World-class, indeed

Whether you’re new to Sacramento or a 916 veteran, this new Inside Sacramento (Inside Publications, $34.95) book makes for a handy coffee table guide to the city’s myriad charms. Cecily Hasting’s tome, which bills itself as a primer on “the most interesting neighborhoods in America’s farm-to-fork capital,” focuses on much more than just food and drink. With full-color photography, it’s divided into neighborhoods such as East Sacramento, Old Sacramento, Oak Park and The Handle. Throughout it covers restaurants, retail and culture with quick-hit capsule takes on dining (South, Fish Face Poke Bar, Esquire Grill, etc.), artistic touch points (Crocker Art Museum, the Warehouse Artist Lofts and, even, a section on public art) as well as the kinds of places any true blue Sacramentan would know and recommend (East Sac Hardware, Corti Bros., etc). Sure, it’s all very Chamber of Commerce-ready but it also makes for an eye-pleasing argument as to why Sacramento is already pretty damn world-class, thank you very much.