Read last week’s dining & nightlife guide here.

Since the recent Kings’ advancement into seventh place over the Lakers, it’s now time to take your basketball-watching parties out of the house and into the crowds. For this, there is no better place than Joey B’s at the corner of 17th and Capitol.

Joey B’s is both a bar and restaurant. Open early in the morning until the wee hours of the night, you can grab a sandwich to go at their deli, sit down for a meal with a nice glass of wine or take a seat at the bar for a beer.

During every Kings game Joey B’s offers a great drinking and dining special. For only $19.99 you get a pitcher of Widmer Hefenweizen and a pepperoni pizza to enjoy while you watch Sacramento’s star team make their way to the playoffs on one of their 15 television sets.

Widmer Hefeweizen isn’t the only beer that flows from their taps, Joey B’s features six varieties that include Stella Artois, Newcastle, Miller Lite, Budweiser, and Sierra Neveda. A pint of domestic costs $3.50 and a pitcher is $10. For a more premium beer, a pint costs $4 and a pitcher is $12.

If beer isn’t your thing, Joey B’s offers a sufficient wine list with reasonable prices that include pinot grigo, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, zinfandel, syrah and white zinfandel that range in price from $5 to $8 per glass.

The list includes both well-known and not so well-known wines such as Robert Mondavi, Boeger, Toasted Head, La Crema and RH Phillips.

Beer and wine aren’t the only beverages Joey B’s has to offer, they have a full bar to pour anything of your heart’s desire. A double, semi-premium mixed drink such as a mandarin vodka and tonic will cost your wallet $7.50. Shots of Jagermeister will set you back $6.

Now that the drinks are covered, it’s time to order some food to fill the stomach. With a double-sided menu featuring everything from appetizers to sandwiches and pizzas to entrees, there is bound to be something even for the pickiest of eaters.

The appetizer section features dishes that range in price from $5.95 to $7.95 and include fries, onion rings, three-cheese stuffed peppers, chicken wings, nachos and quesadillas.

The nachos are served with your choice of beef or chicken, jalapenos, tomatoes, beans, guacamole, sour cream and salsa fresca for just $7.95. These nachos are very plentiful – enough for at least people ?” and pretty good too.

If you are looking for a soup or salad, Joey B’s offers chili, both beef and turkey, a soup of the day, and five different salads that include Caesar and cobb. These prices range from $3.95 to $9.95.

For the Italian lover in all of us, why not try a pizza or calzone for $8.95 to $9.95 featuring combinations such as “Joey B’s favorite,” “The Ormond,” and veggie.

Are you looking to grab a bite to eat on your lunch break? Joey B’s offers sandwiches quick easy for less than $13. Try a tri-tip sandwich for $9.95 or maybe the grilled chicken breast for $8.95, all served with your choice of fries, pasta or potato salad.

If you are thinking of going out to dinner, Joey B’s offers entrees that range in price from $9.95 for an open-faced meatloaf sandwich wrapped in applewood smoked bacon topped with mushroom gravy and served with mashed potatoes and vegetables to $18.95 for a 12 ounce rib eye steak with cambozola butter, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

As special added bonus, Joey B’s offers a ‘Healthy Living Menu’ section that features turkey chili, apple-chicken salad, linguini, swordfish and a vegetable burrito that range in price from $4.95 to $15.95. Calories range from 195 for the apple-chicken salad to 445 for the linguini with rock shrimp.

Now that the basics are covered, here comes the important part. What are the crowd and party like?

The crowd is extremely diverse and range in age from early to mid-twenties to upper-fifties.

During Kings’ games the place is busy; this is one of the best times to go. Everyone is lively and ready for fun.

On Wednesday nights Joey B’s hosts Karaoke. This crowd is much older and tends to go in waves. One minute the bar is busy and it’s hard to get a beer and the next minute it looks like someone called in a bomb threat.

Thursday and Friday nights are pretty busy as well. Although there are no real specials or events, these seem to be the nights when everyone flocks to the Capitol Ave. location.

Overall the crowd at Joey B’s is pretty much older and the prices are fairly high. Except for the beer and pizza special, this place seems like it’s not really a college hang out. The food is tasty, but not at those prices.

If you want to go somewhere to watch the game and grab some grub, try out Joey B’s. If you are looking to sing Karaoke, go to Capitol Garage on Sunday nights. If you’re thinking about a nice dinner, try Tapa the World or Lucca.

Joey B’s is a fun place to visit, but it’s very unlikely it will become the new hang out.

Rating: 3 Stars

All of Liz’s dining and nightlife reviews are held to this rating system:

1 Star: Stay at home.

2 Stars: Not worth the gas money.

3 Stars: If there’s nothing else to do –

4 Stars: Better than most.

5 Stars: Proves that Sacramento is more than just a cowtown.

Liz Gransee can be reached at [email protected]