Red Rabbit joining forces with a new brewery to be located on Antique Row in East Sac (near Evan's Kitchen), reports the Sac Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson.

Mayugba, bartender Matt Nurge and chef John Bays are new partners in Twelve Rounds Brewing Co., which is expected to open in September on 57th Street in East Sacramento (AKA Antique Row). Daniel Murphy and wife Elle Murphy mapped out the business plan and set the brewery in motion, but they realized they needed more expertise on the food side of their business, which will feature a full kitchen and restaurant program.

"They had this idea to open a place and they needed someone to run the kitchen, but they didn't know how to get it done," Mayugba told me. "We had this really good meeting and I really like what they are doing. I love everything they stand for."

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

* Updated at 12:30 on Friday, 7/26 after the Sac Bee's blogs started working again.

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Plates2Go Helps Local Women Get Back on Their Feet - Another new restaurant joins the growing Midtown food scene: Plates2Go, a quick, take-out lunch spot located at 1725 L Street, held its soft opening yesterday...We checked them out yesterday and were pleasantly surprised. The customer service is beyond amazing – all of the ladies took the time to double check our orders, crack jokes and ask how are day was. The menu is basic but fresh and delicious. They currently have six salad options: “create your own,” Organic Greens (from Feeding Crane Farms), Midtown Baby Spinach, CalMex Garden, Asian Chicken and Traditional Caesar. Their sandwich options currently include: Spicy Greek Veggie, Albacore Tuna Salad, Fresh Grilled Chicken Brest, Smoked Turkey BLT Club and Black Forest Ham & Brie. On Girls on the Grid.

Wine Release Party at Revolution Wines on Sat, July 27 - Revolution Wines is celebrating the release of two new wines: their 2012 Albarino (a crisp white wine) and their 2011 Celeste (a red blend), on Saturday, July 27, 2013. There will be complimentary tastings starting at 12 p.m., and you can also purchase a special dish prepared by Chef Rachel that pairs with each wine. At 6 p.m. there will be live music on the patio. On Submerge Mag.

JR's Texas BBQ will close 2 out of its 3 locations, with its original location in South Sac remaining open, reports Mark Glover in the Sac Bee.

According to a Facebook posting, the restaurants at 3445 El Camino Ave. and 232 Jibboom St. closed Saturday...

On Saturday, the restaurant's Facebook page posted a message that said "it's a sad, sad day for us at JR's Bar-B-Que. We hope you will come see us at 180 Otto Circle. Thank you all for the great run."

A Feb. 28 post cited "the economy and the (rising cost) of doing business."

This comes after an early January announcement that the business was in trouble, and a subsequent announcement that additional sales and a business loan kept the restaurant afloat.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee and see additional coverage on KCRA.

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Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos debut a day early - Fans of Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos line won’t have to wait until Thursday for the debut of the Cool Ranch flavor of the taco shell. After months of building anticipation for the new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, which are scheduled to debut nationwide on Thursday, Taco Bell said Tuesday that the new product will be available a day early for social media fans. Lisa Jennings on Nation's Restaurant News.

Sacramento's Revolution Wines: More Than Just a Tasting Room - I stopped into Revolution Wines this week to sample a selection of the urban winery’s products, but was sidelined by a persistent grumbling in my tummy. Remembering that Revolution also offered an innovative menu of nibbles, I checked out the kitchen’s daily lineup. The dishes all sounded enticing – from the Portobello French dip (stacked on a Cajun aioli-slathered torpedo bun and served up with mushroom jus) to the rustic duck confit and hot Italian sausage cassoulet. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

It's not often that a chain restaurant that you probably already eat at has a half off Groupon so you can save money on food you were probably going to buy anyway. Fortunately, if you have a hankering for half off Mexican food, today's your lucky day.

• $7 for $14 at Jimboy's Tacos' 16 locations. Offer expires on Sunday.

More Deals:

• $12 for $25 at Sandra Dee's BBQ at 15th & F. Offer expires on Thursday.
• $20 for $40 at Revolution Wines at 29th & S. Offer expires today.
• $5 for $10 at Midtown Village Cafe. Offer expires on Monday.

Looking for more deals like this? Check out the Cowtown Eats guide to saving 50 percent at good restaurants.

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.

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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.

Revolution Wines has been a great addition to midtown. In the last couple months, they've moved to a larger venue and started to add more dining options, expanding from offering just small plates to full entrees. Sacramento Bee restaurant critic Blair Anthony Robertson checks in on how their restaurant is doing.

It had been many months since we first tried the bistro, and my recent visits reminded me why we had not stopped in more often – the self-imposed limitations placed on the restaurant tend to impose limitations on the dining experience.

There's not enough there there. Not yet, at least.

The menu is small, and though some of the dishes have a creative flourish or edgy underpinning, the thinking and execution don't go far enough to distinguish the cuisine.

After several meals, as tasty as some of the food may have been I began to wonder if the kitchen did more smoking and pickling than actual cooking over heat.

