Wicked 'Wich's location at the West Sac Community Center closed in late November, the City of West Sac newsletter announced recently.

Community Center Café Changes for the New Year
The owners of Wicked ‘Wich located inside the Community Center are closing current café operations as of November 23. The owners are looking at a new menu and format, and anticipate re-opening by January 19, when Los Rios College Spring Semester starts and the students return from break. Information on the new menu and format will be shared as it is received.

I reached out to Matt Chong of Team Broderick for more info, but he did not return an e-mail earlier in the week.

Team Broderick, formally known as Working Class Heroes, has been busy this year. They're currently working on working Saddle Rock, replacing Capital Dime at 1801 L Street. In recent months, they've opened a second Broderick Roadhouse at 18th & L and Localis at 21st and S. I have faith that they'll make good use of the West Sac space come January.

As a side note, chef Matt Cannedy left Wicked 'Wich in November and is now the Executive Sous Chef at Esquire Grill. That position became open when Chef Jason Azevedo was promoted to become Chef de Cuisine at Hock Farm.

* Photo via the Wicked 'Wich Facebook page.

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Temple, Old Soul land on Coffee Review best of the year list - Coffee Review has chosen its top 30 coffees of 2015, and four Sacramento-roasted batches made the list. Temple Coffee and Tea led the way at No. 6 with its Panama Don Pepe Estate Geisha Single-Origin Espresso. It was released back in October and received a 96-point rating. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Bad news for Mimi's Cafe fans - Mimi's Cafe is shuttering one of its Sacramento-area locations. The restaurant at 3511 N. Freeway Blvd. in Natomas will have its final day of business on Dec. 20, according to a spokeswoman for the company. The location opened in 2006. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Happy Hour Hound: Easy on I - If you spend enough time at neighborhood bar Easy on I, it will quickly start to become a place “where everybody knows your name.” Owners Mark and Carol Hoyt know all the regulars, always welcome new patrons and are always caught laughing behind their bar. It’s obvious that Mark and Carol have a love for what they do, which is running one of the best watering holes on I Street. They make the bar and grill, on the corner of 18th and I, seem more like your local hang out spot. Easy on I is a casual, low-key bar and grill that is perfect for a Friday night or Wednesday afternoon. It’s full of everything you want at your local bar: good beers, comfortable atmosphere, awesome food and friendly people. It’s the kind of bar that you can grab a drink, a bite to eat, and meet someone new sitting on the bar stool next to you. Amy Serna in Submerge Mag.

New future for former Italian deli in El Dorado Hills - The El Dorado Hills Town Center is getting another new restaurant. Rubio's Coastal Grill will fill a space previously occupied by Mama Ann's Deli & Bakery, which closed in October. Sonya Sorich in Sac News & Review.

Linden teen wins $10,000 on Food Network’s ‘Chopped Junior’ - The Food Network threw everything from orange push-ups to a vegetable sushi roll at 14-year-old Linden resident Elisabeth Watkins, but she kept her cool and came out a winner on a recent episode of “Chopped Junior.” Cathie Anderson in the Sac Bee.

Gina's Filipino Cafe, the first restaurant on the grid serving Filipino fare, opened for business on Monday at 1011 12th St.

Gina Ramirez, the eatery's owner, said in a short interview on Monday afternoon that she plans to serve lumpia (think egg rolls), embutido (a Filipino meatloaf) and pancit (Filipono rice noodles), among other items. It being her first day and apparently pretty early in the restaurant's planning process, details were still being nailed down, though she said that Filipino fare would likely start being served next week.

Ramirez also said that the restaurant plans to serve pastries and hot American and Filipino breakfast dishes.

From the outside, the previous restaurant's signage was still up, and there seemed to be little if any interior renovation work done.

The restaurant replaces 1011 12th Espresso Bar, which according to Yelp reviews, closed in May 2015.

After Espresso Bar closed, Ramirez said the building owner invited her to take over the space and open a restaurant. This is the Ramirez's first foray into the restaurant industry. Prior to owning Gina's Filipino Cafe, Ramirez worked as a realtor.

