Just weeks after closing its midtown location to fine tune its concept, Wrap N' Roll Sushi Burrito was forced to close its Elk Grove location after a black Mercedes-Benz with a surprisingly courteous driver crashed through its doors on Thursday afternoon. The Sac Bee has more:

Police said they received a report of shots fired in the area, and the vehicle’s occupants fled the area following the crash.

The vehicle ended up inside the Wrap ’N Roll Sushi Burrito restaurant, but no one was injured. The only customer in the restaurant was at the counter, not in the dining area affected by the crash.

After crashing into the restaurant, three passengers exited the vehicle. The driver apologized to the cashier and all three of them quickly departed before police arrived. Police also say they found one bullet hole in the vehicle.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee and watch a great video of a tow truck pulling the car out of the building.

Wrap N' Roll Sushi Burrito released this update on their Facebook page on Thursday evening:

After an unfortunate incident took place this afternoon, wrap n roll Elk Grove will be closed until further notice. We're just grateful that everyone made it out okay.

In the meanwhile, for those seeking sushi burrito fixes please visit any of our other two locations Make Fish Poke & Sushi Burrito -9015 bruceville road #100 or our midtown location- 1801 L street #70 to be reopened this Saturday post renovations. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience!

I'm glad nobody was hurt and hope the business recovers quickly.

Photo via the Wrap N' Roll Sushi Burrito Facebook Page.

More News:

Bacon & Butter's first supper - The theme for Bacon & Butter’s first-ever dinner service was, naturally, bacon and butter...Executive chef and owner Billy Zoellin headed his usual Bacon & Butter team as well as chef Robb “Rossi” Venditti, the caterer who used to lead Pangaea Bier Cafe, and chef Marty Hutton, who recently left Kupros for the food truck life. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

VIDEO: Baconfest Bites & Brew - Bacon Fest's first-ever bacon cocktail contest is tonight at Bottle & Barlow and Julissa is getting a preview! Julissa Ortiz on Good Day Sac.
http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/3352446-baconfest-bites-brew/

Beer Run: Burned out on beer fests? Take it up a notch with Art of Beer - If you’re one of those craft beer fans who’s burned out on beer festivals in the Sacramento area – too many tiny plastic souvenir cups, too many long lines for beers you’ve already seen all over town – maybe what you really need is something a bit more focused. That’s where the Art of Beer Invitational on Friday, Jan. 29, fills a void. It targets the aficionado. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Fifth Annual Art of Beer Invitational - Of all the Sacramento-area craft beer events (and there are a lot!), The Art of Beer Invitational is easily one of our favorites. Going down on Friday, Jan. 29, 2016 at The McClellan Conference Center in North Highlands, The Art of Beer brings together dozens of craft breweries with talented artists and tasty eats, all conveniently located under one huge-ass roof. Jonathan Carabba in Submerge Mag.

VIDEO: Out-Of-The-Box Brunch - Nha checks out Fleur de Lis, a new fine dining bar and restaurant in Folsom! On Good Day Sac.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Sac Bacon Fest has returned so we can celebrate all things swine over through  Sunday, January 31.

With over 100 events planned, there's sure to be something for everyone. But for my time and money, here are the four I'm looking forward to:

Monday, Jan. 25: Bacon Fest Opening Night at Empress Tavern, featuring one of the underground 86'ed chef competitions between three former Bacon Fest champions: Brad Cecchi (formerly of Grange), Kelly Hogge (Magpie) and Ian MacBride (Lucca). Doors open at 6 p.m., with competition starting at 7:30 p.m. Free.

Tuesday, Jan. 26: Bacon Fest Happy Hour at the new Magpie. featuring Pretzel Dogs (Nido made pretzel buns, kosher dog and BLT relish), Pork Belly Bao (Steamed buns, Magpie's braised belly, spice honey and cilantro), Corned Pork, roots and cabbage, Kelly's Lamb Bacon, Morocco spice, yogurt and flat bread,
Pork and Beans (Llano Secco heirloom beans and lardon), Magpie cured Guanciale, chicory and poached egg, and Bacon and Nut Brittle (Gunther's ice cream)
From 4-7pm. $25 in advance or $35 at the door. Includes tax not tip, food not booze.

