Lit-Up Capitol Mall Tower

The final touches to David Taylor's 621 Capitol Mall tower are about done. When I saw the top of the tower lit-up this weekend, I thought it looked pretty good. As I got closer to the base of the building I was even more impressed with the art hanging in the lobby. I think the suspended art's very cool and unlike any other art I've seen in this city.

The north side of the tower is still a disappointment to me. The side facing L Street has that awful car garage and the tower it's self looks like an afterthought no one was intended to see (sarcasm). It will just have to be one of those parts of the city that when I pass by it on L Street I'll start thinking about something else.

Over all I think David Taylor made a good effort and the exterior lighting for the tower scores several points in my book.

Friday Night Concerts in the Park | May 2 - August 15, 2008

What
Friday Night Concerts in the Park | May 2 - August 15, 2008
Presented by Budweiser

When
This event occurs on Fri between 05/02/2008 and 08/15/2008.
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Where
Cesar Chavez Plaza
10th & J streets

ABOUT THE CONCERTS
This free outdoor concert series, which runs May 2 - August 15, is the hottest summer spot every Friday night downtown. The shows feature local artists representing a range of genres including rock, pop, punk, blues and folk.

Music addicts and happy hour junkies fill up Cesar Chavez Plaza at 10th and J streets to enjoy live music, fresh air, good food, and the famous beer garden. Admission is FREE to this all ages show!

The Friday Night Concerts in the Park are produced by The Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

PARKING
• $5 parking after 5 pm in the City Hall Garage at 10th & J Streets
• Free bicycle parking provided by Sacramento Area Bicycle advocates

CONCERT LINE UP*
MAY 2
Bucho
Righteous Movement • Sol Peligro • Crazy Ballhead

MAY 9
Kepi The Band
Kevin Seconds & The Altruistics • Kepi & Friends • Ghetto Moments

MAY 16
Bright Light Fever
Self Against City • Middle Class Rut • Breva

MAY 23
An Angle
Knock Knock • Jay Shaner & The Cowboy Killers • The Definite Article

MAY 30
Rowdy Kate
The Golden Cadillacs • The Tip Top Trio • Hard Clumpin Litter

JUNE 6
Mick Martin & The Blues Rockers
Sal Valentino • The Bathtub Gins

JUNE 13
Secretions
Final Summation (CD Release) • The No Goodniks • Baby!

JUNE 20
The Helper Monkeys
Hot Pistol • Prieta • Aroarah

JUNE 27
Mumbo Gumbo
Ricky Berger

JULY 4
NO CONCERT DUE TO HOLIDAY

JULY 11
Richard March
Kate Gaffney • Agent Ribbons • The Juggs

JULY 18
Izabella
2ME • Fair Trade

JULY 25
Red Host
Them Hills • Lonely Kings • Lite Brite

AUG 1
Diciembre Gris
Pets • We Prick You • The Generals

AUG 8
Seventy
Shannon Curtis • The Bobby Zoppi Band • Brandon Tyler

AUG 15
The Brodys
The Snobs • Gillmor

Mix of Retail Tenants - MARRS

I think the MAARS project on 20th between J and K should be a prototype for every retail and retail portion of mixed use projects in Sacramento.

A coffee shop, news stand, art gallery, clothing boutique, a couple sit down restaurants/lounges and a quick bite place.

Great mix of tenants that keeps activity going on all day and night.

Though they are different projects in different areas, developments like The Firestone Building at 16th and L, that offer only sit down restaurants, while great for evening traffic and nightlife, really seem to create dead spots during the day.

My hope is the much anticipated (at least by me) DeVere’s Irish Pub can help with foot traffic during the day.

Including even one tenant that attracts day time traffic really helps a project area.

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http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/dining/

Thirty Champagnes by the glass? What is Ali Mackani thinking? Big, again. Mackani, who in the fall of 2005 opened the electric Restaurant 55 Degrees along Capitol Mall, is close to launching his next ambitious project, Lounge on 20, where the beverage menu is to include 30 Champagnes by the glass.

Lounge on 20, which Mackani hopes to open in early June, and possibly as soon as late May, will occupy the southeast portion of the MARRS building at 20th and K in midtown Sacramento. MARRS - Midtown Art Retail Restaurant Scene - already is home to the Solomon Dubnick Gallery, restaurants Luigi's Slice and Azul, and shops DV8 and Newsbeat.

Lounge on 20 is to be a hybrid restaurant and wine bar where the focus will be on socialization. "If you know the Redroom Room of the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, that's the kind of interaction we want," says Mackani. The conviviality will be fueled by the Champagnes, an equally extensive list of wines by the glass, creative cocktails, community tables, and a New American menu whereby dishes can be ordered in three sizes - "a taste, a small plate or a shared tray for three or four people," says Mackani. "We want to promote socializing over food and drink."

