Maria, a server at Dad's Kitchen, was recently diagnosed with cancer in both her cervix and lymph nodes on either side of her uterus.

The treatment is 30 days of radiation with 5 rounds of chemo to start.

To help her out in her time of need, Dad's Kitchen in Land Park is hosting a fundraiser for her on Monday, Sept. 14.

For just $15, you'll get access to a taco bar and Dad's Kitchen's famous homemade mac & cheese.

The $15 will go directly to support Maria, and the bar will be open for you to purchase beer, wine or kombucha.

According to this Go Fund Me page, Maria "is the kindest, most hard working, and just happiest person on this planet. She has a three year old son, lives in a one bedroom apartment with him, her fiance, works at Dad's Kitchen in Sacramento, and doesn't have a car. Please help us Keep Maria Smiling!"

If you can't attend the event on Monday, you can still help by visiting her Go Fund Me page and donating. 

Click here for more information about the fundraiser.

Dad's Kitchen is located at 2968 Freeport Blvd., and can be found online at http://ilovedadskitchen.com/.

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California cocktail tax would spike end-of-session mix - The nickel-a-drink levy would be placed on any drink containing distilled spirits sold at bars and restaurants. Tax on beer and wine would remain the same. California has one the nation’s lowest taxes on beer, wine and distilled spirits, and the Legislature has not raised booze levies since 1991. Before 1991, California had not raised its taxes on wine and beer since the 1950s, nor on distilled spirits since 1967. Wholesalers pay the tax, and it is presumed that retailers roll the cost into the price of a drink. Jeremy White in the Sac Bee.

Dollar-Wise Gourmet: Cooking Teachers' Cheap Eats - It’s back-to-school time, prompting The Dollar-Wise Gourmet to go to straight to the classroom to ask cooking teachers for their favorite local spots for low-budget fare. Ready? Here’s where the pros go. Featuring Lalo's, Les Baux, Corti Brothers, Iron Grill and Serrano's Cafe. Cathy Cassinos-Carr in Sac Mag.

Feast Q&A: Corti Bros. chef keeps traditions alive - As chef for Corti Bros. Market, Andrew Cordaro has been the man behind the scenes for 30 years. He and his staff work in the store’s huge kitchen, a sanctum rarely seen by the multigenerational customers who have shopped at the east Sacramento institution since 1970. Most of what they prepare is displayed in the Cucina Pronta cold caseat the deli. “Everything is made in-house, from scratch,” Cordaro said. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Mobile food business opening first brick-and-mortar store - Less than a year after entering the mobile food scene, a local entrepreneur is opening his first brick-and-mortar location. Kit Syn is the owner and founder of Ben's Huli Huli Chicken, which last March started offering mobile cuisine at local events. On Monday, Syn will open a restaurant called Ben's Hawaiian Cafe in Folsom. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

The Rind’s a great Sacramento spot for great beer - That’s right, if you’re looking for a smart new beer experience, perhaps you’ve overlooked The Rind, assuming it was more about wine and cheese. While The Rind’s compact and affordable wine list is impressive, so is its inventory of beer. The selection changes often, includes six beers on draft, plenty in the bottles. The staff of 20 includes, among others, a Level 1 cicerone and a serious home brewer. They’re all adept at talking about beer in a way that’s fun and engaging. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Selland's Market Cafe on H Street closed on Jan. 1 for a weeklong "minor remodel," Selland's announced via their e-mail newsletter. They plan to reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 8.

I checked in with Selland Group marketing manager Gina Funk Nelson to see what the "minor remodel" would entail.

"We're doing mostly a 'facelift' of new paint, replacing the ceiling, replacing some counters, a deep clean and some sprucing up," e-mailed Nelson. "Nothing major, but with how the pace of work can sometimes drag depending on surprises we thought it best to close for the 6 days."

She also joked that Sellands Market Cafe wanted to "look our best for Bacon Fest."

Sellands is located at 5340 H St.

While we're on the topic of restaurants that are closing for short periods of time in early January, Vic's Ice Cream announced on Twitter that they too would be closed for cleaning.

Hope everyone is having a fun and safe start to the new year! We will be closed for our new year cleaning today and will reopen on Jan 6.

— Vic's Ice Cream (@VicsIceCream) January 1, 2014

Finally, Enotria announced that they too would be closed from Jan. 1 to Jan. 9 for "winter holiday." They plan to reopen on Jan. 10.

