Cowtown Eats first brought you a sneak peek at Meet & Eat, a new Curtis Park restaurant by the owners of Cafe Dantorels, last week.

Since then, it's held its soft opening.

Sac Biz Journal's Sonya Sorich paid a visit took a look at the menu:

The current menu, which displays words such as "artisan" and "organic," features a variety of interesting options. Morning selections range from french toast ($10) to breakfast tacos ($12). Later in the day, a "taco bar" option features three tacos served with tortilla chips for $13 to $15.

There's an assortment of salads, burgers and sandwiches as well. Many include unique twists, such as the veggie sandwich ($13) that filled with beets and eggplant and served with fries. The salmon salad ($13) is equally intriguing, as its toppings include paprika-filled green olives.

Read the entire story in Sac Biz Journal.

The Sac Bee's Bob Shallit also has a couple more details on the place:

The plan is to offer “high-end” burgers and tacos, salads and a lot more. Breakfasts, traditional and European style, also will be served. Once its alcohol permit is awarded, the restaurant will have 24 craft beers on tap along with a diverse wine selection.

Read the entire article in the Sac Bee. (Third item.)

From what I hear, the liquor license will be in place before Thanksgiving. I look forward to giving the place a try.

Meet & Eat is located at 3445 Freeport Blvd.

More News:

Paragary’s marketing chief moves to start-up - Long-time Paragary’s marketing director Callista Polhemus has a new gig. Starting Monday, she’s taking over promotion duties for Requested, a start-up launched by Sonny Mayugba, her one-time boss at the Paragary Restaurant Group. Bob Shallit in the Sac Bee.

So bubbly: High Mountain Tea Creama, ShareTea Davis - Because it's from the birthplace of boba, we expect Taiwanese company ShareTea to craft pretty legit tapioca drinks, even amid its rapid expansion across the United States. Luckily, the Davis post meets those lofty expectations. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Sienna New American Grill - This elegant El Dorado Hills restaurant, which offers over 20 bourbon options on its menu, is hosting its first Bourbon Dinner Nov. 19 with a lavish four-course meal and drink pairings. Heather Kemp and Johanna Pugh in Sactown Magazine. (Fourth Item.)

Happy Hour Hound: Club Pheasant - I can easily see myself heading to West Sacramento for happy hour or a proper dinner at Club Pheasant in the near future. While I was there I overheard customers raving about the lamb stew and steak sandwiches, both of which I’m excited to try. Club Pheasant’s happy hour is Tuesday through Friday from 4 p.m.–6 p.m. Ronnie Cline in Submerge Mag.

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.

Thousands of words have been written about Randy Paragary over the last few weeks with the debut of his namesake restaurant Paragary's Midtown. But none is as good, revealing or complete as this article recently posted by Sactown Mag.

Here's a tidbit from Patrick Mulvaney:

And the learning didn’t stop when they left. Patrick Mulvaney says that he turned to Paragary frequently when he first started his own celebrated establishment Mulvaney’s B&L. “The first couple of years I would call and say, ‘Hey, I need help.’ The phone call was always returned promptly and he’d say, ‘Here’s the answer’ or ‘This is a big one—come down to Esquire and you buy the wine and I’ll buy dinner.’ ” That, he adds, is how Paragary deals with all his workers when they move on.

“He does have a kindness that not everyone is aware of,” says Spataro. “Usually, you see it when individuals ask for help. They might be employees, they might be friends, whatever. He can be kind and generous in that way. A lot of people don’t see that because he doesn’t make a big deal about it.”

That mentoring and largesse has pushed him to be called the godfather of Sacramento’s ever-growing restaurant culture enough times to make the moniker stick.

If you want to know why the dining scene is the way it is in Sac, read the entire story by Anita Chabria.

They also have a great infographic of the Paragary "coaching tree" and how he's touched so many restaurants in Sacramento.

More News:

Booze coming to another theater - Alcohol might be coming to the movie theater at Folsom's Palladio at Broadstone. The theater, Palladio 16 Cinemas, has applied for a license to sell beer and wine, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Potted plant desserts are a thing you can now buy in Sacramento - It may look like a shovel plunging through a potful of dirt—disturbing whatever green thing is trying to grow—but it’s actually tiramisu. With a shovel-looking spoon. Yeah. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

The Firehouse Restaurant - Life just got a little sweeter at The Firehouse Restaurant, which unveiled three new desserts on June 5 created by pastry chef Kam Golightly, who joined the Old Sacramento establishment in April and whose résumé includes stints at Oakland’s Oliveto Restaurant & Cafe and Yountville’s Redd (which Esquire magazine listed as one of the best new restaurants in the country in 2006). Tori Masucci Cummins & Jessica Rine in Sactown Mag. (Fourth Item.)

