The Buzz: This downtown restaurant goes upscale. Redding among best fishing towns in U.S.
David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight
7 min read
When Rosé Kitchen & Spirits opened earlier this year, taking over the former Shameless O’Leery’s space, co-owner Seng Saechao wanted to keep some of the vibe of the former Irish pub.
“We were trying to keep, you know, the really cool bar to drink at and cater to the younger crowd,” he said of the restaurant near the corner of California and Placer streets in downtown Redding.
But the décor and new color scheme the owners put in to transform the space from Shameless to Rosé was more upscale and customers came in expecting more from the menu.
“People came in expecting to see steak and an upscale menu and we pretty much had burgers and tacos,” Saechao said.
So in July, Rosé pivoted to an upscale restaurant.
“We gave it a couple of months before we decided to shut down the menu and bring in something a little bit more sophisticated, upscale, a place for people who were coming into the restaurant,” Saechao said.
This past week, Rosé also relaunched its lunch menu, which features items like a simple sushi roll.
The inside of Rose' Kitchen and Spirits in downtown Redding.
“We piggyback some of the stuff that’s at RAW,” Saechao said of the Hilltop Drive restaurant he also co-owns.
Among the items on the dinner menu at Rosé are halibut New Orleans that is topped with shrimp, crawfish and Cajun Alfredo sauce, skirt steak, prime rib, filet mignon, and New Zealand salmon.
“We brought in, and are one of the few places that offer, raw oysters every day, the smaller Kusshi oysters from Japan,” Saechao said. “They are really small, super clean, one of the smallest, cleanest tasting oysters ever.”
The new hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
“We are working on relaunching our brunch. We stopped brunch so we could focus on dinners,” Saechao said.
A trout fishing showcase
If you’re an avid angler, it’s probably not a surprise to see that Redding recently was named one of the best trout-fishing towns in the United States.
Field & Stream magazine ranks Redding No. 5.
“These are places to be if you’re a diehard trout angler,” the magazine said this month.
Only Durango, Colorado; Carbondale, Colorado; Bozeman, Montana; and Missoula, Montana; ranked higher.
A man fishes in the Sacramento River near Redding's Sundial Bridge on Friday, March 20, 2020, with no problem keeping his social distancing.
According to Field & Stream: “The Lower Sacramento River runs through town, offering great float trips all year long. The Pit River offers nymphing for big fish, despite challenging wading conditions. Hat Creek is a spring creek known for its technical dry-fly fishing. Then, to the north, you have the Fall River and the famed McCloud River, which has steep banks and a lot of brush to get hung up on — and some of the best rainbow trout fishing in the Lower 48.”
But maybe the bigger news here is Redding beat out Bend, Oregon, which ranked 10th.
So to those North Staters who wonder why we can’t be more like the central Oregon city — hey, in this case, we’re better than Shelbyville, err Bend.
Redding Chamber of Commerce President Jake Mangas said the Field & Stream fame comes at a time when the city is working to update its vision for development along the Sacramento River.
“It’s a great time that Redding makes this illustrious list, given that we are examining the riverfront,” he said.
Mangas recalls a City Council meeting this past spring around the time of the Masters golf tournament.
“During public comment period, a local fly-fishing aficionado got up to say that we talk about well-producing trout streams around the country, and if you put this in golf terms, the Sacramento River in Redding is Augusta National — it’s our Augusta National,” Mangas said.
Bryan Quick, director of outfitters at The Fly Shop in Redding, said that after serving in the Air Force, he moved back to California and specifically chose Redding for the fishing.
“We can fish nearly 365 days a year, it’s anadromous — we get salmon and steelhead that show up in the fall — we have great insect hatches in the spring and through summer and the fish are plentiful and large for the Sacramento here in town,” Quick said.
South Carolina developer starts work in Stillwater
Grading has started on Lot 6A in Stillwater Business Park, where plans submitted to the city show a Pepsico/Frito Lay distribution center going in there.
Crossland Barnes Group, a real estate developer based in South Carolina, recently purchased the 4-acre lot.
“My understanding is it’s going to be a 12,000-square-foot distribution center,” said Todd Jones, president of Economic Development Corp. of Shasta County.
Trees have been cleared and grading is starting on a lot in Stillwater Business Park that a South Carolina developer recently purchased.
Crossland Barnes Group did not return a phone message seeking comment.
“I am happy to see some dirt moving at Stillwater and with the property closing, just over a third of Stillwater has now sold,” Jones said.
Rising capital and construction costs has slowed activity in the business park, but Jones said the economy seems to be stabilizing and he hopes that motivates companies that have bought property in Stillwater to move forward on their projects.
PACE Engineering is the only company operating in Stillwater. The Redding firm bought Lot 3 and relocated to the business park in the fall of 2021.
Here’s a rundown of other parcels in Stillwater:
Lot 1: Jones said the city has combined Lots 1 and 2 to create a parcel of about 15 acres in hopes of making the property more marketable.
Lot 4: Beneficial Insectary in Redding purchased the property. Jones said. In November 2020, the company was purchased by Biobest Group NV, a Belgian company that specializes in biological pest control and pollination. Beneficial has offices around Redding now and the plan would be to consolidate its operations at Stillwater. Jones said it’s a big project, but the firm still plans to build in the business park.
Lot 5: Energy Innovators and Maas Energy Works, both Redding firms, bought the lot. Jones said Energy Innovators wants to build in Stillwater, but has not started construction.
Lot 6B: This parcel is still for sale.
Lot 7: Cool Valley Holdings, a Southern California company, purchased this from Lassen Canyon Nursery for $840,000 in 2021. Cool Valley’s subsidiary, Fan Boys Window Factory, wants to build a plant. Cool Valley Holdings also has talked about opening a cannabis business on this site. Jones said he has not spoken to the owner for over a year and he has not seen any building applications come through the city’s permit department.
Lots 8 and 10: Both lots are still for sale.
Lot 9: USWTE is in escrow the purchase this lot. It wants to build a facility that would turn plastics into crude oil.
Lot 11A: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection agreed to a land exchange with the city to purchase the 35 acres where it eventually plans to build its Redding headquarters, relocating from Cypress Avenue. The land exchange calls for the state agency to pay the city a monthly rent of $14,605.80, which would be credited toward the difference in values, until the state agency moves into its facility in Stillwater. No work has started at the Stillwater site.
Lot 11B-13: Global developer Panattoni Development is in escrow to buy three lots, about 115 acres.
Lots 14-16: CaptiveAire planned to buy the three lots, but Jones said the company, whose West Coast manufacturing and production plant is on Lockheed Drive in Redding, has decided not to move forward with the purchase. CapitveAire is a commercial and industrial kitchen-ventilation manufacturer based in North Carolina.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