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Dining: The Sacramento area’s best servers - Great servers can be the most powerful people in a restaurant, for they are the direct link between the kitchen and the customer. They are in the business of serving. They are in sales. They are explainers, advisers, observers, amateur psychologists, problem solvers, masters of timing and, beyond all that, they know how to put on a show. When they step into the dining room, they are in their element, bringing to bear their commitment and passion for executing at the highest level. They can be witty, charismatic, intuitive, serious or solemn, but they are never dull, and they are always on. Featuring servers from Blackbird, Kru, Hook & Ladder, Formoli's Bistro, Juno's Kitchen and Jamie's Broadway Grille. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

First Impressions: Dad’s Kitchen brings brew to Fair Oaks - After seeing Guy Fieri’s over-the-top review on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” and after enjoying the signature Dad’s Burger earlier this year, we expected better. We ate the light and crunchy deep-fried garbanzo beans by the handfuls. The ramekin of mac ’n’ cheese with bacon looked great, but lacked depth. “I like the crust, but where’s the sharp cheese taste?” one pal said...Let’s say the kitchen is still coming together. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Arthur Henry's Supper Club & Ruby Room, a grill-your-own steak restaurant in Oak Park, officially opens for business on Friday.

I had the opportunity to check the place out on Wednesday night during their soft opening, and I think they have a hit on their hands.

The vibe of the place is unique for Sacramento. While I was wasn't old enough to really appreciate the TV show Three's Company (I had no idea that Jack Tripper had to fake being gay to live with two women until I went to college), I imagine that the restaurant is what the Reagle Beagle might look like today. It's classy and understated, but with a real retro dive feel. Check out this great photo gallery from the Sac Biz Journal.

When our group of four went, the meal and drinks were hosted and there weren't even prices on their menus yet. Two of us ordered the rib eye and two others ordered the New York steak. Each steak came raw, served with a small side salad and a piece of bread. Here's their menu.

If you've never cooked steak in your life, you might be in trouble. You're expected to throw the steak on the grill yourself and know how to cook it. I've cooked (and overcooked) enough steaks in my life to have the hang of it, but if you've never cooked steak on an open flame before, you might want to bring a friend who has.

The steaks were all excellent. The meat was well marbled, and if it was overcooked or undercooked, it's on you. They do provide some seasonings at the grill, but honestly, the best way to eat a steak is just with a little salt and pepper.

They also have a great bar with craft cocktails, a short, but adequate wine list and a beer list stocked with microbrews.

They're definitely on the right track, and I look forward to seeing them grow as a restaurant.

I'll also warn you that they didn't have any appetizers or desserts on the menu yet, and they didn't have anything you could order without having to cook the protein yourself.

Arthur Henry's Supper Club (named after the owner's father) is part of the growing Naked Coffee family of restaurants, that also includes East Sac's Orphan (great brunch!) and Tupelo.

Arthur Henry's Supper Club and Ruby Room is located at 3402 Broadway. It can be found online at http://www.arthurhenrys.net/ or on Facebook.

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Mikuni and DeVere's back a holiday toy drive - They’re calling it the Golden Ticket Toy Drive, an event benefiting children in need, one that's sprinkled with Christmas cheer and dipped in the most practical of dreams. “These are kids who want socks,” said Henry de Vere White, the proprietor of de Vere’s Irish Pubs who is teaming with Taro Arai of Mikuni restaurants and Sloughhouse-based Kylee Lillich Giving Tree on an 11-day gift drive that may pay gift-givers a reward beyond the satisfaction of fulfilling children’s holiday dreams. Ed Murrieta in the Sac Biz Journal.

The Coconut Midtown - I walked in with high hopes of having nothing but positive things to say about Midtown’s newest Thai food addition, and walked out feeling like I wanted to get a bit Gordon Ramsay on their asses. But all of that said, that was only Princess Bubblegum’s experience, and they do have a lot of good reviews piling up. It’s always tough when you’re a new restaurant to please everyone, and to be consistent as you cut your teeth. I’ll give them another chance after I wash my mouth out with some Thai Basil. Niki Kangas in Submerge Mag.

While West Sac's Bike Dog Brewing Co. won't hold it's official grand opening until Saturday, the small batch brewery has been open for the last 3 weeks or so. I stopped by on Saturday evening, and here are a couple things I learned about the place talking to partners Raef and AJ (who also runs their very active twitter account, @BikeDogBeer). Here are 5 things you should know about the place.

