Where "The Federalist Papers" & Pizza Meet In Perfect Harmony…read more SITREP Some pretty thoughtful statements coming from The Federalist Papers. The brain child of three (3) very literate founding fathers: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. This first quote explains a lot to me why it's to the advantage of the Federal government to stay in conflict.... * "The operations of the federal government will be most extensive and important in times of war and danger; those of the State governments, in times of peace and security." ― James Madison I think the distinction between a "democracy" and a "republic" was never so eloquently & succinctly stated... * "It is, that in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person: in a republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A democracy, consequently, must be confined to a small spot. A republic may be extended over a large region." ― Alexander Hamilton Another chestnut I tripped over.... * "Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." ― James Madison John Jay distrusted government as much as he distrusted organized religion... "It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect of getting anything by it." ― John Jay, And MOST interesting (disturbing?).... * "Democracy is the most vile form of government." ― James Madison Well, moving on from history....*cough* let's have some PIZZA and MEATBALL Sandwiches! THE SETUP The Federalist Public House is this UNIQUE structure in Midtown Sacramento that is constructed out of Shipping Containers welded together! How's THAT for "Pre-Fab"? It's bit awe-inspiring in fact to be sitting INSIDE these former WalMart & Target slave labor sweat-shop textile industry transport devices of cheap products too! With numerous metal picnic-like tables, the decor is minimalist, the utensils & napkins conveniently left inside standalone old metal sleeves (that USED to be inside the metal frame that housed all the silverware - like you would see in your elementary school cafeteria - or prison) But it works! And if it keeps prices down, then I'm all for this utilitarian approach. HAPPY HUMPY HOUR! Leave it to our delightful and lovely Katie G. - Yelp Sacramento's Marketing Assistant - to wrastle us all up together and trek to The Federalist! It was fun to see seasoned stalwarts like Ang, Jefferson L. and David O., some of our favorite couples like Jessica & Paul, Clay & Vicky, and Katie & Greg. Newbies like Chris & Dylan. And then of course our fearless leader himself, Alex L. LE MENU We ordered at the counter and selected the menu items and/or the drinks we wanted to have, be given a number, and then move back to a table of our choice. Lots of people got the Italian Meatballs that came 3 to a bowl with sauce and bread slices ($8). I got the Italian Meatball sandwich itself that came with an Arugula salad ($9). There were also some great pizza pies ($12-$15). The food was tasty and the brews were refreshing. All-in-all, a rousing great time! THE LOWDOWN An excellent stop in Midtown Sacramento for delicious Italian fare and refreshing ales!

Berni, Berdi, Berci!…read more SITREP Bernie came, Bernie saw, and Bernie conquered our hearts last night at the Bernie Sanders 2020 Rally in Cesar Chavez Park! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-feel-the-bern-rally-bernie-2020-cesar-chavez-park-sacramento?select=5kTCYC98osE2iI_PfQgO8g&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w THE SETUP It's very cool to get a National-level Candidate running for President make a stop in Sacramento and share their vision for the future of our great country. I have to give Bernie mad props for making that effort. MRS. BERNIE It was a treat - and I always admire - seeing the significant other of any candidate to take the time to go barnstorming with their partner. She is even used to introduce her husband at rallies - that's pretty cool. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-feel-the-bern-rally-bernie-2020-cesar-chavez-park-sacramento?select=BVbxrAOOPt-vbYyP9BxrWQ&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w MY THOUGHTS THIS ELECTION CYCLE I have not as of yet thrown my own personal support behind any single candidate, and I may be no closer even a the week just before the California Primary in March 2020. But still, this is the best time to put in the effort, to research the candidates platforms, compare them to the rest of the candidates, do some serious analysis about "elect-ability" (or not) and the see how it how pans out. I do know this: * I will NOT be voting for Joe Biden in the Primary Election; and, * I will NOT be voting for Donald Trump in the General Election. My friends are free to derive whatever they want from those two nuggets of information. CHARLES T. IN DA HOUSE! My coworker Charles T. actually got INVITED to sit on the stage behind Bernie (because, he's so handsome and all...) ;) https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-feel-the-bern-rally-bernie-2020-cesar-chavez-park-sacramento?select=T3b0JHmmBvij71tfO_7dMA&userid=3mNz5nQFTIBQm0oU5mBR0w THE LOWDOWN Thank you Bernie for making a stop in Sacramento, and I wish you the best of luck on your continued campaigning. We shall see what happens next year....