Public House Theater was forced to close the theater portion of its operations just before they celebrated their first anniversary, they announced on Facebook on Friday.

Sac News & Review's Janelle Bitker has more:

Someone anonymously tipped the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation that Public House was operating illegally, according to co-owner Norma Ward.

Ward said she had been trying to get the appropriate licenses for the past year, but “it’s been a process.”

Read the entire story in Sac News & Review.

However, fans of eating and drinking while dining still have other options while Public House Theater gets the proper permits. They can head out to Rocklin's Studio Movie Grill, which I found to be the most comfortable movie watching experience I've ever had, or wait a while for K Street's Crest Theater to serve food, which is planned after Empress opens.

More News:

Insight Coffee, Magpie Café and others readying to open in new 16 Powerhouse building - As the construction of midtown’s 16 Powerhouse residential and retail complex nears completion after two years, the next several weeks will usher in a slew of business openings along the 16th Street corridor. Insight Coffee Roasters, Magpie Café, Sun & Soil Juice Company and Orchid Thai are building out their respective ground-floor spaces in the new building, which overlooks Fremont Park at the intersection of 16th and P streets. The projected April and May openings follow delayed debuts previously scheduled for December and January. Jessica Rine in Sactown Mag.

Craft beer comes to Fair Oaks - Options for craft beer fans in the Sacramento region continue to increase. One of the newest additions, Fair Oaks Brew Pub, officially opened Wednesday. Located at 7988 California Ave. in Old Fair Oaks Village, the brewery serves craft beer, wine and food. Its menu focuses on pizzas, salads and cured meats and cheeses. A full menu will be available. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

The Trade and its Blue Bottle coffee opens in Midtown - Famed Bay Area coffeehouse Blue Bottle can now be consumed in Midtown. Kind of. The Trade Coffee & Coworking, a coworking office space slash cafe, opened yesterday at 2220 K Street. And the cafe portion proudly carries Blue Bottle Coffee beans, with Blue Bottle-trained baristas. Janelle Bitker in Sac News & Review.

Egg-ceptional Easter brunches in and around Sacramento - Planning to gather the family and friends for Easter brunch? From croque Suzannes to French toast pies, we've got nine egg-cellent ways to celebrate the holiday on April 5. Featuring Fabian's Italian Bistro, The Firehouse, Formoli's Bistro, Grand Island Mansion, Grange, Hawks, Hyatt Sacramento, Original Pancake House and Ten 22. Jason Pham and Jessica Rine in Sactown Mag.

Mark your calendars, food truck fans! April 25 is MoFo 8! More details here http://t.co/1OVLbKYhH6 pic.twitter.com/G8kqLLPkV1

— SactoMoFo (@SactoMoFo) March 29, 2015

SactoMoFo 8, featuring 35 trucks and a beer garden, will be held at 6th & W (the spot of the Sunday's farmers market) on Saturday, April 25 from 2 t o 9 p.m.

Parking will be $5, or free with a canned good or other non-perishable food item for the Sac Food Bank.

In previous years, the event was focused on the lunch crowd. This year, they've switched to serve the afternoon and evening crowd.

The food truck line up includes:

• Kokio Republic (Bay Area)
• Koja Kitchen (Bay Area)
• The Chairman (Bay Area)
• Frozen Kuhsterd (Bay Area)
• An the Go (Bay Area)
• El Porteno (Bay Area)
• Cichy Co.
• Smokin Hot Pizza
• Addy’s Paella
• Brunch Boys
• Bacon Mania
• Chando’s Tacos
• Hefty Gyros
• Costa’s Kettle Corn
• Cruzin’ Crustacean
• Drewski’s Hot Rod
• Fuzion Eatz
• Gameday Grill
• Green Papaya
• The Culinerdy Cruzer
• Happy Cow
• Krush Burger
• La Mex Taqueria
• Simply Southern
• Slightly Skewed
• Smokers Wild
• Smoothie Patrol
• Dogtown Dog’s
• The Flavor Face
• Wandering Boba
• Luciano’s Scoop
• Sweet Spot
• Dave Pops
• Rich’s Ice Cream
• Frenchy’s Waffles
• Local Kine

SactoMoFo launched its very first Sacramento Mobile Food Festival in 2011, with an event at Fremont Park that drew more than 10,000 visitors. While SactoMoFo organizes events several times a week, those events (like the Tuesday events at 15th & Capitol) usually only feature a handful of trucks. Their signature SactoMoFo event brings dozens of trucks together - including many from outside the area.

For more information, visit http://sactomofo.com/sactomofo8/.