The restaurant seems to be a family affair, with Ramirez's son assisting her on their opening day.

In my discussions with her on Monday, it sounded like many of the details have yet to be finalized. However, I plan to support this small business as they get off the ground, and I look forward to another lunch option in that part of town.

Gina's Filipino Cafe is located at 1011 12th Street, and will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday.

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Going to Roseville's new Dunkin' Donuts? Read this first - Earlier this month, the company announced a Sept. 29 opening date for its new location at 5010 Foothills Blvd. But now, the opening has been pushed back until Oct. 6. Opening-day festivities begin at 5 a.m. and will include special events such as giveaways and a cup-stacking contest. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Favorite Sacramento Restaurants 2015 - When you are a food blogger, critic, or writer, the number one question has got to be, "What are your favorite restaurants in town?" To that end, I hereby submit my current list. The last time I did this was in 2011 and a lot has changed. In another 18 months, even more so with the 30-50 new restaurants expected thanks to the new arena. Catherine Enfield on Munchie Musings.

Haines brothers plan entertainment patio at new Pavilions restaurant - Sacramento restaurateurs Matt and Fred Haines are embarking on what might be their most ambitious project: a 3,600-square-foot eatery, called The Grove, with an equally large patio area at the Pavilions Shopping Center on Fair Oaks Boulevard. The brothers just signed a lease for the space and are excitedly talking about making it a regional draw as an entertainment locale as well as an innovative farm-to-fork dining spot. The projected opening date: March of next year. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

Sacramento's Best Patios - Hot August nights. Indian summers. Delta breezes. We have many reasons – and many seasons – to seek out the patio life in Sacramento. There’s a luxury and a freedom that comes with dining al fresco. You can laugh louder, hear one another, feel the sun (or the shade) and engage in some people-watching at the street happenings. Featuring Paragary's Restaurant, Temple Coffee, LowBrau, Coin Op and Oak Park Brewing Company. Michelle Labi-Klonecke on City Scout Mag.

Brew News - This week Ruhstaller reintroduces Hop Sac, its wet-hopped ale, to local markets like Nugget, Corti Brothers and the Davis Co-op. Produced annually, Hop Sac features two versions this year—one made with hops from its farm in Dixon and the other created with hops from Utterback Farm in Sloughhouse. Although they use the same recipe, each of the smooth, refreshing beers is distinct. In Sactown Magazine.

Chef Keith Breedlove, a chef about town who was recently the official State Fair Chef, will appear on FYI TV's Man vs. Child: Chef Showdown show on Thursday at 6 p.m. and again at 9 p.m. (depending on your cable feed).

In an episode titled "Viva La France," the episode description reads:

Culinary and literal giant, chef Keith Breedlove muscles his way into the kitchen to see what all the fuss is about. But when he squares off against 7 year-old chef Estie in the "Poulet-Trois" will he crow like the rooster? Or run away chicken? Legendary Master Chef, Ludo Lefebvre, joins to blind taste and judge the winner takes all final round.

You can find Chef Breedlove normally on his Culinerdy Cruzer. Late last year, the Sac Bee's Chris Macias wrote a great profile of him, detailing his journey as a chef and how he uses his Asperger's to his advantage.

These kids can out-cook any ordinary grownup, but can they face off against their favorite chefs? The competition is HUGE on an all-new #ManVsChild: Chef Showdown, Thursday at 9/8c!

Posted by FYI Television Network on Friday, August 21, 2015

You can find FYI TV on the following channels:

AT&T U-Verse: 1272
Comcast: 772
DIRECTV: 266
Dish: 119

For those who don't have cable (like me), Chef Breedlove is hosting a watch party at The Falls Event Center in Elk Grove at 5:30 p.m.. Click here for more details.

