Juno’s Kitchen and Delicatessen
3675 J Street – Sacramento

Some chefs do it for the love, some do it for the fame and others do it because they don’t know what else they’d be doing if they weren’t in the kitchen. The latter describes Chef Mark Helms of Juno’s Kitchen and Delicatessen.

“This is what I do with my time. I can’t think of anything else to do. I have holes in my pants and a dirty hat; that’s me,” says Helms with a smile and a Lagunitas IPA in his hand.

His ball-cap-wearing, laidback persona is the perfect juxtaposition to the thoughtfully prepared, colorful and masterfully executed food that he serves at his newly opened East Sacramento restaurant. A nondescript location–tiny and dangerously unnoticeable, from which the likes of two recent ventures have come and gone (Babycakes and Urban Dawg), this wasn’t exactly his first choice.

“This is what came up. There’s not a lot of real estate that comes up to open a business in East Sacramento that already has a kitchen ready to go,” says Helms.

But as many Sacramento chefs have proven before, a lot can be done with a little space; and the line out the door and groups patiently waiting for tables is proof. Big flavors are born at Juno’s. And what’s even more impressive is that most of the bread served is baked fresh on site, too. The baguette and burger bun (I’ll come back to this) are from Acme Bread Company in Berkley, Calif., but the rest is house-made dough that is naturally leavened, using zero commercial yeast. Sandwiches like the smoked salmon with creme fraiche vinaigrette, onion, cornichons, tomato, watermelon radish and arugula; or the Cabernet salami with aioli, tomato, red onion, lemon, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, are taken to the next level between two slices of freshly baked bread.

The process of making naturally leavened bread, a very old practice, takes much patience and attention. If Helms was using commercial yeast, versus the wild, air-born yeast used in his bread, his wait time for the dough to rise would be a lot shorter. His product takes time, love and effort and you can taste it the moment you bite into it. It’s not every day you find a baker, let alone a chef, making bread in this fashion.

“I don’t know if there’s anyone between myself and San Francisco that makes bread this way,” says Helms.

Fast food is championing some sort of product they call Angus burgers. But that ain’t no Angus burger, and the real deal is found at Juno’s. Once you taste this, you may never go back to eating burgers anywhere else. To begin, the Acme bun was an excellent choice–and as I’ve said before, is such a hugely important component in the construction of a perfect burger. The bun has a thin top layer of crunch that gives way to soft bread and is a perfect complement to the medium-rare patty that is juicy and loaded with flavor. Roasted garlic aioli, caramelized onions and Manchego cheese knock this burger entirely out of the park.

There really isn’t much that Helms doesn’t do well. Choosing what you want to eat off the menu becomes a process of elimination, and if there’s a daily special that catches your eye, you’d better enjoy it before it’s gone. His soup du jour was vegetarian minestrone on the day that Submerge paid Juno’s a visit. Minestrone can be somewhat uneventful, a comfort food that satisfies as long as it’s hot; but Helms’ version was nothing short of amazing. Tender lima beans and celery, leafy greens and a perfectly spiced and salted broth made me think differently about what minestrone can be.

If you’re ever faced with the dilemma of craving high quality fare, but your bank account is as empty as your stomach, then Juno’s is just the spot that Helms would like to welcome you to. It’s a neighborhood joint where locals walk to dine, devout customers from Helms’ first Pocket-area restaurant Ravenous travel to taste and fellow foodies and industry folk gather to feel comfortable and eat. Helms likes it to be just like it is.

“To be honest, I’ve worked in fine dining for years and years–I’m really not into it,” says Helms candidly. “I really like this, I really like what I’m doing here. I think this is down to earth, that there are all walks of life that come in here and that’s really cool.”

Touch of Pink

District 30 – Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011

If glitz is what you were looking for downtown Wednesday night, District 30 had it. The posh nightclub was holding its fall fashion series throughout the week, and this night was the Touch of Pink runway benefit show featuring the work of Sacramento designer Faatui Toele.

Inside, 20 to 30 people were spread around the bar. A few select individuals grinded, pinning each other against walls as DJ Nate D and company spun beats like Flo Rida’s “Low” or Lil John and the Eastside Boyz’s “Get Low” from a perch behind a tall wooden platform. Some people lounged in plush, long booths sipping drinks, while others settled into chairs lining the runway, helping themselves to glasses of champagne.

Despite the event being a breast cancer benefit, few wore even a touch of pink. Many were fashionably clad, nonetheless, sporting creepers, mini dresses, faux hawks, suit jackets, vests and platforms.

There were plenty of drinks to be had, as some leaned against the marble-top bar while heavy bass lines pulsed beneath their feet. Slowly people began to gather around the runway in anticipation beneath whirling lights, colorful birdcages and a spinning disco ball suspended from the ceiling.

By the time the models emerged from behind the slinky black curtain onto the catwalk, 40 to 50 people crowded around to watch. The models were all legs and tresses. The first model pranced onto the stage dressed in high-waist sequined booty shorts and a sleeveless zebra-print blouse. Another appeared with a black, off-the-shoulder one-sleeve draped over a pink tube dress underneath. And yet another appeared sporting a red tube dress with a zip down front, her neck wrapped in long strands of crystals.

The audience was receptive, letting out supportive whoops and hollas. True, a few of the models could have used some coaching on both their swagger and poker face, looking a little uneasy approaching the crowd. Submerge couldn’t help noticing, however, a huddle of three or four noticeably obnoxious male spectators that couldn’t contain their urges to be heard, shamelessly blurting out, “Why is everyone cheering for that girl? Oh, it must be her family!”

The show went on. The models towered over the crowd in metallic stilettos and short ankle boots. The rest of Toele’s collection featured mostly black, skin-tight, thigh-high dresses, one-shoulder cuts and more sequins. Several models donned pieces with metallic zig-zag patterns, while other garments incorporated beading and more zippers. The designs were classic and sexy, though not particularly cutting-edge.

Toele modestly trailed behind the models onto the catwalk for the finale. Shortly after, the models reappeared from behind the curtains and got down on the dance floor, helping the crowd loosen up while the DJs returned to the turntables, churning tunes by Adele and the Red Hot Chili Peppers into the night.

DJ Shaun Slaughter Talks his Trade as Lipstick Turns 10
Words by Adam Saake – Photo by Matthew Burks

A jazz album plays in the background of Shaun Slaughter’s Midtown apartment as I sit down to discuss the 10-year anniversary of Lipstick, his indie dance club at Old Ironsides here in Sacramento. I guess maybe I expected a Phoenix song to be playing, or something along those lines, but then it all makes sense.

“I don’t want to have to play ‘1901’ ever again,” says Slaughter, half-joking. “I love that song, but I love it so much that I don’t want to play it so I don’t ruin it for myself.”

It’s like making burritos all day: you don’t hate burritos you just don’t want to have one right when you get off work. Alright, bad comparison. Indie rock isn’t really like burritos. But imagine for a second that Slaughter and Lipstick-partner-in-crime, Roger Carpio, are the tortillas. Wrapped up inside of these two musical encyclopedias is a plethora of songs that each have dug up from the depths of record bins and music blogs to play for a finicky crowd, week after week, year after year. Maybe you can’t eat Mexican food every day, but many faithful Lipstick-goers show up damn-near every Tuesday to see what the boys have drummed up now.

It wasn’t always as packed as it is these days; it was a bit of slow climb. And in the beginning it wasn’t always just Slaughter and Carpio. The original Lipstick lineup consisted of four DJs who all had very different ideas about how the night should sound. But what unified them was one simple idea–make them dance.

Slaughter was friends with a fellow house-head named Chad Nardine. Both he and Slaughter were new to downtown. Slaughter himself was a kid from the suburbs and barely 21, and they were given a slot at the Press Club to DJ. They cut their teeth there for a while but frustrations with the manager and too many randoms walking in requesting Madonna had them looking elsewhere. They were then approached separately and asked to DJ at Old Ironsides on one fateful Tuesday. Realizing they had both been solicited for the same gig, they of course decided to do the night together.

“Our first Tuesday ever was just Chad and I, and it was all electronica and it bombed,” says Slaughter. “No one was there!”

The two needed to revamp, so they went back to the drawing board to figure out how they were going to put together a better club night that would hit. The two of them were growing tired of DJing dance music and Slaughter had a taste for older alternative rock like the Rentals, Weezer and Sonic Youth. Nardine picked up on this and told Slaughter about Carpio.

“Chad said, ‘I have this friend named Roger who’s really into Britpop,” recalls Slaughter. “And I had no idea what that even meant.”

Carpio added his own ideas to the sound of the night and each peppered in their unique styles. To round out their indie rock dance night, Roger brought one more DJ into the mix.

“Then Roger said, ‘I know this guy Sean Meyers who DJs really good ‘60s rock.’ We heard him play this set one night, and it was just amazing. We added him on and then it was the four of us,” says Slaughter.

During that first year of Lipstick at the Press Club, the four played to lackluster response and were perfectly OK with that. The few that showed up showed support the best way a DJ could hope for.

“It was good, and we were happy with 30 or 40 people,” says Slaughter. “We couldn’t believe that people would dance to it.”

Nardine eventually ended up moving away and Meyers excused himself to pursue other endeavors. That left the two DJs, Slaughter and Carpio, who couldn’t have been more different from each other. But what at first may have seemed like a duo doomed to butt heads, disagree over music choice or altogether fail as partners ended up being the exact right pairing that would keep Lipstick running after all these years.

“We were both really particular about how the night went,” explains Slaughter. That’s why…it’s been around so long. Both of us were really stuck on the fact that it had to be a certain way.”

And that certain way was “some indie, Britpop and some old stuff” as well as no guest DJs. Whatever they were playing, they were doing something right and that mindset of sticking to a format was the foundation that drew in crowds night after night. Over time, though, the box they DJed inside of eventually proved to be too small and it was time for more legroom.

“I think that if we would have stuck with that, it would have just died out, because ultimately people don’t want to listen to the same stuff,” says Slaughter.

So again, what the two shared in common was what kept Lipstick new and interesting over the years. Their shared passion for discovering new music coupled with Lipstick happening every week made for the right motivation to keep introducing the dance floor to new bands.

“Roger and I are super avid. All we do is dig for music and listen to new stuff,” says Slaughter.

At times it can be “a double-edged sword” Slaughter says, hand on his chin and thoughts on his mind. Keeping the night always new and always changing is fun when you’re a DJ because you’re never playing anything out. You’re able to keep a song like “1901” for your own enjoyment. Yet, certain songs are guaranteed to pack the dance floor and in the end, isn’t that your job as a DJ?

“You’re doing people a disservice if you don’t play some of that stuff,” says Slaughter. “You do it every Tuesday and you’re thinking, ‘Fuck! I’ve heard this song so many times.’ But then I think about the people who haven’t been coming every week and how excited they are to dance to a song they’ve never heard before.”

It’s rare for anything in the music and art scenes to last 10 years, let alone a club night. People change, bars close, relationships go south. It’s just the way it is. For Lipstick to have endured 10 years on an ever-changing music scene and all the while under what seems like constant scrutiny from naysayers calling Lipstick a club night for “hipsters,” is pretty amazing. This common misconception is immediately squashed when you walk through the doors on any given Tuesday. It’s a shot in the dark as to whom you’re actually going to find inside at the bar. Most likely you’ll find those same naysayers who are socializing with the “hipsters” while buying shots for your introverted co-worker from the office.

“We’ve gone through so many waves,” explains Slaughter. “Roger is like, ‘Dude. How many times have we gone through this?’”

Maybe that’s why Slaughter and Carpio have stuck it out all these years. Keeping the crowd showing up is one thing, but keeping themselves interested is another. But when each year brings a new crowd, with new friends and more good times to add to the memories, it makes it easier to stick around. Plus, Slaughter and Carpio switch it up around town and have been behind the wheel of many other successful, and most importantly, just really fun club nights around Sacramento. One of their most popular nights, FUCK Fridays at the Townhouse Lounge, is their sort of alter egos where they can completely let loose. Here they promote a “let’s lose our shit and go completely crazy” attitude while Slaughter is dressed up as say, an M&M or a rat costume [pictured].

What people don’t always realize is that many DJs and promoters in Sacramento, including Slaughter and Carpio, have their finger on the pulse of what’s good in the music and club scenes around the country. Slaughter frequently travels to other cities to DJ, and when he returns he brings back with him the best ideas he’s encountered to apply to his own club nights. In the words of Slaughter, “We stole everything from somebody.” Although, I prefer borrowed, for what are ideas without inspiration?

“Everyone always thinks there is something better,” says Slaughter. “Compared to a lot of other cities, we’re actually doing pretty well. The nights we’re throwing are really current.”

Recently, Slaughter has been focusing his energy on the production side with a new project called D.A.M.B. that just got picked up by DJs Are Not Rock Stars Records. “Daylight,” his first track released, plays with samples of Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” backed by a tropical house beat. His second track, “Waiting,” has already been remixed by the LOL Boys, Mom & Dad and Wolfie and has found its way around a number of high-traffic blogs. Not too bad for his first two tracks. We’ll see where it goes in the coming months, seeing as how Slaughter has his hands pretty full booking up-and-comers for FUCK, scouring the Internet for Lipstick and doing the graphic design for all his flyers. It’s a lot of work, but he’s managing to make a living doing what he loves.

“I’m definitely super, super happy. I could be playing Top 40 every night,” says Slaughter. “I get the privilege of DJing with Roger too, and I get to hang out and get paid to do something amazing. I think it’s insane that after 10 years people are still there.”

Here’s to another 10.

Check out Lipstick Tuesday nights at Old Ironsides. For more info, go to www.blasefaire.com.