Mindful partying

Conscious clubbing: A nightclub without the booze? That’s the vision for Andy Fray, who is launching his events company Zero Point Zero with a substance-free party at the Elks Tower (921 11th Street) on Saturday, July 18. Instead of beer, dancers can guzzle cold-pressed juice and kombucha-based cocktails from Metro Kitchen & Drinkery and nibble on appetizers from Strings Urban Kitchen.

Sober for four years, Fray wants a nightlife alternative for those in recovery. But he’s also finding there’s a lot of support for substance-free parties with the yogi and health-conscious communities, as well as women who want to dance without unwanted advances from drunk idiots.

The first of the soon-to-be-monthly events will be 21-and-over, though. “We want this to feel like a nightclub event with a more adult crowd,” Fray said.

In the future, though, Fray hopes to add some 18-and-up events and partner with more Sacramento eateries.

Old kid on the block: Sacramento native moves to the Bay Area, rises to the top of the restaurant industry and decides now is the time to open something back in the ol’ hometown—it’s becoming a common story.

Tom Schnetz runs several high-profile restaurants in Oakland—Dona Tomas, Flora and Xolo among them. He recently teamed up with two childhood friends—all three grew up just blocks apart in Land Park— to launch the Cinders, a bar at 5340 Auburn Boulevard. It’s scheduled to officially open the week of July 6. The location has seen a slew of unsuccessful dive bars over the years, but it was best known as Embers, one of Sacramento’s first strip clubs. The Cinders pays homage to Embers only in name, and the presence of two large fireplaces.

Those friends are Jeff Tochterman, a real estate agent who will oversee the day-to-day operations, and John Mikacich, who owns the property as well as the Limelight in East Sacramento.

Schnetz still lives in Oakland, but he essentially conceptualized and designed the Cinders, according to Tochterman. All the walls and surfaces have changed. Half of the 12 beers on tap will belong to local breweries. Cocktails will be a big focus, with bartenders trained by the veterans at Flora in Oakland. But Flora’s cocktails typically cost $12, and the Cinders isn’t exactly in a hip Midtown location. Tochterman wants to keep drinks around $6.

“Our idea is to use all the same techniques without having to increase the cost,” Tochterman said.