Lovely sweet return

Grand re-opening: Just over one year ago, a fire charred Ramiro Alarcon’s Mexican restaurant in East Sacramento, Cielito Lindo. It had been open just seven months, and it’s remained closed since the fire.

Now, Alarcon plans to reopen Cielito Lindo (3672 J Street) the first week of May: May 7 or 12, he wrote to SN&R with the help of a translator. The bold, complex flavors and upscale flair will remain, but regular customers can look forward to some big changes as well.

“The seating area will be much larger,” Alarcon said. “We’re adding two rooms and changing the colors. Everything is new and right now it is very pretty.”

Alarcon also said he’s already applied for a license to serve beer and wine, though it hasn’t been secured just yet. He’s adding a happy-hour menu, and more options for vegans and vegetarians. Alarcon estimates that about 30 percent of the menu will change—after all, he’s been teaching cooking classes, catering events and picking up new ideas for a year now.

Shortly before the April 2014 fire, Cielito Lindo had unveiled a breakfast menu. That won’t return, for the time being at least. Sorry, chilaquiles fans.

The best news? Expect specials offered the whole month of May.

Freshly pressed: A new juice bar just on the cusp of Elk Grove is, surprisingly, ignoring most juice trends. 7 Fruity (8765 Center Parkway, Suite D300) does zero bottling, stocks its shop with vintage furniture and sells hoards of desserts—macarons, cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake—thereby ignoring that detox mantra.

Instead, 7 Fruity cold-presses tiny amounts of fruit and vegetables throughout the day and mixes them to order in customizable smoothies and juice blends. The goal is for the drink to be as fresh as possible, and it doesn’t hurt that 90 percent of the produce is organic.

Cider for the win: An Auburn-based and relatively new hard cider company is getting pummeled with awards. In March, Common Cider nabbed Cider of the Year for its hibiscus saison at the New York International Beer Competition. In April, it took home five medals at the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition, including a silver for its apple saison in the modern category.

Sorry-not-sorry: On May 1, Old Soul at the Weatherstone will ban smoking on its popular-for-smoking patio—a move showing the company’s seriousness about its growing food program. Weatherstone recently unveiled a new food menu with some enticing options, including saucy skirt steak and pork loin sandwiches.