More News:

Local and seasonal: Chefs preview five-course menu for Tower Bridge dinner - With an emphasis on the region’s rich bounty and the crossover from summer into fall, chefs on Monday previewed the five-course menu for the eagerly anticipated Sept. 27 Tower Bridge dinner...A closely guarded secret for weeks, the menu promises to offer plenty of creativity, technique and variety, including a sturgeon pastrami with heirloom beets, endive and, yes, chicharones made with the skins of the fish that are fried until they are puffy and crisp and, we’re told, mouth-wateringly delicious. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

The Parlor Ice Cream Puffs - This popular ice cream shop, best known for its donut ice cream sandwiches, expanded to Roseville with a new location that opened Aug. 8. Larger than the original ice creamery in Arden-Arcade, the Roseville space includes a room for guests to reserve for special occasions and an airy interior with modern tiling and foliage spilling from planter boxes lining the light gray walls. In Sactown Mag. (Third Item.)

Bakers celebrate 25 years of a flourishing business - Walking into the Grateful Bread bakery is to become enfolded in an aromatic cloud of homey comfort. Is there a more enticing smell in the food world than freshly baked bread, or one more evocative of sweet childhood memories? The family-owned wholesale-retail bakery turns 25 this month, still occupying the same quarters in Loehmann’s Plaza that it did when husband-wife Joe and Dianna Artim mixed dough for their first loaves in 1990. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Beer Run: From IPAs to German brews, ‘The Beer Bible’ sets record straight - Whether you’re a bona fide beer geek, are studying to be a cicerone or simply want to know why your coolest friends always seem to be heading to a brewery taproom with their kids and dogs in tow, there’s a big new book that will enlighten and entertain you for 600-plus pages. There are plenty of good beer books out there, but none is as thorough, wide-reaching and accessible as “The Beer Bible” by Jeff Alworth (Workman, $19.95, 644 pages). Its publication is a big deal because, it turns out, the more you know about beer, brewing and the history, geography and culture of beer, the more likely you are to become a devoted beer lover. It’s a simple formula: More knowledgeable consumers will buy more good beer. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Drowning in ice cream and coffee - Is it really counterintuitive to make ice cream that doesn't contain any cow cream? Of course not; it is a deliciously wonderful idea, and the proof is in the affogato. The Italian treat of coffee and ice cream (which means “drowned” in Italian) gets the latter from Maiden Sacramento Ice Cream, the apparent dessert branch of the food tree whose canopy also contains Mother and the forthcoming Empress Tavern. Shoka in Sac News & Review.

Screen shot from Monday night showing restaurants giving discounts.

Requested App, by a team that includes Sonny Mayugba, a partner in midtown's Red Rabbit, recently launched version three of its restaurant app.

I asked him to help Cowtown Eats readers understand what the app does and how it works.

Here's an e-mail Q & A I did with Mayugba over the last week:

1. A third iteration of Requested was just released. How has the concept evolved over time and what does it do now?

Our core concept has not changed at all: we want to help independent merchants keep doing what they love and connect great customers to great places. However, the way we’ve tried to achieve this through the product has evolved like crazy!

First, we gave users the ability to name their own price in a Request and merchants the ability to approve or deny those Requests. People liked the concept, but the app was too complicated. We spoke with hundreds of users and restaurant partners, listened to their feedback, and simplified the experience. It is the best thing we’ve ever done. Now users view a selection of dynamically-priced table options they can book which vary in price depending on time of day.

That’s just the discovery side of the app, however. The real magic of Requested is in the dining experience itself. After your table is booked, you go to the restaurant and the host already knows your name. You get excellent service and when you’re done, you can just leave. The payment for your meal, including tip (a percentage you can adjust in the app during your meal), is calculated and handled through the app. You never have to worry about waiting for the check or calculating the tip, and we email you your receipt when you walk out the door.

The seamless payment system through Requested saves servers and diners an average of 10 minutes per table, and that really adds up. The other side of it is that our default tip percentage in the app is 20%, and while users can lower the tip amount, most do not. So the value of a customer using Requested is generally higher for servers, which makes for a better, happier experience all around.

While 20% may sound steep to some people (and like I said before, they can adjust the percentage), as someone who has worked in the restaurant industry for decades and now co-owns a restaurant, I believe that staff deserves that level of tipping, so I love that the app is inadvertently helping out some of the hardest-working people I know.