Wow! Taste of Land Park was such a wonderful time!…read more So, I just relocated to Sacramento from the Bay Area this year. I heard about this event in my 'hood from little signs posted around. Not sure where else they advertised, but there was a pretty healthy crowd. I heard from one of the vendors that over 600 people showed up! And one of them was fabulous Yelper Karen K. (+ her husband :) who I got to meet for the first time - pretty sure I heard people raving about her fly sunglasses all over the event ;) I love food tasting events like these and have been to several in the Bay Area. I gotta say, Taste of Land Park can compete with the best of them. Not only was the entry price cheaper ($45!) than the tickets usually are for this sort of thing, the portions were HEFTY at every vendor, there was a huge variety of food available and the vibe was super chill! It really felt like a neighborhood event - it wasn't in the middle of Land Park, which made a huge difference. It was just on 10th street in the middle of people's houses, which gave it a secluded block party feel. Shoutout to the band playing - they were pretty legit and had a horn section! Also, no long lines!!! A chronic problem at these events is that you end up waiting in huge lines at each vendor, and by the time you're through the line, they've run out of food anyway. Lol. Not the case at ToLP - vendors were super well prepared & generous. Pretty sure I could've gone for seconds at almost every vendor if I wasn't so freakin' stuffed after the first go around! Ernesto's Mexican even gave away free tote bags to bring food home with!! I'm not much of a drinker, but there were also a lot of wine tasting options available. I only sampled one glass of wine (told you I'm not a big drinker) and it was awesome. They also had a local craft vendor section, but the prices there were a little out of control. One pillow was as much as the entry ticket to Taste of Land Park! Lmao. Passed on those... I didn't see a sign/brochure with all of the vendors listed, so here are the vendors I remember: + Vic's Ice Cream: Man, they even gave each person a cone. They had four flavors, I had the raspberry ribbon which was delicious & my new flavor pick when I go there. I need to give Vic's major props as I just went to an ice cream social for the Belle Cooledge Library that they also sponsored. Gotta love a business that gives back to the community! + Raleys: Had a serve yourself bar with fruit, multiple desserts, cheeses, olives and flavored water. They had a blackberry & goat cheese crostini that was one of my favorites of the event. + Nugget: They had HUGE portions of grapes! Also a huge variety of cheeses, desserts and some selections from their deli section. The supermarkets really turned up!! + Ernesto's Mexican: Like I said earlier, they gave out tote bags which was awesome. I really liked their rice! + Burgess Burgers & BBQ: One of the most popular vendors at the event. Despite their popularity, they never had a huge line and served people super quickly! I didn't try any of their BBQ but their potato salad was REALLY good and the coleslaw had a great flavor too. + Selland's Market: Really enjoyed the noodle salad here. They had a couple other salads to choose from. + Freeport Bakery: Always a favorite!! They had a really huge variety, I had the fruit tart and buttercream cake which were delicious! They encouraged people to take multiple cakes which was so generous! + Masullo's Pizza: Instead of pizza, they served their bread with a variety of dipping sauces. Good choice and great flavors! + Can't remember the name of the bistro, but they served a salmon dish that seemed to be the crowd favorite. It was a delicious & refreshing choice for the hot day :) + Oh yeah, and someone served a very spicy olive pasta... can't remember who, but it was good. Sorry, since I didn't try most of the wine, I don't remember who was there. Lol. Now that I think about it, there wasn't a single bad dish served. The food was really on point! Taste of Land Park was a great intro to Sacramento food & a wonderful way to show off the neighborhood. I'll definitely be returning next year! See you there Karen :)

After leaving the Crest Theatre, my girl and I walked across the street to The Dive Bar to end the…read morenight. Security checked our IDs at the door, and once we walked in, the bar area was packed. Luckily, there were reserved booths nobody was using and my girl, and I sat there since the main bar was crowded. It actually worked out perfect for us. It gave us space to sit, relax, and have a good conversation without feeling cramped. We ordered a couple of colorful drinks that were nicely balanced and flavorful, not too overpowering, and easy to enjoy. The music was hip-hop which is right up my alley, so the vibe was definitely on point. What really stood out was the atmosphere. I've never been in a bar quite like this where jellyfish were hanging from the ceiling, and a whole underwater theme. I was told a mermaid appears over the bar at certain times, but sadly, I didn't get to see her this visit. Overall, it was a great spot to end the night after the movie. Good drinks, good music, and a unique sea-themed vibe. If I return, I will hope to see a mermaid

If you want to be charged a cover to get into a place where you'll be comepletely ignored by…read morebartenders, harassed by security and patrons and allegedly have to worry about your drink being accompanied by something a little extra...just so you can see a "mermaid" swim around in a fish tank then this is the perfect place for you. The bar tenders have horrible customer service even when the bar isn't busy. It seems like they rather hang out and chat with regulars and friends than serve paying customers. The security guards we're blatantly discriminating against my friend for no good reason. Also, security apparently accepts bribes at the front door to let people in, so much for safety. The drinks were in my opinion overpriced and didn't taste good. Maybe I'm biased because my whole experience here put a complete sour taste in my mouth. Then, to top it all off my friends and I were being harassed by two patrons who had clearly been overserved the entire time we were there. We had no choice but to leave and we will never be back again! After visiting I wanted to leave a review because I felt other people should steer clear. To my surprise, I read reviews here that mentioned almost the exact experience we had. So, this is not an isolated incident and Dive Bar has not taken our comments into consideration. Disclaimer: I did not have this experience, but it was very disheartening to see all the reviews, tik toks, reels, etc. I found after visiting Dive Bar in which women and men are claiming to have been roofied. This may or may not be true, but it can't be a coincidence this many people have had the same experience. There needs to be an investigation into this bar. I myself will be placing a call to the BBB and I hope that anyone who has had that experience feels empowered to speak to the authorities.