Friday, Jan. 29: The Golden Bear presents the Baddest Bacon Happy Hour, featuring Chow Mein (Caramelized Pork Belly, Fresh Veggies, Sweet Soy Sauce), Belly & Beet Salad (Baby Spinach and Arugula, Toasted Almonds, Feta Cheese, Pork Belly Croutons, Bacon-Honey Vinaigrette, Mini BLTs, (House Made Apple Smoked Bacon, Mixed Greens, Cherry Tomatoes, Black Garlic Aioli, on Peppered Bacon Focaccia) and Buffalo Wings (Boneless Wings Wrapped in Peppered Bacon, House Made Buffalo Sauce). All special Bacon Fest food items are $7.50. 4 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 30: Bacon paella at Selland’s in East Sacramento. Paella cooked in Selland's giant 4-ft Paella Pan outdoors, filled with house-cured traditional bacon and chorizo bacon, prawns, mussels, chicken stock, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and saffron rice. Their house recipe Sangria will also be available! $11 per bowl.

Looking for more information or for another event that might be more to your liking, visit BaconFestSac.com or the Sac Bacon Fest Facebook page.

More News:

VIDEO: Fried Baloney sliders featured at Sacramento’s Bacon Fest - This morning chef Jason Azevedo from the Paragary group's Hock Farm is in the KCRA kitchen preparing fried baloney sliders for Sac Bacon Fest.  On KCRA. 

Feast Q&A: Barkeep stirs things up for Bacon Fest throwdown - Which takes us to the fifth annual Sacramento Bacon Fest, Jan. 25-31 at various venues. Opening night will be at Empress Tavern, the unusual brick-walled space underneath the Crest Theatre. The homage to bacon will continue with bacon-centric meals (including bacon paella at Selland’s in East Sacramento), a tribute to actor Kevin Bacon and a bacon-themed brewery tour aboard a bus. Debuting at this year’s porcine party be the Bacon Fest Cocktail Battle at Bottle & Barlow, the hybrid bar and barbershop along the R Street Corridor. There, co-owner and house mixologist Jayson Wilde will serve his bacon-infused cocktails and oversee a throw-down involving area bartenders who will “battle for cash with the best bacon-inspired concoctions.” Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Time travel - RailBridge Cellars & Co. is expected to serve breakfast, lunch and happy hour fare. No menu yet, but it’ll probably be simple stuff. The main draw will be its grand setting. The restaurant occupies the ground floor of the Elks Tower (921 11th Street), a beautiful, historic building and favorite downtown wedding venue, which also hosts the RailBridge Cellars penthouse tasting room. With vintage decor and a swingin’ vibe, owners say they hope diners will feel like they’ve traveled back to the 1920s. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Feast Q&A: Delivery service calms one’s inner cookie monster - Sometimes hunger strikes late at night, and only a snickerdoodle will do. Yet people who crave cookies at midnight often are the same people who perpetually lack the ingredients – flour, cinnamon, ambition – needed to bake them at home. For them, there’s Cookies & Milk, a service that delivers still-warm, baked-to-order cookies, along with small cartons of milk, to Sacramentans within the central city and some adjacent neighborhoods. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.

Best buffets and places to gorge and overeat in Sacramento - Go for that last chicken wing. You can always wheeze yourself to sleep, baby. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Here are the 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of October 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: 6)
4. Zocalo (Last month's rank: 3)
5. Fat's Asia Bistro (Last month's rank: 7)
6. Magpie Cafe (Last Month: Unranked)
7. Cheesecake Factory (Last month's rank: 10)
8. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Last month's rank: 5)
9. Broderick Restaurant & Bar (Last month's rank: 13)
10. Hook & Ladder (Last month's rank: 11)
11. Bottle & Barlow (Last month's rank: 4)
12. Burgers & Brew (Last month's rank: 9)
13. Buffalo Wild Wings (Last month's rank: 15)
14. Shady Lady Saloon (Last month's rank: 12)
15. Lucca (Last Month: Unranked)

Thanks for visiting Cowtown Eats! We had more than 51,000 page views and more than 20,500 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. 

@JerryBrownGov has a great signature on sb530! pic.twitter.com/2OTFZFQYYl

— Off the Chain Bike (@OTCbike) October 5, 2015

Gov. Jerry Brown announced the signing of SB 530 by Senator Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) on Sunday evening, which will legalize drinking on brew buses like Off the Chain and Sac Brew Bike starting Jan. 1, as long as the city permits it.

