Dining, Arts & Entertainment

The Sierra Hillbillies Square & Round Dance Club celebrated 43 years of teaching, dancing, and promoting our American folkdance in the Santa Clarita Valley with a dance on September 10. There were over five squares on the floor enjoying the calls by John Reitmajer and round dance cues by Cindy Mower; the club dances the second Friday each month at the SCV Senior Center.

Tired of the usual run of the mill Angus beef burgers with the usual toppings?  Break away from the box and elevate your taste buds to the next level by trying Origami Burger & Bar’s Kobe beef burgers.  The exquisite taste and texture of the Kobe beef patties marinated in our secrete sauce will have you shouting out “This is the best damn burger I had in my life!”

“That’s Amore” formerly Bella Cucina has new owners Joseph and Mary Hamzeinejad.  They re-opened just a short time ago and offer the same quaint décor and are still as lovely as it always was inside.  The same great Italian food the community has come to love is still served perfectly to order! Mary does put a little extra touch to make the food special though! 

Hey there loyal readers!  This month at J.R.’s Comedy Club we have one of our most requested comedians, Bobby Collins.  Bobby became famous from hosting VH-1’s Comedy Spotlight.  He took over the show from Rosie O’Donnell.  He has become an all time favorite on the KLOS five o’clock funnies.  He will be at J.R.’s for three big shows on September 3 and 4.

“Not even possible.”  It’s what I said to the owner of Kelly’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant who was convinced he could get me to actually enjoy eating underwater creatures.  The first dish that was brought out besides the delectable brown sugar-enriched bread sticks was a fresh Atlantic salmon filet topped with a creamy bay shrimp sauce.  I couldn’t help but relish in the tender, mouth-watering filet cooked to perfection.  My initial supposition was clearly proven wrong once but who knew it would happen again with their jumbo prawn scampi sautéed with garlic, white wine, tomatoes and herbs, all served with the perfect complement of basmati rice.

Theme Park to Host 5K Race and 1K Kids-Grandparents Walk to Benefit SCV Senior Center and Kiwanis of the SCV. Six Flags Magic Mountain and its thrill-seeker mascot, Mr. Six, are inviting runners of all ages and ability levels to the Valencia theme park on Sunday, October 3, for a special benefit 5K Race and 1K Kids-Grandparents Walk co-produced by the SCV Senior Center Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of the SCV.
“This is an awesome opportunity for everyone to enjoy the rare chance to run through Magic Mountain, then stay and play for the rest of the day,” said John Oakes, the 5K/1K committee chairman and vice president of human resources for Boston Scientific.

Experience the taste of Italy at Italia Panetteria & Deli.  With their freshly baked breads made on the premises daily, imported cold cuts, fresh salads, hot entrees, and desserts, you won’t be disappointed.
Italia Panetteria & Deli is a family-owned authentic Italian deli and bakery.  Owners John and Victoria enjoy serving the community they’ve been a part of for the past 16 years and invite you to share the traditions of their family.  Italia Panetteria & Deli is honored to have been voted Favorite Deli and Favorite Bakery 2010 by Los Angeles Daily News readers.  Come see what the buzz is all about.

Gloria Lucia’s great grandmother, Nana, was born in 1918.  At the age of 16, she married a young attorney by the name of Albert Aristiz.  Wanting to help her young husband provide for the family without leaving the home as well as continue to take of their two daughters Betty and Grace, Nana started baking her family banana bread recipe and sold her bread in the town they used to live-Cali, Colombia.  Local residents loved the delicious tastes of Nana’s Banana Bread; they just couldn’t get enough of it.  Nana realized she needed to hire help to be able to keep up with the growing business.

For the past few months I have been reading Julie’s column, Single in Santa Clarita and while I have enjoyed her exploits, I kept thinking something was missing.  I realized this was only a woman’s view of dating so I decided, let’s get the guys take on dating.  Now since this is my first column, I wanted to go with something good, but simple.  So I decided on a first date.  Is it a meeting or a first date?

Intolerant.  I was labeled intolerant by a man I went out with last week.  Intolerant!  Imagine!  Me!  But here’s my story – I’ll let you decide.
A tall, handsome physician.  Semi-retired.  We met online, spoke on the phone only twice, and made a date to meet.  He lives on the Westside, but said he’d be “willing” to make the drive all the way out to my area.  Unselfish.  I could see it right away.

Missouri had Jesse James. New Mexico had Billy the Kid. And California in the 1870’s had its own Wild West outlaw. Tiburcio Vasquez was regarded by many as a dangerous thief and murderer, but many others idolized him and considered him a modern day Robin Hood. The many faces of California’s outlaw will be discussed in a new book to be published this fall called “Bandido. The Life and Times of Tiburcio Vasquez”. Author John Boessenecker will discuss his new book and the life of Vasquez before the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society at 2pm on Saturday, November 6, 2010. The talk and a book signing will be held at the Saugus Train Station at Heritage Junction within William S. Hart Park, a unit of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation System, 24101 Newhall Avenue (formerly San Fernando Road), in Newhall, California.

Many southern California residents take day-trips.  Journeys by car to destinations only an hour or two away, so the family can get back in time to sleep in their own beds.  We are indeed fortunate to have so many fantastic museums, theme parks, concert halls and beaches within a few hours drive.  While others that live hundreds, even thousands of miles away have to spend months planning, i.e., scheduling flights, making hotel reservations and taking weeks away from the workplace to enjoy what many of southern Californians take for granted.  

The City of Santa Clarita is inviting patrons to sign up for a day trip to the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley to enjoy the Danish Days Festival in Solvang, wine tasting at a local vineyard and a visit to the Chumash Casino on Saturday, September 18, 2010.  The cost is $42 per person for residents, $57 per person for non-residents, and $47 per person for non-resident seniors (55+).

JR’s Comedy Club Teams With The Brittany Foundation for Some Laughs. Don’t miss Comedy for Canines, The Brittany Foundation’s funniest fundraiser, on Friday, September 17 at JR’s Comedy Club in Valencia.

As the first exhibition of the fall 2010 semester, the College of the Canyons Art Gallery will feature the works of three-time Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist Paul Conrad.
Regarded as one of the most distinguished political cartoonists in the world, Conrad began his career at The Denver Post in 1950 before moving on to the Los Angeles Times in 1964 where he served as chief editorial cartoonist until 1993.

Francine Alba on the Oprah Winfrey Network, Christina Ferrari Show and Jamie Alba on the Discovery Channel, Pitchman Show
Restaurants come and go.  But there are those that become parts of our lives. Places attached to our memories.  The family gatherings, first dates, or quiet refuges.  Sisley is a restaurant that became apart of our lives.
Sisley is family owned and operated since 1989.  Their first location in Los Angeles was an immediate success.

The Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City has long been a Los Angeles tradition.  For nearly 65 years, such traditions have been the very essence of the Lodge.  Whether you are planning an intimate rehearsal dinner or an extravagant wedding ceremony and reception, a birthday party or an anniversary celebration, a cultural or religious gathering, a holiday event or a class reunion – The Sportsmen’s Lodge welcomes you to experience the perfect location. 

Burgers are burgers with very little distinctions from one joint to the next.  However, once you undertake the Origami burger experience, your concept of what a burger should taste like will fundamentally change forever.
All Origami beef burgers are made with American Kobe beef patties resulting in a tender, juicy burger packed and bursting with flavor.  Origami takes it up a notch by incorporating innovative sauces and ingredients to make all their burgers unique.