2. Why did you move away from some of the previous features?

Data and behavior. When you build a product or create anything - a song, a poem, a restaurant, a new car - you have preconceived notions on how people will react. And as entrepreneurs, we’re always too optimistic. And as founders, we all have two things in common: notions of what will work and things we want to build that will make our time spent meaningful. But those two things can be nebulous and shifting. The one factor we all can agree on is data.

We launched in March of 2015. And between then and now, we shipped a few cool features. But there were three glaring data points that caused us to pivot:

Thousands of people were starting requests, but only hundreds were sending them. Of the hundreds that were sending them, only 50% were getting their request accepted.

Forcing our restaurant partners to say “no”, even to a seemingly obvious ludicrous request, was damaging across the board.

We could dive deep for hours into this question, but those were the primary factors that caused us to look at changing how the app functioned. Everyone - foodies, restaurants, press and investors - really loves our concept. But in order to accomplish our goal of making the restaurants more busy and foodies happy, we had to do the following:

Move from ~15 taps, wait 10 minutes, get a no half the time…

to

Make the app two taps with an instant guaranteed yes every time.

And that’s exactly what we did.

3. What restaurants in Sacramento participate?

Independent, locally owned and operated places that are awesome. We curate our merchants. You can’t just sign up. You will not see a Subway, Panera or Wendy’s on Requested. I’m not against those places, I even love In N’ Out, but our mission is to grow the business of our independent restaurants without incurring any additional fixed costs. And we’re literally doing that and it’s providing true incremental margin to their bottom line.

With the success of our latest version of the app, we’re actually a little backlogged working to get a bunch of new places live! The best way to know which places are on Requested is to take out your phone and launch the app right now. Keep checking, because the list keeps growing.

4. How does the app know how much of a discount a restaurant is offering?

Some things need to remain a secret.

5. You guys are nice guys, but there must be something for you. What's the revenue stream

Awww, thanks! Of course there’s something in it for us, we need to be around forever and you can’t do that on nothing. Our app is 100% free to consumers and there is no upfront cost or fees to our merchant partners. However, when someone places a reservation and enjoys their experience, Requested receives a percentage. We’re like eBay and HotelTonight. We only get paid if both sides of our market are successful and happy.

6. Why should someone use the Requested App instead of some of the other reservation systems out there?

There are two key differentiators:

1. With Requested, you can get a table as usual, or get a table and score a discount on your entire bill, or score a hard-to-get table by paying a premium. We have dynamic pricing.
2. With Requested, you pay on your phone. So when you’re done, the total sales, along with your gratuity to the server, is processed through your phone. And that saves you and the restaurant 10 minutes. We're like uber for restaurants!

7. Who is behind this app?

Requested has 8 employees, four of which are founders and we’re all local to Sacramento:

Sonny Mayugba, Nichole Barnum, Jon Shumate, and Carlos Rivera are all founders. Dani Loebs heads up growth, Randy Balzarano heads up sales, Carlos Sola-Llonch is our Senior software developer and Katie Stein is our Merchant Ambassador. We also have a key Angel investor, Dave Pringle, who leads a lot of our structure and financial development and lead our first friends and family round of investment. We have an Advisory Board of amazing and active people. Our seed series round was led by Jason Calacanis, so we work closely with him and his tribe. Plus, we were funded by Social+Capital Partnership, so they weigh in on our development as well. We also have half a dozen part-time employees. We’re a small, scrappy team driven by a love of tech and restaurants and bars.

8. Is there anything else that I haven't asked that people should know about?

That’s a great question. I want our mission to be clear: we help high quality local businesses do what they love. So as we evolve, we are saluting this everyday.

On a fun note, something we’ve started with Requested that has been really fun are our happy hour parties. We partner with our restaurants and users every week or so to talk about the app, stay in the know about innovation and happenings in Sacramento and always keep the feedback and dialogue open with our users base. To find out more about our events, I’m just going to give a quick shout out to Like us on Facebook and subscribe to our events, because usually we give away free cash on the app.

