The Old Sacramento Waterfront has a vacant, dark hole instead of a beautiful dining spot with the best views in town. Mark and Stephanie Miller closed Rio City Café Aug. 3, ending 30 years as a family-run landmark.

The café’s landlord was the city of Sacramento. City officials didn’t maintain the building as required under lease terms. Most egregious was the city’s neglectful approach to the river deck that produced 70% of the restaurant’s revenue.

Rather than make repairs, the city ordered the deck closed for safety reasons. And the city rejected efforts by the Millers to fund a temporary measure to reopen the deck while permanent fixes were planned, approved and funded.

Aggie Square, the innovation hub taking shape at the UC Davis Health Center campus on Stockton Boulevard, is a big deal. One of the biggest ever for the university and the city.

It’s also a big deal for nearby neighborhoods, especially Oak Park, which experienced the downside of being next to the booming health campus while receiving few of the benefits.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a champion of the project with UC Chancellor Gary May, called the $1.1 billion development “the single biggest economic initiative for the city in decades.” He tells me he feels so good about Aggie Square he will deliver his final State of the City speech there Sept. 19.

What does “accessible” really mean? A diverse group of theater artists have the answer.

“It’s not just ramps and handrails,” says Jim Brown, a longtime volunteer with Short Center Repertory, a public outreach program of the Developmental Disabilities Service Organization.

“In this instance, accessible refers to the audience experience, as well as the performers’ experience,” he says. “Getting involved with this has really made me so aware of the ways in which we seldom accommodate people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and low vision.”

Ryan Ota’s humble sandwich window says a lot about him. First, the name. Mecha Mucho, two Japanese and Spanish words that mean “a lot.” The phrase reflects Ota’s Japanese and Mexican origins. And “a lot” is what Ota is doing.
A lot of focus. A lot of flavor. A lot of passion.

Inspired by West Coast Little Tokyos and Japantowns, Ota developed a tight menu of exceptional lunchtime offerings. His sandos, hearty and simple in appearance, hold the details of precise cooking. The results are unforgettable.

Empowerment Park beckons like no other local park. Located on Bell Street between Northrup Avenue and Hurley Way, Empowerment Park is designed for all children, including those with disabilities.

“There’s nothing sadder than a kid on the outside of a playground looking in because he’s not able to play. This will change that. This is a barrier-free, all-abilities park, where everyone can play together, side by side,” says Mike Grace, executive director of Sacramento Parks Foundation, the organization behind Empowerment Park (also known as emPOWERment Park).

Construction is set to start in September, with completion in May 2026.

With captive audiences, airports tend to offer generic food and drinks created in central kitchens not specific to their region. They make us feel we are nowhere and everywhere.

As the farm-to-fork capital, it’s fitting that Sacramento International Airport tries to reflect the community’s agricultural bounty and legacy.

Local emphasis began in 2011, when Terminal B opened with two restaurants linked to Downtown establishments, Esquire Grill and Cafeteria 15L. A makeover at Terminal A added more local hospitality names in 2015.