A Vietnamese noodle bar called Sit Lo Saigon will fill the former Thai Nakorn space at 414 G St.
Sit Lo has a restaurant in Elk Grove, at 7405 Laguna Blvd., Suite 170 and a sister restaurant, Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar at 1801 L St., Suite 50 in Sacramento. The latter is more of a bar-and-bites scene, with craft cocktails and tapas.
Sit Lo’s website, https://www.sitlosaigon.com/, says its “menu is short and sweet, to highlight the labor of love that has gone into each of your bowls. Our beef bone broth is simmered for 72 hours to bring out the umami of the beef bones. … Fresh (rice) noodles are also another highlight in each bowl, just like you would find it in Vietnam.” It noted that most Vietnamese restaurants in the states use thin pho instead of traditional rice noodles. While pho noodles are available by request, “don’t write off the balance of fresh soft rice noodles until you try it.”
According to a 2020 Sacramento Business Journal story, the name “sit lo” refers to the cycle rickshaws seen in Vietnam.
The Davis business license lists the owner as Jimmy Voong, who – with his wife Mymy Nguyen – owned of the former Make Fish sushi wrap and poke bowl restaurant that once filled the Good Friends Hawaiian Poke space at 400 G St. According to a Sacramento Magazine story in 2020, the couple pivoted to a Vietnamese concept for its restaurants when sushi became so ubiquitous that Costco was selling it.
Thai Nakorn closed at the end of October, when its owners retired.
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Has the boba trend burst its bubble? The tapioca tea and snack shop Bite Feast recently closed.
Bite Feast just opened in June at 225 G St. It was under the same ownership as Cajun Feast, an Asian/Cajun fusion restaurant at 206 Third St. It has a co-brand, Love Home Cafe, inside the Cajun Feast location, offering a Chinese food menu.
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Another interactive exhibit popped up at the former Cost Plus World Market space in University Mall, at 871 Russell Blvd. Encounters UFO Xperience opened Dec. 1 and will continue through Feb. 28.
Another interactive exhibit, simulating Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, filled the space last spring. In between, it was a Halloween store.
The exhibit is “the first immersive and inclusive display of UFO legends, alien artifacts and the paranormal,” its Eventbrite page states. “An exciting attraction where UFO believers, researchers and the general public enter the world of alien encounters, UFO pop culture and real science.” Open to all ages, the encounter immerses participants with music, films, interactive games and presentations.
Attractions include Easter Island heads, and movie props from “The Predator” and “E.T.” There is a snack bar and gift shop, and a night club theme on Friday and Saturday nights, with DJs.
Hours are 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. On Monday, Dec. 18 and Tuesday, Dec. 19, its open from 2 to 9 p.m. Ticket prices range from $5 (child) to $20, not including the Eventbrite fees. Visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/encounters for details.
The Davis Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting event from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
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USE Credit Union recently changed its name to BluPeak Credit Union. The new name “gives a nod to our amazing California oceans and mountains, and better reflects our broader and more diverse membership,” its website says.
The financial cooperative’s previous name was an abbreviation for University and State Employees Credit Union. Its Davis branch – one of six statewide – is at 200 B St.
According to its website, it was founded in 1936 to serve financial needs of San Diego’s division of highway employees. It quickly grew to serve other state employees, and faculty and staff of California colleges and universities. It changed its name to University and State Employees Credit Union in 1971.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, membership expanded to “anyone who lives, works or worships” in the five counties where it holds community charters: Yolo, Sacramento, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Diego. Its corporate headquarters remain in San Diego.
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The carpet-cleaning business Cotton Carpet Care is temporarily closed.
A message on its voicemail said, “Due to recent events in our personal lives, we have decided to shut down early this year. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.” It noted that it will reopen in January.
The business is at 2020 Fifth St., Suite 1545 in Davis. Its phone number is 530-753-6675.
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The new HMP Bikes store has not closed. Owner Peter Chu said there were some temporary closures after Thanksgiving when employees were gone for the holiday. He said he had to pick up cargo in Oakland, and was overwhelmed assembling the electric mopeds.
It’s at 440 F St. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Visit https://www.hmpbikes.com/.
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Missed a column? Wondering when a new Davis business is opening? Check my paywall-free Google spreadsheet, which includes more than 325 Davis businesses coming or going. It’s at https://bit.ly/DavisBusinesses. Look for the tabs for Restaurants Open, Restaurants Closed, Coming Soon and more.
— Wendy Weitzel is a Davis writer and editor. Her column runs on Sundays. Check for frequent updates on her Comings & Goings Facebook and Instagram pages. If you know of a business coming or going in the area, email her at wendyedit@gmail.com.