1. The brewery's four owners met all met at work. At the office water cooler, they'd all talk about starting a brewery, but it became more than talk when they decided isn't (yet) a full time gig.

2. The name isn't a misnomer. They're very bike and (nice) dog friendly. Well behaved kids are also welcome.

3. The owners are all passionate about biking and beer. While they thought breweries named after bikes (Fat Tire) and dogs (Laguniats) have been done, they jokingly started used Bike Dog as a working title, and it kind of stuck.

4. One of the reasons they decided to open in West Sac is the business-friendly nature of the city. The Chris Cabaldon-led local government worked with them on zoning issues and sewer fees.

5. They can only make 3 barrels of beer at a time, and they currently make 2 batches a week. That means that their beer will always be ultra fresh, but it might also mean that you'll want to be there early to make sure your favorite brew is still available.

When I was there on Saturday, they were serving four beers. We tried the Fall Saison and the American Wheat. The Fall Saison was a standout selection. It was the more mature and refined of the two beers. The American Wheat was also good, but for my palate, the Fall Saison was better.

The place still has a very spartan feel. Much if its furniture is temporary, but it does have a large concrete bar and a smaller, secondary bar area.

Also spotted at Bike Dog Brewing Co. when I was there was the Sac Bee's restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson. He later tweeted about his experience.

Bike Dog Brewing Co. is located at 2534 Industrial Blvd. in West Sac. The area is full of warehouses, but there's good signage from the street so it won't be hard to find.

Their Saturday grand opening runs from 2 to 9:30 p.m. Drewski's will be on hand to sell food, if you're looking to make a meal out of it.

If you like Track 7 or New Helvetia, you'll like Bike Dog. Make sure to check it out soon.

Bike Dog Brewing Co. can be found online at BikeDogBrewing.com.

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What you need to know about new barbecue options - It’s probably a coincidence of commercial real estate that Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is preparing to open on the other side of the railroad tracks from Tank House BBQ and Bar on J Street in midtown Sacramento. But two barbecue joints sitting virtually cheek-by-jowl — Dickey’s at 1901 J and Tank House at 1925 J, with the railroad tracks directly in between — are bound to draw comparisons. Ed Murrieta in Sac Biz Journal.

Brew pub The Monk's Cellar planned in downtown Roseville - A bit of Old Europe brewmaking, and a bit of the farm-to-fork ethos, will be coming to downtown Roseville. By spring, Andy Klein is planning to open The Monk's Cellar, a restaurant and brew pub at 240 Vernon St., next to Sammy's Rockin' Island Bar & Grill. Ben van der Meer in Sac Biz Journal.

“Mother” could be the matriarch of Sacramento’s emerging culinary identity - I’m becoming a believer, and fast, in the potential greatness of Mother, a vegetarian restaurant still a 2-3 months from opening on K Street downtown. Thiemann, his wife, Lisa, and photographer Ryan Donahue, formerly of the magazine Edible Sacramento, are partners in this very exciting venture. While some may see an 1,100-square-foot vegetarian restaurant as a sacrifice on things like creativity and flavor, Mother promises to be very different. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Foundation Restaurant & Bar, which Cowtown Eats first reported as the replacement for 4th St. Grille,  opened for business earlier this month.

Opened by former employees of 4th St. Grille, Foundation will hold its official grand opening on Friday, Oct. 25.

The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner on weekdays and for dinner on weekends.

For more information, visit their Web site at http://foundationrestaurantandbar.com/.

Foundation Restaurant & Bar is located at 400 L Street.

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The Cultured & The Cured cheese and charcuterie shop coming to east Sacramento - East Sacramento’s soon going to get extra cheesy. The Cultured & The Cured will be opening in late-October, bringing artisanal cheeses and charcuterie to 3644 J St. and focusing on producers from throughout the western United States. While The Cultured & The Cured won’t make any products in house, the owners will be tapping into such purveyors as Achadinha Cheese Company of Petaluma, Fra’Mani Handcrafted Foods of Berkeley and Olympic Provisions, the Washington state company known for its salami and other cured meats. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Maranello restaurant is sold to Dad’s Kitchen - Once again, the closing of another Sacramento-area dining house demonstrates the tumultuous nature of the restaurant business...“Their focus is reopening it within 30 days, with a new concept ” said Joe Hensler, who co-owned Maranello with his wife, Gayle. “Dad’s Kitchen is more casual, and that concept may work better in this  Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

R street building on track for new businesses next summer - By next summer, what’s now a demolition project along a busy midtown Sacramento corridor is expected to become another hive of retail, restaurants and nightlife. On the southwest corner of R and 15th streets, a former state building is a few weeks away from demolition wrapping up and construction beginning for a new look. Ben van der Meer in Sac Biz Journal.