One more thing! We have a pretty killer referral program built right in the app itself. Users can send $10 to their friends to try Requested, and if the friends use it, the user who sent the invite gets $10 dropped into their account as a thank you. So if you have a big social network and love Requested, we’ll pay you to spread the word.

Lastly, I encourage anyone and everyone to contact me directly. My cell is 916-320-3560 (text me) or email me at [email protected] or tweet me at @sonnymayugba. Most of all, thank you for all the support. -Sonny Mayugba

For Cowtown Eats readers who are just trying out the app, you can get a $10 credit by entering the by getting the app here. (Disclosure: I get $10 also when you get the free $10 in credit.)

The Requested Team is also holding a Happy Hour at Alley Katz on Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 6 to 9 p.m., where they'll give you a code for $5 (which is basically buying your first beer) and 15 percent off the rest of the night. Click here to register.

More News:

Meet the chefs working this year’s Tower Bridge Dinner - The chefs team for the Bridge Dinner: from left, Matt Azevedo (Z. Miller Meats), Vinnie Lazzaretto (Hook & Ladder), Brock MacDonald (Block Butcher Bar), Ravin Patel (Selland Family Restaurants), Oliver Ridgeway (Grange), Patrick Prager (Marriott Rancho Cordova), Bret Bohlmann (Boulevard Bistro) and Jim Mills (Produce Express). Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Bottle & Barlow's Jayson Wilde - Earlier this summer, bartender Jayson Wilde teamed up with barber Anthony Giannotti to open Bottle & Barlow, Sacramento’s first bar and barbershop under one roof. Wilde grew up near Natomas and learned the cocktail business as a bartender’s assistant at Shady Lady Saloon before going to work at San Francisco’s famed Bourbon & Branch. SF Weekly named him one of San Francisco’s new generation of bar stars when he was 28. Now 33, he’s back in his hometown, planting his craft-cocktail flag on the city’s white-hot R Street Corridor. Marybeth Bizjak in Sac Mag.

Pieology has quick, crispy pizza down to a science - The thin crust is perfectly crisp, with char visible on bottom, and tastes just salty enough to be memorable. There’s not enough material here to compare it with local craft pizza houses’ crusts, which tend to be larger. But crust crispiness remained consistent through the 10 Pieology pizzas we tried. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.

Temple Coffee & Tea - The local third-wave coffee mecca is taking its first step out of Sacramento and opened its doors in a new downtown Davis location on Aug.15. The interior will feature Japanese-inspired design with a 32-foot-long solid oak community table, thoughtful touches like a mid-century modern clock. In Sactown Mag. (Fifth Item.)

Bring the Funk - It looks like 9999 Thai-Laos Boat Noodle could still use more luck. On multiple visits, the spacious restaurant was completely empty, or contained just one other party. That meant more than 120 seats lay vacant, plus a large, desolate bar. A karaoke stage and its accompanying dramatic music videos hint at 9999’s potential as a nighttime destination. But for now, it’s just another undiscovered gem in south Sacramento. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

VIDEO: Lord of Rice - Finalists in Mikuni's Lord of Rice competition will go head-to-head to see who reigns supreme when it comes to rice. On Good Day Sac.

Original site site of planned The Bowl restaurant in March 2015. V. Miller Meats, a whole animal butcher, is still on track to open in the building.

The Bowl, a planned East Sac restaurant by owners of 33rd St. Bistro, the Haines brothers, is moving closer to 33rd St. Bistro, reports Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

Changes are afoot at the former Larry’s Comfort Shoes site at 48th Street and Folsom Boulevard, where developers planned to put in a butcher shop and a Haines brothers-operated eatery called The Bowl.

The butcher shop is still a go, according to Ken Fahn, a partner in a group that owns the building. But The Bowl will likely open instead at another Fahn-owned building at 32nd and Folsom.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

I've tried in previous months to get more information from SRO, the Haines brothers company, about the new restaurant, but they've always declined to elaborate. It appears that they're continuing to be coy, with the building's owner telling Shallit that the concept for the restaurant is "a trade secret."

* Updated references from Bistro 33 to 33rd St. Bistro.

