Open and shut

Back to scratch: East Sacramento’s Devine Bakery & Gelateria closed on June 25, after being open for only 10 months. On March 25, owner Elizabeth McCleary had posted on Facebook to announce an April closure due to financial struggles during a difficult winter, when chilly desserts generally don’t sell as well.

The business briefly rallied after a “big uproar from the neighborhood,” said Katelyn Ryan, a manager at the still-open location (1221 19th Street). In a show of support, customers flocked to the shop, giving it just enough patronage to scrape by. But the uptick proved temporary, prompting the shutdown.

The new shop focused more on baked items, which were well received but didn’t sell in large-enough quantities in part because its neighborhood-oriented location lacked the foot traffic of Devine’s first, Midtown spot.

The original location will offer some baked goods but focus more on scratch-made frozen treats. Among its seasonal offerings, there’s a blueberry, lavender and honey gelato and a champagne-poached, Rainier cherry sorbet ($4.95 for a small).

Blonde beauty: Elk Grove’s Flatland Brewing Co. (9183 Survey Road) won Best of Show at the 2017 State Fair’s California Commercial Beer Competition for its stellar blond ale, Pilsnerish. Announcing the news on June 22, the brewery self-described the brew as “super clean, dry and hoppy.” The recent triple-digit heat-wave probably didn’t hurt the easy-drinking beer’s odds of winning.

Other local gold-medal winners included Moonraker Brewing Co.’s imperial stout Wicked Whisper, Jackrabbit Brewing Co.’s Belgian dark strong ale Square Hare and Blue Note Brewing Co.’s German leichtbier Heidi.

No lunch Kru: In a baroque, eight-paragraph press release, Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine (3135 Folsom Boulevard) announced it will no longer be serving lunch. The release cited difficulties with offering two menus, which required two teams, prep lists and inventories—they determined it wasn’t “harmonious.” Starting July 3, the restaurant will open on weekdays at 4 p.m. and weekends at 5 p.m.

Suburban Kings: Three years after ditching his financial analyst career path, Ty Manukyan, along with his friend Will Rentfrow, opened Kingdom Coffee Roasters (305 Iron Point Road) on June 16. Based near the Folsom Premium Outlets, the upstart duo hope that Sacramento’s burgeoning reputation as a coffee destination expands into the suburbs.