Food Stuff

A cruel arson had left the Victorian home a wreck—thousands passed by each day and viewed the charred indignity. A mercy killing appeared inevitable, and there was talk of a new office building going up. Then local architect/contractor Ron Vrilakas, in partnership with a few determined preservationists, embarked on a quixotic vision to nurse the old lady back to health. Now come celebrate the rebirth. The Naked Lounge, a popular Chico coffeehouse, has just opened a Sacramento location on the ground floor of the once-tattered Victorian. Affable young owners have outfitted the space in style, with swooping furniture and classic jazz and blues recordings. The full-strength house brew (beans from Café Moto, San Diego’s oldest roastery) ranks among the best this side of Berkeley. The old house is feeling the love, and a neighborhood basks in triumph. 1500 Q Street, Sacramento; open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.