Dad's Kitchen, open in its current incarnation since 2010, is a great neighborhood spot in Land Park. It's lot is always full, the line can be long, but generally, it's worth it.

I ate dinner there a couple weekends ago while checking our their new Tap Room and was blown away by the burger. I had always heard about the quality of their version, but had never tried it. If you go, order the burger. You won't be disappointed.

Sac Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson also paid the restaurant a couple number of (Updated 6/1, per this twitter conversation with @BlaRob on assumptions, descriptions of numbers and vagaries) visits. Here's his verdict:

The menu is, at its best, creative, and the cooking is sometimes right on the mark. The Dad's burger, for instance, is a magnificent achievement of engineering, art and insanity. The meatloaf made with a blend of beef, veal and pork is absolutely delicious and perfectly tender.

But …

Yes, there's a "but" moment, though we're not talking a big but.

What's holding Dad's back from maxing out its potential is what holds many restaurants back – execution and consistency.

While the comfort food on the menu is sometimes interesting and edgy, sometimes it's a tad dull and disappointing. And while the cooking can often showcase tremendous flavors and textures, sometimes it's less precise than it should be.

Read his entire review in the Sac Bee.

Click here for more posts about Dad's Kitchen.

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First Impressions: Port maker opens midtown spot - After a delay of more than six months, Ficklin-Wilcox recently swung open its doors to bring a taste of port wines to midtown. Ficklin-Wilcox specializes in port – fortified wines made from Portuguese grape varietals – and has produced them for nearly 70 years in the sun-baked Central Valley town of Madera. In any case, with its first satellite location Ficklin- Wilcox adds to a growing wine scene in the central city, which includes Downtown & Vine on the K Street mall and the urban wineries Rail Bridge Cellars and Revolution Wines. Let's see how Ficklin-Wilcox fits into the local wine scene thus far. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Photo Essay: A Visit to Doughbot Donuts - These donuts aren’t fluff, they’re clearly denser, handmade donuts, with deliciously homemade fillings and toppings. My favorite was the Lemon Lavender, though I couldn’t really taste the lavender. Lori on Guava Rose.

After approximately four months of work, Dad's Kitchen has expanded by adding a tap room to its popular Land Park Restaurant.

Originally scheduled for opening before Sac Beer Week at the end of February, the tap room at Dad's Kitchen features 30 taps - 26 for regular beer, two for wine and two more for nitrogen brews.

The venue seats about a dozen people around the bar, with another 15 or so spots on a standing bar along the wall. The bar also features a couple large TVs so patrons can watch sports while enjoying their beer of choice.

For more information about their expansion, read a December 2012 article in Sac Press.

Dad's Kitchen is located at 2968 Freeport Blvd, next to Freeport Bakery.

Click here for more posts about Dad's Kitchen.

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Chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth Hahn teams with coffee roasters for special dessert day - On a recent weekday morning, superstar chocolatier Ginger Elizabeth Hahn and her husband, Tom, stood at a large table at Old Soul Coffee in midtown to do some research for an upcoming dessert creation. They stood, they stooped, they sniffed, they stirred. They slurped and yes, much like professional wine tasters, they spit discreetly into a cup. It was a bustling morning in the warehouse-style shop, with scores of patrons chatting, reading and engaging in their own form of tasting coffee. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Tilted Kilt restaurant franchise expanding to Sacramento - The Tilted Kilt restaurant franchise, a Celtic-style pub with female servers in short kilts, has announced plans to expand operations into Sacramento. Tilted Kilt has 80 restaurants in Canada and the United States, including several in Southern California. NoCal Tilt Holdings has signed a 10-store deal with Tilted Kilt franchising to develop the theme restaurants in Fresno, Sacramento and the Silicon Valley-East Bay areas over the next five years. Bill Lindelof in the Sac Bee.