Revolution is up against some serious competition. The restaurant category in which it finds itself – casual setting, serious food with meals under $20 – is replete with bona fide heavy-hitters such as Juno's Kitchen and Selland's Market-Cafe.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

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Monsoon - So it’s interesting to stumble across a place like Monsoon, located along 16th Street’s well-trafficked, hip restaurant row. This lovely, contemporary spot specializes in traditional Indian food with a modern touch, but it’s hardly a diamond in the rough. Occupying the space last housing Spin Burger Bar and, before that, Bistro 33, Monsoon is striking and tastefully decorated, with intriguing artwork, beautiful light fixtures, industrial steel beams, exposed ductwork and concrete floors. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Davis Resident Redefines Popsicles - Everyone loves a pop, especially 30-year-old Davis resident Sarah Stewart. Last year, Stewart started a new popsicle food cart business with three other partners, including her brother, turning fresh, local ingredients into frozen, gourmet desserts. With more than 70 vegan and gluten-free flavors—from the exotic Bangkok Night Market to Dark Chocolate Sea Salt—Pop Nation is redefining the beloved summertime treat. Jennifer K. Morita on Davis Patch.

A fusion of Korean and Mexican cuisines launched the current food truck craze. A Sacramento restaurant tries to see if it will help launch their brick and mortar eatery, reports Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.

The old gas station on the corner of Alhambra Boulevard and T Street is scheduled to open next week as Tako Korean BBQ, selling tacos and burritos with a Korean flair.

“It’s really big in L.A., and we wanted to bring the concept up here,” co-owner Alex Won said Monday. “We’ll have beef, pork and chicken with a Korean sauce and slaw on tortillas.”

Initially, they'll be open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., but if there's demand, they're open to being a place for late night eats.

Read the entire story in Sac Press. Find outmore about Tako Korean BBQ on Facebook.

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Revolution Wines expanding food menu in Midtown - Revolution Wines is stepping up its game when it comes to food, adding Executive Chef Darren Thompson to the staff and rolling out larger portions of food, with an eye to expanding the kitchen within the year. “Instead of just small plates, we’re going to be doing more entrée-size portions,” Thompson said. Brandon Darnell in Sac Press.

Dig in - At the end it’s hard to begin. First and foremost, next week there will be a new guide on this ever-changing, always-captivating tour of the capital’s culinary creativity. This new guide may even like broccoli, shun fiery flavors and never bask in the warm afterglow of dim sum sluttiness. Vive la différence! Celebrate variety. It’s difficult to describe how enriching, educational and eye-opening this experience has been—one wonderful discovery after another. It began shortly before Thanksgiving 2008, with the oddest job interview in a 25-year-plus writing career. Greg Lucas in Sac News & Review.

Bacon and Butter, the new brunch-focused restaurant by chef Billy Zoellin, opened over the weekend, reports Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee.

Zoellin revealed that he's worked up recipes for blue corn dogs, chorizo and egg pancakes, and a fried green tomato salad made in the Caprese style. As for that blue corn dog, it gets its color from blue corn meal, and those tiny dark flecks are roasted pasilla peppers. Not all these items will be on the debut menu, he said. To get them, you'll have to keep coming back.

One perception Zoellin is trying to nix: "A lot of people think, 'Oh, Bacon and Butter, they are a greasy spoon, so you don't want to eat there too much.' We're actually quite the opposite. We'll have homemade biscuits and bacon, of course. But we'll also have things you can eat every day, like oatmeal made from scratch and muesli."

The 28-year-old Zoellin expects a crowd Sunday, and although he plans to regularly close at 2:30 p.m., he'll stay open until everyone gets a meal. Zoellin said he'll be operating with temporary registers because his checkout system won't arrive for a couple of weeks.

Bacon and Butter will be closed today to determine what went right during their opening and what improvements need to be made, but the restaurant is expected to reopen on Tuesday.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

Find them online at their Facebook page.

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Counter Culture: Capitol Dawg going for Guinness title of priciest hot dog - Mike Brown is reinventing the hot dog. Again. Since opening Capitol Dawg four years ago, he has created 29 styles of wurst (and two luscious pastrami sandwiches), named mostly with local references in mind. The River Dawg, the Tower Dawg, the Mayor Johnson/Kings Dog, like that. Each gets its identity from various mixes of toppings, available in a dizzying variety. Now Brown is set to take away the Guinness World Records' World's Most Expensive Hot Dog title from DougieDogs in Vancouver, which took it from Serendipity in New York. DougieDogs' Dragon Dog (after the Year of the Dragon) is a foot-long bratwurst injected with century-old $2,000-a-bottle Louis XIII cognac, and topped with lobster, Kobe-style beef cooked in truffle and olive oils, and a proprietary "picante sauce." It sells for $100. The Haute Dog at Serendipity costs $69. Brown's California Capitol City Dawg will be priced at $145.49, a seemingly ridiculous sum until you hear the list of ingredients and learn that a third of its sales will benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Ettore's is good; adjustments would make it better - It's easy to like Ettore's European Bakery & Restaurant because the folks there keep it simple. You walk in, you order, you sit down, you eat. Along the way, there may be a few bumps in the road, especially for the uninitiated. The food is largely straightforward and the setting relaxed, with a low-key, unpretentious vibe permeating the room. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.