The place will be big, seating up to 170 inside, another 80 on the deck. Mackani is being assisted in putting together Lounge on 20 by two key principals of Restaurant 55 Degrees, executive chef Luc Dendievel and manager Kassidy Harris. Mackani hopes to finalize the hiring of a chef de cuisine for the new place this week. The opening of Lounge on 20 will mean no change for Restaurant 55 Degrees, he adds.

Skyline Club

The Cosmopolitan @10th and K

I got this email from the California Musical Theater today on The Cosmopolitan at 10th and K.

I've long hoped K Street between 13th and 10th could be lined with theater space of all genres and sizes. This is just another step toward a true theater district. There are a few already with The Crest, IMax, Community Center and now Cosmopolitan Cabaret, but there is room for more.

There are a couple other smaller buildings in the area that I think would make for a great transformation from office space to theater space similar to what happen here. (one of these days I'm going to remember to bring a camera when I am out)

One thing I am interested to find out is how long "Forever Plaid” will be able to run? They have set it up as opened ended which means there is no close date set. While they are selling tickets for the first 4 months of the show, they will continue to run the show as long as attendance is good.

I don't know if anyone else that has done this is Sacramento before. Maybe one of the smaller theaters?









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The Cosmopolitan Cabaret theatre will open in the building that once housed the historic Woolworth department store on the southeast corner of 10th and K streets (map), now being renovated by David S. Taylor Interests. The building, called The Cosmopolitan, (www.SacCosmo.com) will also include Cosmo Restaurant and Bar, a New York-style theatre district dining experience from the Paragary Restaurant Group, and Social, a plush, modern nightclub and lounge featuring a rooftop patio by Randy Paragary and Bob Simpson.

The Cabaret will fill a niche in the region’s theatre scene by providing an upscale yet casual venue that will recall the golden age of metropolitan nightlife – perfect for musicals with two to six cast members. The theatre will have 23 tables of four and 115 seats arranged in a traditional-theatre configuration (seating chart) Pre-performance cocktail service in the theatre will be provided by Cosmo Restaurant and Bar.

The Cosmopolitan Cabaret’s production of “Forever Plaid” will be directed and choreographed by Guy Stroman, an original member of the New York cast, who has previously directed several long-running productions of the musical around the country. “Forever Plaid” is the deliciously goofy and charming story of The Plaids, a classic 1950s all-male singing group who were killed in a car crash on the way to their first big gig! Audiences will be rolling in the aisles and tapping their toes as The Plaids are miraculously revived to perform the concert-that-never-was in the hilariously nostalgic musical. They perform precision harmonies, squabble boyishly and execute their delightfully outlandish choreography with over-zealous precision. The Plaids perform some of the greatest hits of the 1950s: “Catch a Falling Star,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” and “Magic Moments.”

“Forever Plaid” will open The Cosmopolitan Cabaret on September 28, 2008, for an open-ended run. Tickets for the first four months of performances will be available exclusively to Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento subscribers beginning Monday, April 21, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion Box Office or by phone at (916) 557-1999. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning Monday, July 14. For discounts on groups of 12 or more, please call (916) 557-1198. Tickets are $32 for Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursday evenings ($52 for front row table seating) and $37 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees ($57 for front row table seating).

For more information, please visit Cosmopolitan Cabaret


1000 K Street
COMING SEPTEMBER 2008
Downtown's most sophisticated dining, entertainment and social hub
- under one roof.

Located in the boldly renovated 1956 Woolworth Building, The Cosmopolitan's modern take on retro takes center stage on K Street. Live Musical Theater, Theater District Dining. Rooftop Nightclub and Lounge.

The Night is Young.

CALIFORNIA MUSICAL THEATRE
California Music Theatre launches its first completely new professional theatre experience in 20 years. Matching the re-emerging vitality of Downtown Sacramento, the producer of Music Circus and Broadway Sacramento is creating the Cosmopolitan Cabaret, a 200-seat, upscale yet casual space and a perfect environment for intimate musical theatre. The Cabaret will allow audience members the comfort of either table seating or bar-style seating to enjoy cocktails and refreshments during the performance in a modern metropolitan surrounding.
www.cosmopolitancabaret.com


The Cosmo Restaurant
PARAGARY RESTAURANT GROUP
Cosmo Restaurant and Bar brings a New York-style theater district dining experience to downtown Sacramento. The diverse menu will feature steaks, chops, seafood, chicken, pasta and deli-style sandwiches. Full take-out services will be available to surrounding businesses, including delivery and catering. Select menu items will be served in the adjacent Cosmopolitan Cabaret.

Social Nightclub
A RANDY PARAGARY AND BOB SIMPSON PRODUCTION
Plush, modern nightclub and lounge featuring a rooftop outdoor patio. Nightly DJs and dancing.