More News:

Three new places to try: Coffee, hot dogs and ice cream doughnuts - Coffee, unique hot dogs and eclectic desserts are among the recent additions to the local dining scene. If you're ready to try something new, here are three noteworthy business openings. Featuring Totem Coffee Co., The Parlor's new Roseville location and Umai Savory Hot Dogs in Roseville. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

The Future of Farm-To-Table - Sacramento Public Library recently named “The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food” its 2015 One Book selection. In the book, author Dan Barber questions the farm-to-fork movement and raises a red flag about the American way of farming. A James Beard Award-winning chef and owner of two acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants (Blue Hill in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in upstate New York), Barber will be in town Oct. 6 for a library event. He recently talked with us by phone. Marybeth Bizjak in Sac Mag.

Local Eateries Celebrate Pear Month With Unique Dishes - Did you know that August is Pear Month in California? Farm-to-Fork restaurants in the Sacramento area are celebrating by offering 16 menu items highlighting California pears! Ten restaurants are participating in a Farm-to-Fork Pear Recipe Contest held by the California Pear Advisory Board in partnership with Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork program. Aimee Darville in Girls on the Grid.

Dining review: Brasserie Capitale off to promising start - Once Brasserie Capitale gets past its growing pains, it should become just as entrenched a presence on K Street as Ella, Esquire Grill or Mayahuel. The food’s already practically there, and the setting is so inviting that it’s a treat to spend a few hours in this brasserie. At least when that’s the plan. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.

Feast Q&A: Temple to open first shop in Davis - On a journey through Indonesia at the turn of the millennium, Sean Kohmescher became captivated by the ornate Buddhist temples he came across there – focal points of spirituality and community togetherness visited several times daily by members of its surrounding village to refuel, converse, pray, and read. In 2005, Kohmescher decided to introduce a touch of Southeast Asian tradition to Sacramento, opening Temple Coffee Roasters as a hub for rejuvenation, camaraderie and caffeine. Brenna Lyles in the Sac Bee.

Bob Simpson is a busy man.

In addition to being one of the men behind the new Malt & Mash Irish bar coming to 7th & K, he's also the driving force behind Rum Rok, a new tiki bar coming to 15th & H, reports Ben van der Meer in Sac Biz.

By year’s end, nightspot entrepreneur Bob Simpson plans to open a tiki-themed bar called Rum Rok in about 2,500 square feet at 15th and H...

But on a larger scale, Simpson said, he’s wants Rum Rok to be part of a Memorial Auditorium district of nightlife around the much-used edifice on J Street. In addition to Republic, there are plans for a new old-style beer hall concept at a former nightclub near the corner of J and 16th. There's also new housing in the works in three spots farther north on J, as well as at I and 15th streets. And a neighboring building to 805 15th, owned by the state, could become a state welcome center tied to the Governor’s Mansion on the same square block.

Read the entire story in Sac Biz Journal.

On its Web site, Rum Rok says it will have "drinks that will take you away. Tiki with 'tude. Rum Rok will bring you that tropical experience that will be like no other in Sacramento."

None of the previous night clubs at that location have been my scene. I'm excited to see what Simpson does with a tiki bar concept.

More News:

Twelve Rounds Brewing opened on Saturday in East Sac - “We’ll only have a couple of beers on tap, a pale ale and a Hefeweizen,” said Dan Murphy. “We’ve got more beers fermenting. We’ve got an IPA fermenting and this week we’re going to be making a stout.” In the months ahead, Twelve Rounds will also start a barrel-aging program. The plan is to have 12 beers on tap, as in Twelve Rounds. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Feast Q&A: Ryan Dye, founder of Midtown Jerky Co. - Taking a relatively minuscule piece of the jerky market is Ryan Dye, who started Midtown Jerky Co. of Sacramento two years ago. His three flavors are sold in 3.25-ounce foil packages with an image of the Tower Bridge ($7 to $8). The company’s motto: “Freshness plus quality equals awesome.” “You really don’t need a hook to set yourself apart,” said Dye, 33, who previously worked in restaurant management. “You just need to do something better than everybody else.” Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Southern and comfortable: Sarom’s Southern Kitchen - Overall, it’s best to stick to Sarom’s Southern food—especially the fried chicken and jambalaya. Though the other American dishes we tried might offer plenty of comfort for those who need it, they just didn’t have the technical flair or soulfulness of these two standout Southern staples. Jonathan Mendick in Sac News & Review.

