Bento Box, located kitty corner to Monsoon at 16th & K, opened for business yesterday, reports Mark Anderson in the Sac Biz Journal.

Bento Box has locations at 65th St. and Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento and in Loehmann’s Plaza. It serves Japanese and Korean cuisine.

The downtown location will have the same menu as the other two — but it will also have a full liquor license, a to-go window on the K Street side of the building and some Chinese dishes, Mueller said.

The restaurant will be across the street and a half-block away from both Sapporo Grill and Mikuni Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, which are also large Japanese cuisine restaurants.

Read the entire story in the Sac Biz Journal.

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Top Picks: Sacramento Beer Week 2013 - From Midtown Cocktail Week to Bacon Fest, there’s no shortage of crazy fun events and festivals around town. The 4th annual Sacramento Beer Week is no exception (like them on Facebook and Twitter). It’s one glorious week where restaurants and bars celebrate the hops culture – not to mention all of our region’s breweries...There are literally hundreds of events. Realizing that no one has the time (or liver fortitude) to cover them all, we wanted to share our top picks. On Girls On The Grid.

Submerge Your Senses: 2013 Beer Week Edition! Feb. 22–March 3 • Part 1 - Whereas Christmas only lasts one day, Sacramento Beer Week lasts 10 whole days! That’s a week-plus of beer, food, beer, entertainment and beer (glorious beer). This year’s Beer Week will see local bars and restaurants hosting a variety of events—way too many to list here—but here are a few that we think you’d be crazy not to check out. For a full listing, go to Sacramentobeerweek.com! In Submerge Mag.

Close observers of Sac Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson will know (at least) three things about him. 1. He loves coffee. (Check out his homage to the aero press.) 2. He is on a mission to bake the perfect sourdough loaf. 3. He loves playing with his dog on the banks of the river. (You'll know these last two by following him on twitter, @BlaRob.)

Given his love for the java, he's gone and ranked the top independent coffee joints in town, including favorites like Old Soul and Temple, newcomers Broadacre and Insight, and a half dozen more.

Click here to read his survey of the independent coffee scene, and click here to read his rankings, in the Sac Bee.

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Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar opens in former Red Lotus - The color's still red in the middle block of J street between 27th and 28th streets in midtown, but now it's a rabbit holding fort. Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar recently opened at 2718 J St., the former site of Red Lotus which shut down in September after a year and-a-half of operating. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

Beer Week tightens scope as the pour goes on - We're getting ready for the third annual Sacramento Beer Week, a celebration of all things beer that remains ever popular. [Friday] though March 4 – which is technically 10 days – roughly 300 events will flow around the area in honor of Sacramento Beer Week. Some of them are pint night specials at the local pub, while others involve bus tours, classes, beer dinners and even a skee-ball tournament. Chris Macias in the Sac Bee.

In this month's Sac Mag, their Dollar Wise Gourmet talks about turning happy hour into a full meal.

Fun fried finger foods are still traditional happy hour grub. But these days, happy hour is being redefined, with some menus featuring such fare as grilled chicken skewers, flatbread and hummus, even salads. (Yes, really.) With some careful ordering, it adds up to a meal—not to mention a steal of a deal. Here are four local examples, tested in each case by a pal and me. (In other words, everything serves two.)

In her story, she featured Paul Martin's American Bistro, 3 Fires Lounge, Lucca Restaurant & Bar and Piatti Ristorante & Bar. Read Cathy Cassinos-Carr's entire article in Sac Mag.

Let me give you a few more of my recommendations:

• Morton's: This happy hour isn't cheap. But I love their three sliders for $7 during happy hour. A full meal.
• Gallagher's: For those whow want to spend a little less, they have one steak slider and a couple steak fries for just $2.

That's just a couple that I've done recently, but certainly not a comprehensive list. Do you have a favorite happy hour that's a meal replacement? Leave your ideas in the comments below..

Jimboy's in Folsom to give away tacos - The refurbished Jimboy's Tacos restaurant at 708 E. Bidwell St. in Folsom will celebrate its "grand reopening" on Saturday with free tacos. Officials of the Roseville-based company said the outlet will give two ground beef tacos to every person stopping by from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. that day. Mark Glover in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento Beer Week Highlights From Scott Executive Director, Sacramento Beer Week - The third annual Sacramento Beer Week gives you the opportunity to try hundreds of beers from your backyard and from around the world from February 24 to March 4.  This year is marked by several additions to the family of Sacramento breweries and a number of larger events catering to thirsty beer fans from Sacramento and beyond. Here is a selection of Beer Week highlights – go to SacramentoBeerWeek.com for the full schedule – or download the SBW mobile app to guide you to more than 300 unique events including food and beer pairings, brewery showcases, pub crawl, beer fests and more! In Midtown Monthly.