Aw, Such A Great Time For Beer & Babies!…read more SITREP I have to qualify this by saying that NO BABIES were drinking! (Just to make this point clear). THE SETUP And part of the reason for this excitement was to celebrate the impending parenthood of our dynamic Community Manager (CM) Alex L. and his dynamite wife Diana S. We wished them much joy for the impending birth of their baby which is scheduled over the weekend. BEER But! Having said all of the above, we have to give MAD PROPS to Yelp Eliteness Jessica L. for her outstanding arrangement of this fun event to investigate New Helvetia Brewing Company and it's dynamic offerings of brews! Of which I had a great flight - courtesy of outstanding newbie Elite himself, John H. Which included, to wit: * The Buffalo Craft lager! Smooth, Refreshing, like a Prairie Field soaked under a citrus Sun * The Molly American Red Ale! More body, more taste, and yet still light * The (916) Pale Ale! I think my favorite of the night, and the one that will ring me back to New Helvetia; and finally, * The Homeland Stout! This was a pleasant foundational brew, and is it was, this was the featured foundation that all the *Coffee*-brews were based upon during this Beer Week 2015. Good stuff too. KUDOS A big shout out to Jessica L. for creating such an awesome UYE and to Katie G. for incorporating such a fun Baby Shower component to the evening's fun! THE LOWDOWN New Helvetia is a great place to gather for some fun celebrations!

This was the first year I attended the Farm to Fork Street Festival and I'm so sad I missed out on…read moreyears of fun. No worries though, this has become a must attend event for my family. The festival was Friday and Saturday for 2024 and we attended on the Friday. It's free to enter. We arrived on the earlier side, around 5pm and it wasn't too crowded and lines for food were short. We grabbed drink tickets, which were reasonably priced- $8 for beer, $12 for cocktails and I think $10 for wine (we didn't get any wine though). There was music, a silent disco, local vendors, and on Friday there was a private Grand Tasting event that costs extra and was sold out the day of the event. We ended up stopping for drinks with Midtown Spirits, grabbed some adobo bacon jerky with Baboy Boys, a chicken and rice plate with Sweet Mother 101 and a bucket of lumpia and chicharones from Lumpia Bucket. It seemed like prices were a bit more festival prices than everyday prices, but the food was good! We walked around for a while, visited some of the interactive booths/vendors and headed out after a few hours. As we were leaving the crowds were getting larger and the lines were getting longer. They had music going throughout the event, and it was fun to listen to. Next year we plan to come on Saturday and start early in the day again. We would also consider doing the Grand Tasting in the future.

Just ok. Not very many vendors as last year. Very disappointed, no good food to get. Went home…read morehungry. Music is really loud near food court. It's to be expected. Still ok walking around . Love the fruit drinks at Estillo.

Another month and dinner with the crew. Only five of us this time. Hope to see everyone next time…read more Some of us wanted to try the new restaurant by the great Kru. Chu Mai was a nice looking place. So vibrant paintings and art in the back. The bathrooms were a little weird. One door and I think three bathrooms for any type of person. Well I had reservations so we were seated right away. In the back at a big table. We started off with some of their specialty cocktails. I got the Golden Child since it had Cognac in it. Very strong and I liked it. There were two that got the Chu Mai Tai. which they enjoyed. The last one was the Boy with the Dragon Tattoo , which was bitter a little too much. We got several plates to share. The BO Tai Chanh, was just ok. Eliza wanted the shrimp chips. The Bun Rieu Capellini was ok to. We got two orders of the Mui Choy Kau Yuk , pork belly. It was flavorful . Finished with the vegetable fried rice and added an egg. We noticed that all the serving sizes were pretty small. I know it's from Kru but come on. Most of the dishes we could of made ourselves. Nothing to write home about. We were disappointed. Oh well. maybe they will come up with better items later. but for now I would pass on this place. At least we came once. Great for my UYE but not great for the food. I would give a 3 star if that. We still had a fantastic time with the crew, catching up. Till our next food outing.

This place is awesome! A cute, fun bar with a casual atmosphere. Super friendly staff! A place…read morewhere you can just be yourself!

Look, I've been going to Elixir for about 2 decades. It's the little alley dive bar that could…read more It's a secret service industry destination. It's also home to one of the best burgers* in Sacramento. Oh, you saw the asterisk. Allow me to explain: it's one of the best burgers depending on who is making it. But when the right person is making it? It's the straightforward smash burger of your dive bar dreams. Plus it comes with fries and a ranch? Sign me the fuck up. Come for the burger. Stay for the miller high life and shots. Will return.

Came in Thursday night, Dom and Logan gave amazing service and made my birthday extra special!…read moreThank you so much!!

The vibe was great the bartenders were fantastic but the male bartender Bryant was the star of the…read morenight . Would love to see him again in the future !