Five things to know about Carmichael's Milagro Centre - What about The Rind? There was once speculation that The Rind, midtown Sacramento's artisan cheese-focused bar, would open a Milagro Centre location. It appears that won't happen. Sonya Sorich in the Sac Biz Journal.

Get your caffeine fix: Two new coffee shops to open soon - Good news for local caffeine addicts: Two additions to the local coffee scene plan to open in upcoming weeks. Temple Coffee's Davis location will hold its grand opening on Aug. 15. The store at 239 G St. is the fourth retail location for the locally owned company. Temple also has a store in the works at 22nd and K streets in midtown Sacramento. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

California's Austin, not The New Oakland.

That's how 7x7, a popular San Francisco's Web site that celebrates "trailblazing spirit and to maximize every moment in this magnificent place," describes Sacramento.

(FYI - The site's name is a reference to the roughly 49 square miles within San Francisco's borders.)

7x7 writer Garrick Ramirez is actually pretty spot on with his recommendations for those venturing from 90 miles down I-80.

Among his dining suggestions:

Preservation & Co: "Take home Sacramento-priced bottles of the shop's housemade sriracha, pickled beets, and the killer bloody mary mix that made them famous."

Ruhstaller: "The real joy comes from visiting their hop farm in nearby Dixon. Haybales, wooden spool tables, rustic shelters and sunset campfires lend a magical setting."

Coin-Op Game Room: "Old-school favorites like Roadblasters, Simpsons, and AC/DC pinball sport handy cup holders for the huge selection of craft beers."

Shady Lady Saloon: "Hidden inside a historic masonry building, this unpretentious cocktail bar plays up the city's Gold Rush past with bordello chic interiors."

Federalist Public House: "A lively crowd assembles for pizzas and pints at this modern beer garden comprised of white shipping containers, a bocce court and rooftop garden."

Also featured are Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates, Devine Gelateria, Bottle & Barlow, Temple Coffee and Hook & Ladder.

This is the second time in recent months that Sacramento has been featured by a SF-focused publication.

Read the entire story on 7x7.

More News:

Alcoholic boba tea now for sale at Lazi Cow in Davis - If you’ve ever wished you could get drunk on tapioca milk tea, get ready to find fulfillment in Davis. Lazi Cow (407 G Street) shut down for a few months this spring for a major remodel. The boba shop held its grand re-opening in June with cow print walls, a large cow sculpture that doubles as a bench, a swing—why not? Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Get ready for more doughnut ice cream sandwiches - The Parlor built a following -- so much, in fact, that this week the owners confirmed a Roseville location is in the works. It will be at 1490 Eureka Road, in the Eureka Ridge shopping center, and is scheduled to open in late July or early August. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Roseville tapioca shop closes - Fans of Tapioca Express in Roseville will have to get their fix elsewhere. A sign outside the store at 1132 Galleria Blvd. says it's "closing indefinitely" Thursday. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Dining review: In Roseville, ASR’s food does not match its ambition - Roseville’s ASR Restaurant & Lounge, which measures 11,000 square feet when counting a patio outfitted with cabanas and a VIP section, unfortunately leans more rule than exception. Though admirably thorough – open every day, the restaurant serves lunch, dinner and late-night bites – it falters at the detail level, on such key matters as flavor combinations and consistent service. Carla Meyer in the Sac Bee.

Fish Face kicks off Sacramento's poke trend - Fish Face is chiefly a to-go poke stand, inspired by the shops that dish out raw fish salad by weight in Hawaii. There, you’d stare at pre-made combinations—kimchi octopus, sesami tuna, spicy shrimp—before making a decision. At Fish Face, you build your own salad. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.