Hurry up and wait. I thought I had gotten past that when I left the military and reentered civilian life. My day today at the courthouse, however, was a reminder that most big bureaucracies are the same. You show up; they make you wait. Here’s a briefing of my day downtown…

1) Arrived half an hour early for jury duty parking–wow! The lot was not completely full. Hurrah! I hope this is a good omen.
2) Stood in line already snaking out into the hallway. Marveled at a woman ahead of me in line who must have been 6 feet 5 inches in the one-inch heels she was wearing. She had lovely long hair. I didn’t get a good look at her face but I was speculating that she was a man behind her back. I’ve never seen a woman that tall.
3) Moved forward and stood on the red line. Marveled at another woman who was about 6′1″ and dressed like a member of La Cage aux Folles at a funeral. Strange.
(more…)

Please save the intern jokes for another site! President Clinton will be at UC Davis tonight for a special campaign rally for Senator Clinton’s presidential bid. The event is open to the public, and is sponsored by the Davis College Democrats, the Law Student Association, and the King Hall Law Student Democrats Association. Doors open at 8:15pm at the The ARC Pavilion at UC Davis. For more info, please visit Clinton website.
While I may slip up from time to time, I’m committed to reporting when and where the Presidential Candidates will be in our Sacramento region between now and the Primary (February 5).

While we here at Metroblogging Sacramento hunker down to deliver our requested take on Sacramento’s true top restaurants (once we determine our metrics, of course), here’s a run down of some of our past restaurant reviews. I’m sure I’ve missed some/many, from our archives, but this is what some quick archive scanning and targeted googling has yielded. More to come!

Zelda’s
Ella
Bistro 33
Gaesorn
58 Degrees
Suzie Burger
La Terraza
Famous Kabab
Daphne’s Greek
Capitol Garage
Mana Sushi
Plum Blossom
R15
Tamaya

Or just critical. Or maybe that’s just me.

Props to Ursula for catching the MSN list of top Sac restaurants. Ursula is far more diplomatic than I am. I can’t help but wonder, looking at the picks, if there wasn’t a fee involved in making the list.

The list, by the way, in tiny print, is credited to Gayot.com a site that supposedly “serves as a serious, honest and professional resource on dining and travel for an international readership in search of the best.” I called a qualified bullsh*t because the list includes Dragonfly - Sacramento’s home of overpriced, poor quality sushi, and McCormick & Schmick’s which, while tasty, is not a restaurant-reason to come to Sacramento because most people can find it at home.

The true gems of Sacramento dining - places like Mulvaney’s, Moxie, and The Kitchen, are suspiciously absent.

The Improvisation Group
Dangerous Men/ Dangerous Women
at the Geery Theater 2130 L Street
Fridays / Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Sundays at 7 p.m.
Come early for live music!
Jan. 11 - 27

Totally Improvised, Totally Fun. What would be the title of your autobiography? What gets you frustrated or mad? What’s your favorite movie, TV or book line? The first half is skits and bits. The second half Dangerous Men Dangerous Women create a one act play based on a theme agreed upon by the audience.

MSN has a list on its website of the 10 hottest restaurants in Sacramento. I have only been to three out of the ten. A mini rundown of where I’ve been:

Dragonfly: good. Unusual interior design, but good for large groups.

Bistro 33: haven’t been there in about 7 years– if it’s the one I think it is.

Pronto: good, but greasy. Don’t go there if you’re dieting (unless you want to break your diet).

There you have it. My one and a half cents on the local hip restaurants. Hey, if it costs more than 10 bucks for a lunch plate, it’s unlikely I’ll be going there…the budget crunch is not just in the capitol building.

A couple nights ago I went to the Level Up lounge above Thai Basil. I was hesitant, as it never looks crowded, and I figured the masses new something I didn’t. Well, the place is great. I really enjoyed it. I can’t say much for the drinks, I just sipped a diet, but I loved the ambience. It’s like a neon cocoon. I highly recommend it, because it had that we’re-trying-really-hard-to-make-something-cool-but-it-has-yet-to-catch-on vibe, and for me, those are the best places.

Oh, I almost forgot the address:

2431 J Street
Sacramento

Enjoy.

Much like they do in other cities (usually with some charitable overtones), a selection of downtown restaurants will be offering special, 3-course, $30 dinners for the week of January 12-18.

SF has done this for several years and their restaurant participants offer lunch as well as dinner menus, but this is a good start. I’ll probably take the opportunity to introduce my husband to Ella and we’ll hit Frank Fat’s ’cause those Honey Walnut Prawns are addictive like crack. I’m not entirely convinced the special menus are the best value, but they should help introduce more people to downtown options.

Other participating restaurants:

4th Street Grille
58 Degrees & Holding, Co.
Brew it Up!
The Broiler Steakhouse
California Fat’s Steakhouse
Chanterelle
Chops Steak, Seafood & Bar
Dawson’s at the Hyatt
Ella Dining Room & Bar
Esquire Grill
Fat City Bar & Grill
Frank Fat’s
Gaylord India
Mason’s
McCormick & Schmick’s
The Melting Pot
Morgan’s at the Sheraton
Restaurant 55º
Rio City Cafe
Sakura Sushi & Teppan Grill
Spataro
Three Monkeys Restaurant

Click here for contact information and menus. Enjoy!