Here's specifically what the new law allows, per a recent state Senate analysis:

Provides that if a city allows alcohol to be consumed on board, the operator shall also provide an on-board adult safety monitor and both the driver and safety monitor must have completed the Licensee Education on Alcohol and Drugs program implemented by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The bill faced little opposition in the legislature and was passed unanimously in both houses, with nine members either absent or abstaining.

After the bill was signed, Gov. Brown took a ride on an Off the Chain brew bike.

Spotted @ the (mobile) office: @JerryBrownGov @annebgust @NancyEMcFadden @DrPanMD go for a spin after #SB530 action pic.twitter.com/CE9UOaIYaP

— Gov. Brown Press Ofc (@GovPressOffice) October 5, 2015

Not everybody is enamored with the Brew Bikes' popularity. In early Sept, FOX 40 reported that a graffiti artist has been painting the words "Idiot Mobile" around midtown with a picture of a brew bike.

Despite the relatively isolated opposition (though I suspect many of us may have been annoyed momentarily when stuck behind a brew bus on the streets), there's no sign that the brew bikes are going anywhere.

Over the weekend, Sac Brew Bus opened its first brick and mortar location, Sac Brew Bar.

So should the city of Sacramento allow it, what's the first beer that'll be served on a brew bus? Off the Chain says it'll start serving West Sac's Bike Dog Brewing Company.

Thanks to @BikeDogBeer for being the first beer on the bike! #letthetapsflow

— Off the Chain Bike (@OTCbike) October 5, 2015

More News:

Will recent mergers and acquisitions help or hurt booming craft beer? - In recent weeks, the craft beer industry has been in a serious reshuffling, not because it is struggling but because it is doing so very well...While it’s too soon to reach any firm conclusions about what the future looks like, I asked several people in the business for their take on what this means. Featuring A.J. Tendick of Bike Dog Brewing, Quinn Gardner of Sactown Union Brewery and Troy Paski of Hoppy Brewing. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Passmore helps make sturgeon a Sacramento star - At his 86-acre Passmore Ranch, the 43-year-old Passmore now ranks among Sacramento’s most famous fish farmers. Passmore farms primarily California native fish such as white sturgeon in large tanks, filtering and reusing the same water many times. Nutrient-rich waste water irrigates vegetables grown on his ranch. He supplied 160 pounds of sturgeon for Sunday’s sold-out Farm-to-Fork Gala Celebration on the Tower Bridge. Chefs Oliver Ridgeway and Ravin Patel turned it into “sturgeon pastrami” with crunchy sturgeon skin chicharrones. Debbie Arrington in the Sac Bee.

Food 101 - Local education - I'm honored to be asked to be a part of Food 101, a fun series of events put on by Lucca Restaurant and their sister business, Lucky Dog Ranch. Over the next few weeks they will be holding a series of "classes" with different topics and speakers. Check out the schedule below. What's great is that the events all include food! Catherine Enfield on Munchie Musings.

Lola Ling’s Restaurant: A new island adventure - Lola Ling’s is located in South Sac off of Mack Road and is a sari-sari restaurant, meaning it functions like a cafe: order &#;agrave; la carte, or get a few items in a combo (two meats and a side: $7.50; two veg dishes and a side: $5.50)...All the food suffers after marathon sleeps under heat lamps so there’s no avoiding that at times the quality can be certainly sorry. Still, the food is flavorful, affordable and satisfies well enough. Garrett McCord in Sac News & Review.

Totally tea - Most exciting, though, is that ShareTea is coming to 207 Third Street in Davis sometime this fall. ShareTea was established in Taiwan in 1992 and has some wildly popular locations in the Bay Area. There are lines, always. Connoisseurs speak highly of the creamas—teas topped with salty cream—and ability to customize the level of sweetness. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Here are the 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of September 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. Bottle & Barlow (Last Month: Unranked)
5. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (Last month's rank: 4)
6. Chicago Fire (Last month's rank: 5)
7. Fat's Asia Bistro (Last month's rank: 6)
8. Firestone Public House (Last month's rank: 7)
9. Burgers & Brew (Last month's rank: 14)
10. Cheesecake Factory (Last month's rank: 8)
11. Hook & Ladder (Last Month: Unranked)
12. Shady Lady Saloon (Last month's rank: 11)
13. Broderick Restaurant & Bar (Last Month: Unranked)
14. Oak Park Brewing Company (Last Month: Unranked)
15. Buffalo Wild Wings (Last Month: Unranked)

Thanks for visiting Cowtown Eats! We had nearly 46,000 page views and more than 17,250 unique visitors.

