Rare finds of Sacramento’s political past from Paragary’s warehouse up for bid
Dining at midtown Sacramento’s old Capitol Grill in the 1990s meant you might be “sitting next to former Gov. Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown or any one of several television news anchors,” wrote Bee restaurant critic Dan Vierria in 1990. Now, the public has a chance to own a piece of the iconic restaurant where Sacramento’s political class dined for nearly a decade—and at surprisingly low prices.
A large swath of the political memorabilia that once lined the rustic interior of Randy and Stacy Paragary’s Capitol Grill — open from 1990 to 1997 — is currently up for auction, including low-priced, one-of-a-kind signed photos from former Gov. Pete Wilson, former singer and Rep. Sonny Bono and former President George H.W. Bush.
Stacy Paragary said her husband had long been interested in politics, but his passion for collecting memorabilia began with the launch of the bipartisan-themed restaurant at 2730 N St., which Vierria described as “comfortable as an old, worn sweater” and “a refuge from pretentiousness.”
“It was kind of a cluttered old space that felt traditional with dark wood, kind of like the Capitol,” Stacy said. “I can actually picture some of that (memorabilia) on the walls. I knew exactly where it was hanging.”
A steady stream of Capitol insiders frequented the restaurant for its ambiance and seasonal fare, which began as classic American cuisine and later incorporated Asian and Latin American influences, according to Bee reporting at the time. The Capitol Grill closed in 1997 after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the similarly named Capital Grille restaurant chain.
Although the restaurant shuttered more than 25 years before Randy Paragary’s death in 2021, the Paragary family retained hundreds of photos, posters, and buttons from the era. A year after Randy’s brief battle with pancreatic cancer, Stacy partnered with the Sacramento Historical Society and former Sacramento Kings owner Gregg Lukenbill to part with the memorabilia collection, which had been stored in a warehouse.
Lukenbill, who now serves as vice president of the historical society, helped transfer more than 150 items to Witherell’s auction house in the New Era Park neighborhood.
Now, a slice of Sacramento’s culinary and political history — and insight into Randy Paragary’s personal archive — is up for bid in an online auction that will support the Sacramento Historical Society.
“I just think (Randy) was a guy who loved Sacramento,” Lukenbill said. “He was very influential in elevating the quality of life and the quality of entertainment and the quality of food (in the city).”
Items ranging from campaign yard signs to a Bee political cartoon to Watergate-era letters from U.S. senators are listed on the auction site, with the vast majority estimated to be worth up to $50 apiece. Many listings, including signed photographs and 19th-century prints, remain under $100 with fewer than five bids.
Stacy Paragary said she asked Lukenbill to oversee the auction because of the emotional weight the collection carries. She and Randy met in 1988 and were married from 1993 until Randy’s death. She remains at the helm of the Paragary Restaurant Group, which owns various concepts throughout the region, including the eponymous Paragary’s and Cafe Bernardo.
“It was his baby, his collection, and that’s why I just didn’t want to throw it away,” Paragary said. “I’m glad that it’s going to be somewhere with somebody who cares about it.”
The bidding ends at 2 p.m. Sunday.
What I’m Eating
If you find that most restaurant meals are too salty for your taste, check out the upscale dive bar tucked into a nondescript building on Broadway and 34th Street in North Oak Park.
At the Butterscotch Den, burgers and steaks are guaranteed to be grilled to the customer’s taste every time. But don’t expect to smell the savory goodness of perfectly cooked meat as your server brings your meal out — it arrives completely raw. The heart of the dimly lit ’70s-inspired dining area is a large self-service grill ready to flame a juicy rib eye ($43) to an optimal medium-rare, or well-done if that’s what you prefer.
The “grill-your-own-steak” eatery, run by The Snug and Ro Sham Beaux owners Irish Hospitality Group, includes a well-stocked seasoning and condiment bar to flavor its small menu of steaks, burgers, hot dogs and vegetarian side dishes. A fluffy baked potato ($6.50 plus $1 for cheese and bacon) and fresh broccolini ($6.50) — which I lightly coated with garlic powder — paired nicely with my rib eye and a $10 cheddar-jalapeño smoked sausage.
While the interactive meal element provided a fun evening similar to hot pot or Korean barbecue, my primary reason for visiting the Butterscotch Den was to try its grasshopper cocktail ($10), which was featured on the Food & Wine website in September. The publication’s senior drinks editor, Prairie Rose, called it “midcentury kitsch with a contemporary, bittersweet update.”
Seeing ice cream as a primary ingredient, I expected a thick diner milkshake with the occasional hint of Cynar digestif, but was pleasantly surprised to taste a smooth, fresh drink that injects a hit of sticky summer nostalgia into a classy cocktail. Plus, the former Girl Scout in me is never able to pass up a Thin Mint.
The Butterscotch Den
Address: 3406 Broadway, Sacramento
Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Sunday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Phone: 916-955-2556
Website: thebutterscotchden.com
Vegetarian options: Side dishes, mushroom burger
Noise level: Moderate to loud
Outdoor seating: None
Openings & Closings
- Chando’s Tacos is reopening three of its restaurants after ceasing operations across the capital region in July. Taquerias at 863 Arden Way in North Sacramento, 5665 Power Inn Road in Elder Creek and on the Sacramento State campus will begin rolling out starting Saturday, Nov. 1, according to a social media post by owner Lisandro “Chando” Madrigal.
- A new dessert cafe opened at the Westfield Galleria at Roseville on Sunday. Mochi Munch, 1151 Galleria Blvd., Suite 1228, is serving puffy mochi donuts, Korean-style corn dogs, fries, milkshakes and more in a small unit on the mall’s first floor near Macy’s.
- Punch Bowl Social in Sacramento’s Downtown Commons will close permanently on Dec. 24, eliminating 83 jobs, according to a state WARN Act filing. The 23,000-square-foot venue, which opened in 2017, features bowling, karaoke, arcade games and multiple bars across two floors of the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel. The Denver-based chain filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and has since reduced its footprint nationally.
