Hook & Ladder, the new restaurant replacing the former Hangar 17 at 17th & S, will be open by the end of September, reports Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Owned by the same folks behind midtown's Golden Bear, a popular pub that's been featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives," Hook & Ladder will feature an expanded menu and cocktail program run by Chris Tucker, one of Sacramento's top bartenders. The menu will be overseen by Brian Mizner, the Golden Bear's current executive chef and an alum of L Wine Lounge and the late-great Masque in El Dorado Hills. The menu's still being fine tuned, but expect a more entree options than featured at Golden Bear along with a range of small plates.

The 4,800 square foot space includes an additional front and back patio, along with some unique concepts which will be revealed soon. While Golden Bear also features DJs and dancing, Hook & Ladder will focus squarely on food and drink for now.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

Sac Press's Brandon Darnell says that much of the restaurant's details are being kept secret.

The menu at the restaurant located at 1630 S St. is nearly complete, but Bazett said he’s keeping tight-lipped on what, exactly, will be on it.

“We’re trying to be as secretive as possible,” he said. “We don’t want too many details, except that there’s going to be a lot of handmade stuff. We’re trying to do all of our baking in-house, have handmade pasta, homemade sausages and farmers market-sourced produce as much as possible.”

He’s being equally mum about the interior of the building, saying that not even the workers are permitted to take photos with camera phones.

Read the entire story in Sac Press.

More News:

Krush Burger food truck to open first restaurant in Sacramento River District - One of Sacramento’s favorite food trucks is expanding to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the River District north of downtown. Krush Burger – formerly the MiniBurger truck – is expected to open in the new California Lottery Headquarters at 700 North 10th St. sometime in December, owner Davin Vculek said. “It’s going to be our first restaurant,” he said. “That’s why we started this company: to build a quick-service restaurant.” Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.

Krush Burger: A 'new era' food truck with great food, prices - Krush Burger, owned and operated by Davin Vculek since 2011, is a convenient and portable food truck traveling around Sacramento. These miniature hamburgers became popular fast, causing the burger joint—formerly known as Mini Burger—to revamp its image as well as equipment, in March of this year. It came back as Krush Burger, a “new era” food truck fully equipped to fit their needs as well as their customers’. They have been so successful that they will be expanding the operation quite a bit come September. “We actually have another new truck that’ll be here in the next two weeks, and we also just broke ground on our first restaurant on Monday, which will open in mid-December,” Vculek said. Kaitlin Bruce in the State Hornet.

As the days have warmed up and the calendar has turned to May, Sacramentans rightly partake in a Springtime tradition -- drinking outdoors. But where can you eat and drink outdoors? The Sac Bee and Girls on the Grid have both come up with lists.

Oddly enough, there is no overlap between the two lists, but here are some of their suggestions I found particularly inspired.

From the Sac Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson:

Restaurant Thir13en (1300 H St., Sacramento) - A large, comfortable patio that's great for lunch, drinks after work, dinner or brunch. Take your pick. Lots of good stuff on the menus here, but the burger is incredible.

Magpie Cafe (1409 R St., Sacramento) - I often enjoy sitting at one of the few tables outside to enjoy the tremendous food here. You'll find good people watching, too, since this block of R Street has gone from dead to lively in recent years. One of my favorite spots in town.

Paesanos (1806 Capitol Ave., Sacramento) - Great little patio out front, where you can watch the foot traffic flow past. There has always been one notoriously "hot" table that is not protected by shade. It's practically glowing at lunchtime in the summer. Don't sit there!

Zocalo (1801 Capitol Ave., Sacramento) - The outdoor seating here is especially elegant at night. A great place to relax, look around and take in midtown.

From Girls on the Grid's Marlissa Hernandez:

Red Rabbit (2718 J Street) has two patios. The street patio is great for people watching. The back patio is a great place for private parties or date night. The stone fireplace, portable heaters, patio bar and charasmatic bartenders (so far all of them) make this a very inviting place. Their back patio, is only opened on weekends for now, but, as weather permits, they are hoping to have it open every night. They offer a seasonal menu and the drinks here are fantastic, try “for whom the bell tolls.” Some of my favorite menu items include the roasted beet carpaccio, the B.L.B and the moco loco.

Mix Downtown (16th and L Street) offers a chic and posh rooftop patio with an all-night happy hour on Thursdays! The patio has firepits, umbrellas and lounge seating. They offer handcrafted drinks, wine and beer. Although, they are known for their rooftop lounge, the food is also downright superb. They offer a variety of small plate dining that’s perfect for ordering for a group. Try their ahi tuna poke, flatbread, mac & cheese or tempura shrimp cocktail. Bonus: Music and dancing start after 9 p.m.

Golden Bear (2326 K Street) also offers a seasonal/unique menu, crafted beer, wine, cocktails and live music. Although they were featured in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, this is no dive. It is a simple on-street and covered patio. It’s a great place to relax and catch up with friends. Try their banh mi or pizza.

Read the entire lists in the Sac Bee, Girls on the Grid.

Photo via Zocalo's Facebook Page.

More News:

Cafe Bernardo Debuts New Downtown Location - Can’t get enough of Cafe Bernardo’s salmon BLT, grilled hanger steak or cornmeal waffle? Then you’ll be pleased to know that Sacramento’s Paragary Restaurant Group has opened up a brand new Cafe Bernardo on K and 10th streets, adjoined to their hip (also new) downtown lounge, KBAR. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Capitol Garage ranked in nation's 100 best brunches survey - Just check the late-morning restaurant lines on a given Sacramento weekend, and you'll see that this is a brunch kind of town. One popular spot also made the cut in an OpenTable survey listing the "Top 100 Best Restaurants for Brunch in the U.S." That would be the venerable Capitol Garage on 15th and K streets, which specializes in a range of eggs benedict dishes (a Sicilian style with pepperoni and mozzarella, pulled pork with bbq sauce), a fat brunch burrito and the perennial brunch favorite known as unlimited mimosas. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

The 15 most popular Sacramento happy hours of February 2012 on CowtownEats.com were: