Party Every Day
I’m going to be totally transparent here and immediately profess my unabashed love for Elixir Bar and Grill. It is hands down, bottoms up, my favorite bar in Sacramento. And I’m not alone.
It’s not that they have the best craft cocktails I’ve ever had—although they have a fairly-priced full bar with great craft and cheap beers alike on tap.
It’s not that the decor and ambiance are an expression of good taste and elegance—although it’s clean and comfortable, has Skee Ball and Big Buck Hunter, sports on flat screen TVs, a jukebox and a cozy, covered patio.
It’s not that they have the best bar food you’ll ever sink your teeth into—although the food is really goddamn good for a dive bar, and I’m consistently impressed with it.
It’s definitely not that they have clean bathrooms—although they’ve at least painted the walls a welcoming shade of grayish-lavender recently, which were previously black and covered in bad graffiti.
It’s the people. From the owners—quarrelsome but inseparably close brother and sister Christina and Curt Pow—to the staff, to the patrons; you can always be certain that you will have a great fucking time and make some new friends at Elixir.
So it’s no wonder that they’re celebrating their 10th anniversary on Sept. 12, 2015. This is not a bar reliant on gimmicks to have enjoyed its longevity, but a consistently chill place to hang out.
Curt and Christina bicker like siblings often do, but it’s clear that they are also best friends. Curt had other business ventures in mind when he conceded to opening a bar with his little sister, who had a background in the industry. For Christina, there was no question what she wanted to do. “It’s always been a dream to open a bar or a restaurant—and not only that, an office job didn’t suit me,” she says. “We come from a long line of business owners, so it’s just innate. And that’s what makes Elixir: our presence here.”
Elixir means a potion that makes you feel good, and the name was borrowed from Christina’s favorite bar in San Francisco. The auspicious location on 10th Street between S and T was secured by Curt. They rolled up their sleeves and built out the bar together.
Back in 2005 when they opened, the Fox and Goose and Old Ironsides were the mainstays in the vicinity, and the most popular bars in town were Golden Bear and Monkey Bar. There were many trials and tribulations getting Elixir off the ground. “Oh, we didn’t know what the fuck we were doing,” laughs Christina.
“We took it for granted when we opened that we’d stay open,” elaborates Curt. “We were like, cool, we have a business … It was kind of a clubhouse at the beginning, but to a detriment. We learned that we shouldn’t be drunker than our clientele. I was relying on my sister on that one, having been a bartender previously. I was like, ‘Are you sure we should be doing shots right now?’”
“The greatest lesson we’ve learned is how to work as a team,” admits Christina.
With that knowledge acquired, Elixir seems unstoppable. While a growing number of modern, upscale, pricy, mixology-centric establishments are opening to great reviews all over Sacramento and the nation, there will always be barflies gladly occupying dive bar stools—especially in a place where you’re made to feel like Norm from Cheers.
“It’s all craft cocktails now,” says Curt. “It’s awesome that people want to make the best cocktails there are. We’re not a craft cocktail bar. It’s not what our customers want. Occasionally they do, and if I’m inclined to, I’ll make you a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned or whatever, but for the most part, no, that’s not what we’re about. I don’t want to spend 20 minutes making you a drink. Not that I’m knocking anyone that does that, it’s just that it takes all kinds of places. You can get a drink anywhere. I think what sets us apart is the vibe, the mood, the setting.”
Elixir is also known for being relatively affordable, and for pouring heavy. My friends and I have made up a verb for the effect: “She Christina’d me.” It’s not uncommon to go there for “one drink” and leave unexpectedly shitfaced in a cab, owing to comradely regulars and those stiff-ass drinks.
The kitchen is open until 1 a.m., and the menu—consisting mainly of fried food, pizza, salads and rotating specials—offers delicious, well-executed ways of soaking up all that unanticipated alcohol. Their killer weekend brunch fare will annihilate most hangovers—try the spam and fried rice with two over easy eggs. Upon request, they’ll make it Loco Moco style with a half-pound Angus beef patty and rich, dripping eggs oozing over the spam fried rice, all of which is then smothered in their homemade gravy.
“The food came about because me and my sister don’t half-ass anything. Anything we do, we do well. You learn throughout the years, certain things work and certain things don’t. Hamburgers always sell, it’s like, who doesn’t want a hamburger? We live in America,” remarks Curt.
Hilarity ensues nightly here. I recall laughing to tears when one of the regulars was caught on video slyly sneak-eating his boogers, and another regular posted it on Facebook. Curt’s favorite funny Elixir moment involved pirate shots. “I have a friend, Clifford, who likes to do the stupidest things, like pirate shots. You snort a line of salt, squirt the lime in your eye …”
Christina interrupts, “Then I kick you in the shin, and you hop on one leg, and then you get naked afterwards.”
Corrects Curt, “Well, he just got naked, I’m sure that’s not what happens with all pirate shots, but yeah, he got naked, and remained naked and was streaking all over the place.”
When I asked Curt and Christina how they foresee things changing over the next 10 years, Christina hopes they’ll still be thriving, just the way things are. “We’ll never fully step away from this place,” she says, “because we enjoy it.”
By the time I’d wrapped up the interview with the sibling owners, I’d been graciously treated to four unrequested shots of tequila. On a roll, I stumbled over to one of their bartenders, Jen Simpson, who has been working at Elixir for the past three years. “What do you love about Elixir?”
Simpson replied, “Everything. It’s a really comfortable atmosphere. It’s obviously family-run, where you have that comfort level you don’t get many places. It was my favorite bar before I started working here. The drinks are strong and inexpensive. It’s a chill environment where every kind of person in Sacramento comes and everyone seems to get along. There’s nothing not to like about it.”
Celebrate Elixir’s 10th Anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 3 p.m. at 1815 10th Street. Kill The Precedent, Celestions, Fifty Watt Heavy, Night Damage, Twilight Drifters, Mixed Friction, Storytellers and Drop Dead Red will be playing on an outdoor stage. Tickets are $20, and proceeds will benefit the Mary Graham Children’s Foundation. Tickets can be purchased through Shufflesix.queueapp.com.
Frank Fat’s Celebrates 75th Anniversary and Looks Toward the Future
The block of 8th and L, and downtown in general, has changed immensely over the decades. Businesses have come and gone, people have aged and moved and buildings have been torn down and rebuilt. Frank Fat’s restaurant, however, is a rare exception that has remained a piece of Sacramento history and mastered the changing tides of Downtown Sacramento for 75 years.
Frank Fat originally opened his 8th and L eatery as a Chinese/American restaurant in 1939. The family establishment, the only Sacramento restaurant to receive a James Beard award (the foundation’s prestigious lifetime-achievement “American Classic’s” award in 2013, similar to winning an Academy Award in the film industry), “has continuously evolved, but in a way that properly carries on the family legacy,” according to Frank’s son Jerry Fat. “My father treated everyone the same, no matter if you were governor or a normal citizen. We served and continue to serve good food with good values.”
The “Fat’s Family of Restaurants” has since grown to include the original Downtown location, Fat’s Asia Bistro and Dim Sum bars in Roseville and Folsom, and Fat City Bar and Café in Old Sacramento.
For years, the Frank Fat’s downtown location served as a dining epicenter for political leaders such as Bill Clinton, Jerry Brown and countless lobbyists. It was a go-to place for high-profile meetings and elite dining experiences. However, no matter what the occasion, or who the diner, Frank Fat’s was an eatery made by the people and for the people, and it continues to be that to this day.
Last year, the Frank Fat’s original location hired Sacramento-born chef Mike Lim, a young and talented kitchen master with a fresh and budding background in authentic Chinese delicacy. He even recently studied at the M.Y. China restaurant in San Francisco, which is owned by Martin Yan. Yan, widely known for his television program Yan Can Cook, is credited for bringing authentic Chinese cuisine knowledge to the televisions of mainstream America in the most beloved way.
“I just recently started honing my skills in the kitchen as a Chinese food chef,” says Lim. “It makes so much sense because, well, I am Chinese. It seems like I am getting back to my roots, with an opportunity to expand on recipes and tweak a few things.”
Lim plans to maintain the original Fat’s recipes while obtaining as many local ingredients as possible in line with Sacramento’s “Farm to Fork” revolution.
“I want to make things more seasonal, I want to really emphasize all the area has to offer agriculturally,” Lim says. “However, the idea of being completely ‘farm to fork’ is not realistic. It is important for me to maintain the family tradition and recipes and really bring it out to its full potential. They already do it right here; everything is phenomenal. Bringing some extra creative and seasonal dishes is what I am most looking forward to.”
Mike Lim remembers coming to Frank Fat’s as a kid, and always being aware of its impact and presence in the community.
“Frank Fat’s always had a reputation. It was always a really great treat to be able to go there and dine and just be in its historical presence. I kind of can’t believe that I am here now, and a part of it.”
An evening at Frank Fat’s is truly a unique and timeless experience. While our city is massively transforming right before our eyes, it’s nice to have a place to step back and experience what can simply be described as a classic gem. Cheers to Sacramento’s very own Frank Fat’s restaurant, serving Sacramento for many more decades to come.
A note on Frank Fat’s Famous Banana Cream Pie
It is extremely urgent for everyone in Sacramento to know the greatness of Frank Fat’s banana cream pie. You will never ever taste a banana cream pie as good as this, and if you do, it’s probably because they stole the recipe from Frank himself. The pie has to be at least 6 inches high, with a mound of light and refreshing house-whipped cream. The three layers of heaven consist of a thin and flaky, croissant-like crust that has just the right amount of presence; simple, tasty and functional. There are tons of fresh bananas in that perfect crust, layered into a pudding that serves as a sort of mortar for banana bricks. In short, Frank Fat’s could open up a banana cream pie shop alone, and would be wildly successful.
The Days of Fat’s
For the past seven-and-a-half decades, Frank Fat’s has had a strong presence in the Sacramento community, which they hope to continue for decades to come. Their motto is that one must “be proud of their heritage, be proud of their culture, and always give back to their community.”
In honor of Frank Fat’s 75th anniversary, the family of restaurants will have a “15 Days of Fat’s” contest on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, during which, $75 gift certificates will be hidden around the city from Oct. 1 to 15, 2014. Every day, the restaurant will release a clue to a different location that holds some historical meaning or great significance to the family and their relationship with the city. A $75 gift certificate to any Frank Fat’s location will await the first person to arrive at the location. Good luck!
Everything you need to know about the Sacramento culinary icon can be found at Fatsrestaurants.com. Submerge humbly recommends the honey walnut prawns, Frank’s Style New York Steak, the Shanghai noodles and of course, the famous banana cream pie.
The Gillilands celebrate their 10th anniversary by giving back to the city that has given them so much
Words by Joe Atkins • Photos by Nicholas Wray
Nestled neatly on that delicate transition between downtown and Midtown, Lucca Restaurant and Bar is already, as of our print date, halfway done celebrating a decade of success. Longtime restaurant workers, the Gillilands, opened Lucca with two paintings and an idea: large plates with locally farmed food.
The blue goose and the red bull still hang on the walls of Lucca today, and the aspirations of locally sourced meats and produce has inspired the Gillilands to open Lucky Dog Ranch in Dixon, Calif., producing pasture-raised beef. While this holistic vision might not seem all that original in today’s farmers market, farm-to-fork atmosphere, it is worth noting that this wasn’t always the case. No one wants to admit that they’re sacrificing quality for price, but this is a primary obstacle for restaurants. And not all wind up making the right decisions. The Gillilands have been able to sustain their vision with Lucca, open the equally successful Roxy Restaurant and raise their own cattle to supply their restaurants and others, and this speaks volumes.
Lucca is successful, hands down, but Terri Gilliland is quick to note they’ve been successful because of Sacramento. “We’re so grateful to be at this point,” says Gilliland. “We’ve weathered it all, especially the last five years. We’re incredibly grateful to the Sacramento community for the support.”
It’s clear that Terri enjoys being a restaurateur, in all its capacities. Before our interview begins, she lets me know that she has to travel to the family ranch in Dixon to aid some of the newborn calves—Terri serves as the de facto caretaker for new calf additions at Lucky Dog Ranch. One employee even told me in passing that it can be trouble, because once she’s named them, they’re no longer available for slaughter.
It’s this sort of devotion, not only to their livestock but to the details of their restaurants that have made the Gillilands, and Lucca in specific, profitable. “We got off to a great start,” explains Terri. “We had a lot of community support and friends.” She contributes the early success of Lucca to three factors: “Ron and I were experienced restaurant people; we’ve worked all aspects of restaurants. We have an exceptional group of people at our restaurants, especially our management. They walk the walk. And we were embraced by Sacramento.”
Over the last 10 years the Gillilands have fostered many relationships, the most famous being ex-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the Governator did have a large influence on their early success—many cigars have been smoked on their back patio—this relationship is not the most important. Terri mentions a boy who decided to celebrate his eighth birthday at Lucca, and his family has returned every year since. Terri mentions a couple who had their first date, their wedding and their child’s baptism all at Lucca. On rare occasion, Terri and her husband Ron will even hug patrons, mistaking them for friends.
“We’re both really affectionate people,” she laughs.
But when we talk about restaurants, what actually matters is food. This brings us to head chef, Ian MacBride, who has been at Lucca for seven years, shopping local markets, planning salads and entrées, plating dishes. Thinking about it, as a local, I can say that Lucca is unexpectedly one of the restaurants I’ve most frequented in the last six years, meaning MacBride has overseen a significant amount of my meals. And I’m sure I’m not alone. As MacBride states, “On a good Saturday, we’re putting out 500 dinners.”
That’s a lot of entrées, yet Lucca faces different obstacles in today’s economy. “There are so many more seats, and not necessarily that many more people downtown,” says MacBride, quick to list a handful of restaurants that have both opened and closed in the last seven years. The pivotal economic shift in 2008 brought a new set of challenges to the existing restaurant scene. “The dinners are the same,” says MacBride, “the lunches have slowed.” He points out that even the traditional high-end eateries have done most anything possible to lure more customers during the day. In 2013, even Ella has a happy hour.
Looking over Lucca’s menu, I think I’ve had almost every item, stealing bites from friends and family, as I’m wont to do. Lucca’s zucchini chips are my favorite appetizers in Sacramento. But until my most recent visit, I’d never tried the Lucky Dog Ranch hamburger, with cheese. This burger comes undecorated, with the accompaniments on the side: pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato. The produce is fresh, and the fries are nicely seasoned with a touch of salt, but the patty is unique. It doesn’t have that greasy, fat dripping everywhere quality so inescapable in most burgers. The meat is cooked nicely with just a touch of pink showing, and the seasoning doesn’t overpower the actual taste of beef. Clearly the burger is thought out from top to bottom, and for that alone I’d recommend it. Especially paired with a nice Ruhstaller 1881 Amber Ale.
The other surprise from my visit: roasted beet and citrus Salad. The bed of baby kale with olives, almonds, and ricotta, gives the beets a complimentary pairing. The beets themselves are smoky and sweet, and the flavor is rounded out with a coriander citronette, a dressing made of olive oil and lemon. If you’re a fan of beets, this is a must try dish. Likewise, the cheese flatbread with chickpea hummus, olive tapenade, and red pepper romesco, will disappear from one’s table immediately. These two small dishes couple together nicely. Also, for the more adventurous, Lucca might have the best escargot puff pastry in town, when it’s available.
For dinner, I’m a fan of Lucca’s spicy sausage. The Spicy Penne, with baby artichokes, olives, capers, roasted tomato, garlic, chili flakes and sausage; or the Paparadelle, with said spicy sausage and mushroom ragu, are both highly recommended. The pork chop with apple and dried cherry chutney is always rewarding. It’s moist, flavorful, and the apples and cherries provide a delicious sweetness to this entrée.
While I’ve never had a bad experience at Lucca, I’d describe the restaurant as good, specifically consistent, but not quite excellent. This seems to be the general consensus from my community as well. The atmosphere is open and inviting, the lighting well placed, the patio inviting, the bar easygoing and conversational. There’s no specific quality that seems to be lacking exactly. Lucca does what it’s been doing for the last 10 years well. While it’s not always the restaurant that pops to mind when we’re looking for a bite, it’s never disappointing.
It’s also clear that both Terri and head chef MacBride are conscious of this to some degree. In passing Terri mentions that it’s good to just realize what the restaurant is, what its strengths are and figure out how to take advantage of those in pursuing growth. MacBride is excited about the upcoming anniversary events, where he will show off all new items, moving completely away from the staples of Lucca’s menu.
It is, after all a celebration, as MacBride notes, “The 10th year is a benchmark. You know you’re doing something right.”
And owner Terri Gilliland is happy to give back to the city that has so long supported her restaurant: “We want to make a small contribution back to the community.”
For the next two Wednesdays, Lucca will be hosting the final pair of 10 year anniversary events, the previous two benefitting Verge Center for the Arts and Mustard Seed Spin.
On April 17, MacBride will reveal his “Eating Like a Kid Again” menu, and guests will enjoy a recycled fashion show; the proceeds for this event will benefit Sacramento Children’s Home. On April 24, the five-course fixed menu will have a farmers market focus, emphasizing locally sourced edibles; proceeds will be donated to Sacramento Farm-to-Fork. Both dinners start at 5:30 p.m., and seating is limited but available.