* Headline has been corrected to reflect the correct month.

More News:

Sacramento’s baseball history now in the Limelight - Sacramento’s Limelight now shines brighter. And this longtime establishment’s own spotlight celebrates Sacramento’s sporting past — including a special baseball reunion. Debbie Arrington in the Sac Bee.

Jackrabbit to open its West Sac taproom - Jackrabbit Brewing (1323 Terminal St., West Sacramento) is having a two-day grand opening of its long-awaited taproom from 5 to 9 p.m. April 3 and from noon to 9 p.m. April 4. Jackrabbit is the work of four ambitious home brewers who took their passion for beer to the professional level. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Duke’s Plates & Pints: Bites, brews and bros - Overall, the spot seems to be off to a good start. We liked that we could sample some somewhat local beers (like several from Healdsburg’s Bear Republic Brewing Co. and a few selections from Auburn’s Common Cider Co.). The limited food menu is pretty good overall, with the clear standouts being the burger and the sausage plate. It’s definitely a nice spot for anyone in the Arden Park neighborhood to bike to for a beer and bite. Jonathan Mendick in Sac News & Review.

Corner Bakery Cafe opening soon in Natomas - Texas-based Corner Bakery Cafe is preparing to open its first location in the Sacramento region. The restaurant in Natomas will open on March 30. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

Status of restaurant on Monday afternoon in January.

Paragary's Bar & Oven has delayed its reopening until April, reports the Sac Biz Journal's Mark Anderson.

Paragary's Bar and Oven, the namesake restaurant in restaurateur Randy Paragary's local culinary empire, is just starting to be put together again as a new restaurant. A remodel of the old building at 28th and N streets in midtown Sacramento was supposed to go down to the studs...

Paragary, who has opened and remodeled restaurants for years, says it will be open in April for dinner service. A couple weeks later it will start serving lunch and Sunday brunch.

Read the entire story in the Sac Biz Journal.

It's not unusual for restaurant construction (or really any construction) to face delays. In mid-January, the Paragarys team told Cowtown Eats that the expected to reopen the restaurant in March. Before that, they had hoped to be open in January 2015. The original plan when they closed in February 2014 was to be closed 2 months.

Whenever Paragary's does finally reopen, I look forward to paying their remodeled digs a visit.

More News:

Pangaea raises its game to stay among city’s best pubs - The addition of Venditti nearly a year ago, just as the competition was starting to gain on Pangaea, has made this charming neighborhood beer destination something exciting and special all over again. It’s still a tremendous place to enjoy craft beer, even if the acoustics can make meaningful conversation a challenge at times. But now it’s a real restaurant, with a menu that will appeal to all kinds of folks, from foodies to fussy eaters. Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Dragas Brewing prepares to open in Rocklin - A new microbrewery in Rocklin wants to separate itself from the traditional bar scene -- so much, in fact, that it includes purse hooks for its female guests. "We wanted to make something that was women-friendly," said Dan Acuff, chief operations officer for Dragas Brewing Industries Inc. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

California Craft Beer Summit & Brewers Showcase - Sacramento will welcome craft beer enthusiasts and beer masters from across the state at the California Craft Beer Summit and Brewers Showcase on September 11 and 12, during Farm-to-Fork week. This first-of-a-kind event will provide a chance for brewery owners, beer lovers and home brewers to experience a hands-on education on the craft brewing process, from farm to glass. Leia Ostermann on Girls on the Grid.

10 Sacramento restaurants that keep their eyes on the fries - My fellow restaurant reviewer Blair Anthony Robertson and I see a whole lot of fries in our travels. We consulted to come up with a few we find most intriguing. We rated them on appearance, texture and flavor, with a possible 10 points in each category for a possible total of 30 points. Allen Pierleoni & Blair Anthony Robertson in the Sac Bee.

Krush Burger plans Rocklin restaurant - Krush Burger is expanding its reach with an upcoming Rocklin location, which will be the company's fourth restaurant in the Sacramento region. The new restaurant will cover 2,500 square feet in Rocklin's Blue Oaks Marketplace on Lonetree Boulevard, according to Krush Burger co-owner Davin Vculek . It's expected to open by late April. Sonya Sorich in Sac Biz Journal.

#StandWithInsight @insightcoffee pic.twitter.com/pZpvn7vVvj

— Cowtown Eats (@CowtownEats) February 12, 2015

For the last month or two, a local carpenters union has spent day after day picketing Insight Coffee and Magpie Cafe for being the future tenants of Powerhouse 16, which the union says isn't paying high enough wages. (Representatives of Powerhouse 16's contractors deny that assertion.)

