This story is part of our December 2024 issue. To subscribe, click here.

You might associate going to the movies with candy and popcorn, but what about offal and bone marrow? That’s what Ryan Donahue, marketing director of Sacramento’s Crest Theatre and manager of Empress Tavern, imagines for the future of theater food. 

“I’ve been telling them to do chicken liver mousse. They haven’t done it yet, but it’s probably coming,” says Donahue of his chef Jess Taylor. His goal is to create a “grown-up Disneyland” experience at Crest and Empress, where concert- and moviegoers can hang out at the neighboring tavern before and after their shows.

Crest Theatre (formerly Empress Theatre) and Empress Tavern, which have been open since 1912 and 2015, respectively, is just one theater-restaurant pairing where you can have a full night out in Sacramento. From downtown Sacramento to Oak Park, legacy theaters around the region are serving up both dinner and a show. 

Crest Theatre and Empress Tavern

Donahue was a partner at Empress Tavern when it first opened in 2015. He later left and then returned this year when his longtime friend Robert Alvis and Alvis’ partner Elliot Prestwich, who bought the Crest Theatre in 2019, asked Donahue to help with management.

The team tried to “resuscitate” what the Empress Tavern was when it reopened in 2023 (Donahue wasn’t involved), but they found it was an impossible feat. Donahue says the restaurant was a different concept. Back then, they had chicken hearts on the menu. 

It’s counter service now, but in a few weeks, they plan to add “flyers,” Donahue says, who will “serve, run and bus.” He describes their service as “dynamic, as it’s largely event-based. We could have a film, hip-hop show, comedian, country show. The restaurant is impacted, usually, by one turn as guests want to make the show on time.”

Currently, the menu includes shareable bar bites like deviled eggs, apple and quinoa salad, and fried chicken cutlets, with plans to add curated hot dogs soon. “We’re definitely transforming it into something that’s a lot different,” Donahue adds — elevated bar food that plays on traditional fine dining. Donahue says they’re “cozy, kind of fun, not overly serious.”

Drinks are movie-themed, such as the “Mitch,” made with sangria, and “I Carried a Watermelon,” inspired by “Dirty Dancing” and made with basil eau de vie, watermelon High Noon and lemon.

Donahue also shares how they’re innovating desserts using theater candy. One morning, while workshopping treats, Taylor gave Donahue a lemon bar with Sour Patch Kids on it to try, which Donahue says was “quite good.” Taylor also experimented with cookies with Milk Duds. “I just saw her with some Reese’s peanut butter cups,” Donahue adds. 
The restaurant also hosts pop-ups, including a recent collaboration with bartender (and former Comstock’s photographer) Andrew Calisterio and Chef Matt Brown of Husick’s by Forester, a pizzeria in Clarksburg.

They also involve the artist community, with local artists helping to create film posters. By the end of the year, Donahue hopes they will be able to offer dinner and a movie, where guests can eat while watching a film. 

“I think we’re kind of a unicorn. Tower (Café, next to Tower Theatre) also is kind of similar, but there really isn’t a lot to compare to.”

Tower Cafe

Step inside Tower Café and you encounter a rainforest filled with statues and global adornments. But there’s more to the cafe than looks. This corner of town is rooted in Sacramento history. 

The cafe, which shared the same building as the 86-year-old theater, was formerly home to Tower Drugs. This was the site where Russ Solomon wanted to resell 78-rpm jukebox records at his father’s drug store, which he opened in 1938 (called Tower Cut-Rate Drug Store until Solomon took over). Little did the young Solomon know that this endeavor would lead to the founding of Tower Records, which became a global music retailer with a presence in 18 countries. The music store was once the hippest place in town to hang out, even if you weren’t buying CDs. Today, Tower Records operates mainly as an online shop and sells vinyl, CD and cassette tapes.

Tower Café is a few decades younger than its theater neighbor; owner James Seyman opened it on Earth Day in 1990. He wanted to bring world fusion cuisine to Sacramento’s diverse community. For brunch, you can expect familiar comfort fusion foods like Thai-style steak and eggs, Morocco-inspired yogurt with fruit and granola, or the Madame Cristo, a breakfast version of a Monte Cristo sandwich. The cafe offers show-goers a chance to enjoy and escape, even if for a few minutes, since there’s a show to catch.

For those who grew up in the area, the theater was the place where they went on their first date and later stopped by the cafe for dinner. The restaurant “continues to evolve from local memories to global pursuits,” says some copy on the menu cover that Seyman wrote about opening the cafe. The goal is to make Sacramento a “global village,” he writes.

Café Colonial

Another theater with an on-site cafe is the Colonial Theatre on Stockton Boulevard, between Oak and Tahoe parks. Anna Thompson, co-owner of Café Colonial, which also offers a space for underground musicians to play, took over the restaurant a year and a half ago when previous owner Gabriell Garcia gave the company to her. Thompson has worked through two previous ownerships. Now, as an entrepreneur, she’s launching a new menu, paying homage to the original menu when she first worked at the cafe almost 10 years ago.

The focus is on house-made sauces like vegan ranch dip and vegan chipotle drizzle, as well as handmade bar bites, such as onion rings and mozzarella sticks battered in-house. In the winter, Thompson holds a tamale fundraiser, which started “from gifting promoters tamales or tortillas at events leading up to the holidays,” she says. In the early days, the eatery was very community-driven, and the annual event helped support much needed upgraded sound equipment. Now it’s an opportunity to see family, friends and neighbors who haven’t seen each other in a while.

A considerable part of the inspiration for the menu comes from The Colonial’s emphasis on being inclusive of diets and offering healthier alternatives, since Thompson has celiac disease and is gluten-free. Ten years ago, the cafe first introduced vegan options, and now “one whole side” of their menu consists of vegan items, she says. Thompson says the bands who play there appreciate the options, since it can be challenging to eat healthy when traveling. “I’ve gotten many comments that having vegan items or fresh salads has been a great convenience,” Thompson says, “because the bands can eat something that’s a little bit more healthy than fried foods.”

For her bar program, she says, “specialty cocktails have been named by featured events. On weekends our drink specials are curated with the bands and artists that are performing, either matching colors or albums or on theme with the artists’ favorite beverages.”

Although the theater and cafe are owned by different entities, the owners work together to support each other and their guests. “We really try to include everybody, or do the best we can. If somebody’s hungry, I’d rather they eat, and if we can provide that, that’s the main goal. When you’re watching a band, you’re enjoying live music. It’s a community space,” she says, meaning that everyone should feel included. “We have something to make them also feel comfortable and that they don’t have to leave.”  

–

Stay up to date on Capital Region food news: Subscribe to the Comstock’s newsletter today.