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee or Marianne Russ on Capitol Public Radio.

More News:

Toy Drive and Happy Hour to Benefit WEAVE - Love to party with a purpose? Then join the Handle District, Midtown Business Association, 58 Degrees & Holding Co. and Girls on the Grid as we help fill WEAVE’s annual Holiday Toy Shoppe! On Girls on the Grid.

Body found off coast confirmed as missing Roseville restaurateur - The Mendocino County Coroner's office has confirmed that the body found by divers Sunday in the Pacific Ocean near Gualala is Stephen Pease, a missing Roseville restaurateur. Pease, owner of Sammy's Rockin' Island Bar & Grill and several other Roseville businesses, was last seen Nov. 3 when he checked out of a Fort Bragg motel and drove off in a rental car. Ed Fletcher in the Sac Bee.

Bringing back coffee to Riverside Boulevard: Vic’s Café to serve Temple Coffee and Old Soul baked goods - The 3100 block on Riverside Boulevard has a recent history of coffee shops that have come and gone. Central Valley Coffee used to be the neighborhood go-to place for a hot cup of java. Also, there was a small coffee bar inside Land Bark Pet Supplies that closed in 2010. To fill the void, Vic’s Ice Cream owner Craig Rutledge is opening up Vic’s Café next door to the parlor, where he will be serving up Temple Coffee and baked goods from Old Soul. “The beauty shop (Artisan) moved across the street and there’s no coffee shop anymore on Riverside. There isn’t anything around here,” Rutledge said. “The closest decent coffee place is Espresso Metro. And we just have the Starbuck’s on Freeport and the one inside Target. And we have the La Bou on Sutterville (Boulevard) and Land Park (Drive).” Monica Stark in Land Park News.

Mati's hasn't closed yet, but it will by the end of the month, reports Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.

Owner Ranjani Prasad said Monday that she’s shutting her doors for a variety of reasons.

“Even though our sales have not gone down, our costs have gone up,” she said. “People are not spending too much – they used to come in and get a two-item plate, but now they’re getting a one-item plate, and they’re not coming in as frequently.”

Many of the ingredients – notably the spices – are imported, and they continue to increase in cost. She said the mobile food trend has pinched business as well.

Don't worry, though - the owner will return to her job as an accountant for the state.

Read the entire story in Sac Press.

More News:

Time for Wine: Three local wine bars serve up mighty fine vino - Most of us have spent one or two memorable nights in a bar. Heck, some of you might be in a bar right now. The thoughts that the word “bar” conjure up are somewhat universal across America: the smells of beer and bleach, Jagger and Jimi playing too loudly on the jukebox, conversations shouted above the din about heartaches and conquests. Add the word “wine” before the word “bar,” however, and you get a whole different set of images: calm and considered discussion, creased trousers and boat shoes, the swish of ruby liquid circling an oversized glass. I traveled to three local wine bars recently to see if those clichés still apply. Here’s what I found. Featuring 58 Degrees & Holding, Revolution Wines and the Grand Wine Bar. Greg Sabin in Inside Publications.

Thai Paradise expands, along with Christina Mendonsa's Corner - One of our dining go-to's is Thai Paradise in Folsom, especially for its succulent, garlicky lemongrass chicken, which appears on the daily-specials whiteboard. Other diners like the restaurant, too, as evidenced by the out-the-door lines on Friday and Saturday nights. Its loyal clientele includes News10 news anchor Christina Mendonsa. There's even a corner table dedicated to her, complete with a publicity photo. It's known as Christina's Corner. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.