Since Cowtown Eats first wrote about this issue, other reporters have also covered the story.

First, Ryan Lillis in Monday's Sac Bee:

Magpie and Insight aren’t building their new digs; they’ll simply be tenants. Bay Miry, the developer building 16 Powerhouse, said the project didn’t receive big public subsidies and therefore wasn’t required to use union labor. But he said his workers are getting “standard market-rate wages” and are being treated fairly.

The union isn’t buying it. In a lengthy written statement, Scott Littlehale, a Local 46 spokesman, said Insight and Magpie haven’t demanded that carpenters building the new shops get paid wages and benefits meeting area standards. “The people who construct the buildings that are the bones of our community won’t sit idly and watch the middle-class American dream slip away,” he wrote.

Read the entire story in the Sac Bee.

Sac News & Review's Jordan Venema covers some of the customer reaction.

It is questionable whether or not the Local 46 demonstrations effectively communicate the wider issue, let alone the issue at hand, which involves 16 Powerhouse. When Local 46 claims that businesses like Insight and Magpie are morally and economically responsible for contractors to provide standard area wages, it raises the question: What are the degrees of separation between a business and its responsibility for standard area wages?

Because Magpie and Insight are popular locally owned businesses, images of the Grim Reaper picketing their storefronts began showing up on Facebook and Twitter last week. “There is a court of public opinion, and we believe that 98 percent of people are in our camp,” Ryan said of the conversation on social media....

A few blocks away on Tenth Street, local photographer and downtown Insight regular Nicholas Wray stood out front with union protesters for hours last week, holding a sign that read “I [heart] Insight.”

Read the entire article in Sac News & Review.

Now, fellow restaurants have taken to social media to show their support for Magpie Cafe and Insight Coffee.

We <3 Insight & Magpie is not a crime #sacramento #picketers http://t.co/RpdoHgtsSU

— HOT ITALIAN (@hotitalianpizza) February 12, 2015

@MagpieCafeSacto @hotitalianpizza #grouphug

— Mother (@MotherSac) February 12, 2015

I went to Insight Capitol Cafe to show my support for them on Thursday, and I'm going to try to get a seat at Magpie for dinner on Friday. If you can, you should support these two local business too.

More News:

Sacramento Bee readers name their own ‘Tater Tops’ - Sacramento can’t get enough french fries, it seems, a snack that has become a cultural icon in a myriad of styles. Everyone, of course, has a favorite...Meanwhile, here’s a sampling of readers’ french-fry recommendations: Jacks Urban Eats, Lobrau, Willie's, Capitol Garage, Buggy Whip & Adamo's. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.

Refreshing Find: Locally Crafted Silk Road Soda - Roseville’s Silk Road sodas were inspired from traditional Persian family recipes, and the company likes to refer to them as “Mediterranean refreshers.” Light and gently carbonated, the sodas boast clear, pure flavors of cucumber (really—and it’s delicious), fruity pomegranate, and palate-enlivening mint, with just enough sweetness to enhance the flavors, not smother them. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Sophisticated Farm-to-Fork Fare at The Firehouse - Sacramento is home to a number of talented, innovative chefs whose menus are a flavorful celebration of our region’s agricultural bounty. Some of the most dazzling and sophisticated farm-to-fork cuisine in the city can be found at The Firehouse in Old Sacramento, where chef Deneb Williams is plating up an enticing array of seasonally inspired dishes. Kira O'Donnell in Sac Mag.

Liquidology: Sacramento’s newest juice shop - I dropped by Liquidology – Sacramento’s  newest juice shop last week, just before their grand opening celebration. Located on H street at 46th, Liquidology serves local, organic cold pressed juices and a raw foods menu made by Chef Brooke of Green Boheme. Julie and Jeff, the owners, were wonderfully sweet and friendly. They prepared a flight of juices for me, which will also be available at the shop.  They were amazing. Lots of interesting combinations and spicy nuances. I particularly enjoyed the less fruity ones – because I’m that girl who is watching her carbs. Elizabeth Welsh on Girls on the Grid.

Mooyah Burgers targets the family affair - Our burgers were helped by heaps of toppings that added flavor and heft. Though the 5.3-ounce patty gets 310 of its 430 calories from fat, the well-done meat seemed a bit dry and definitely underseasoned. We should have added a Hebrew National-brand hot dog, or a salad with turkey, beef or chicken tenders. Uh, chicken tenders on salad? The double-cooked fried-to-order french fries are a menu star, long batons of hand-cut Idaho russets prepared in a “six-step, 24-hour ordeal.” Portions are huge, and the fries are dark, crispy-creamy and well-seasoned. Allen Pierleoni in the Sac Bee.