I also want to give a special shout out to Cask & Barrel for generously sponsoring Cowtown Eats and keeping the lights on here. 

Bottle & Barlow
1120 R Street
Sacramento, CA 95811
916-379-7719

Web site: http://bottleandbarlow.com/

Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bottle-and-barlow-sacramento

Happy Hour

Everyday
5 to 8 p.m.

Empress Tavern is scheduled to open on next week, and they've been giving previews to local media. The Sac Bee's Chris Macias tweeted that the space is a "game changer."

Here's a little more from S.T. Vanairsdale in Sactown Mag.

Thiemann promises a meat mecca when Empress opens, a carvery rooted in the sanctity of the French dip and with heaping servings of everything from prime rib to short ribs to seafood and even the turducken—the Thanksgiving specialty of chicken stuffed inside duck, then stuffed inside turkey, that Empress will offer year-round. 

Former Mother chef and longtime Thiemann confederate Matt Masera will lead the kitchen, a massive space with a rotisserie oven at its heart, pastry and ice cream stations at the ready (desserts are Masera’s forte) and a halo of gleaming pots, pans and other implements dangling from the ceiling.

“It’s like a steakhouse, but with all meats, which allows us to keep the price point really reasonable,” says Thiemann, who emphasizes Empress highlights like salmon and Hangtown fry (the oyster omelet delicacy hailing from the Gold Rush) nearly in the same breath as bone marrow with escargot.

 Read the entire story in Sactown Mag.

Vanairsdale also reports that the opening date has been refined from the week of Aug. 31 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2.

For some gorgeous pictures of the space, check out chef/partner Michael Thiemann's Instagram account.

 

Empress Tavern

A photo posted by Michael Thiemann (@chefthiemann) on Aug 24, 2015 at 11:19pm PDT

Empress Tavern is located at 1013 K Street, and can be found at EmpressTavern.com.

More News:

Here's what happened after I ordered a glass of wine at Starbucks - Instead of "tall" or "grande," I was deciding between pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. And strangely, extra whipped cream was not an option. Welcome to the new Starbucks experience. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal. 

Sacramento’s thriving cocktail culture lures back a hometown star - Scores of Sacramentans have faced this dilemma: Should I stay, or should I go? Jayson Wilde grappled with this choice five years ago. Burned out from his desk job at a Roseville insurance company and unhappy that his punk band was stuck in limbo, he took a side job as a bar back at the Shady Lady Saloon on R Street. There, he found his calling making craft cocktails – impeccably prepared mixed drinks featuring fresh ingredients and dynamic flavor combinations. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Truly, deadly, delicious - Formoli’s Bistro radically changed its lunch menu for the first time since, well, ever. The only remaining items are the stuffed dates and—don’t freak out—the whiskey burger. That means there are a whole lotta new dishes to try. I recently sampled a simple salad with perfectly seared salmon ($12); a fried chicken sandwich that surprises with a light tempura-beer batter ($10); and deadly, deadly braised lengua tacos ($9). Sometimes, the taco plate offers pork instead. But when it’s lengua—my goodness—you must. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Sweet, savory, seasonal: Prosciutto and watermelon pizza, Paesanos - Meat and melon on a pizza? I wasn't so sure about it going in, but I've seen the light. Paesanos' delicious seasonal pizza ($13.95) has just the right balance of sweet and savory on top of a tasty crust. Meg Masterson in Sac News & Review.

The Berhane sisters serve up coffee with a side of sass at Tiferet - Sabrina and Makeda Berhane have made their East Sacramento business, Tiferet Coffee House, such a neighborhood gathering place that not long ago, a young man who had just passed his bar exam brought in champagne for the sisters and their customers. The reason: He had done most of his studying there. Ed Goldman in Sac Biz Journal.