Nightlife in Davis

With past performers such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Miller, and Dana Carvey, Laughs Unlimited has accumulated a formidable collection of laughs in its 27-year history. Owner and booker Steve Grove keeps the comedy lineup fresh with imported mountain air and a steady rotation of established and up-and-coming comedians. Warm brick walls and exposed-beam ceilings line the recently renovated club. Laughs Unlimited’s full menu furnishes empty bellies with Mexican-inspired tacos, burritos, and snacks, which go down smooth with several Californian wines and an arsenal of signature cocktails.

The bull dances in the dimly lit bar, desperately bucking and trying to rid itself of its wildly grinning rider. Guests surround the mechanical beast to holler and cheer on the intrepid rough rider, who is quickly thrown onto the padding below or simply rides the bull for seven hours until it gets tired and goes into sleep mode. But Southern-inspired bar food and plentiful draft beers swiftly soften the blow of being bucked off the bull. The menu features burgers adorned with onion rings and apple-wood smoked bacon as well as buttermilk-fried chicken wings, and a beer-pong table allows guests to compete at the bar without accidentally getting cast for City Slickers III. Sacramento Bulls Restaurant & Bar also plays host to a variety of events, including bikini bull-riding contests, wet T-shirt contests, and weekly country-music nights.

Mermaids and mermen are a surprisingly common sight at Dive Bar. Fin-clad entertainers spend their evenings elegantly swimming through the 7,500-gallon aquarium that hangs over the bar’s stone countertops, charming guests as the bartenders mix an array of classic and contemporary cocktails. Exposed brickwork, black-leather armchairs, and a dangling chandelier don’t necessarily continue the nautical theme, but they do contribute to the overwhelmingly luxuriant ambiance.

Live musicians grace the bar’s stage on Wednesdays, whereas Thursdays feature a dueling-piano show that brings to mind Billy Joel and Elton John’s legendary joust to the death. In addition to hosting DJ performances, the lounge pumps out dance-worthy tunes until as late as 2 a.m., even allowing customers to connect their iPods to the sound system and either play their favorite song or the shortest chapter from their favorite audiobook.

Twenty-seven tap handles dominate the bar at Alley Katz, contributing to the eatery’s more than 200 diverse domestic and international craft beers. The tap list is ever-changing and complements a menagerie of bottles ranging from familiar lagers and amber ales to sour beers, barleywines, and floral Belgian-abbey-style ales. As quoted in the Sacramento Press, owner Geronimo Avelar is a “self-proclaimed beer geek,” sourcing brews from Lagunitas, Stone, Auburn Alehouse, as well as lesser-known microbreweries. The variety encourages sippers to find their niche or expand their beer horizons at the guidance of the bartender.

With a bubbling pint to the side of the table, patrons shoot pool on one of two red full-sized tables or watch sports on one of six TVs. The 3,400-square-foot space with exposed-brick walls gives patrons plenty of elbow room to mingle or settle into wide semicircle booths to debate whether Aristotle liked his bacon soft or crispy. Throughout the day until about 9 p.m., Alley Katz’s kitchen flips burgers and serves a selection of wings, pizzas, and sandwiches to accompany their bubbly brews.

ComedySportz, voted Best Comedy Club by KCRA’s A-List in 2009 and 2010, turns out quick-witted performers from classes helmed by experienced improvisers. Designed for students of any experience level, classes help people overcome social shyness and stress. Beginners get a feel for improv basics through games and exercises, learning the bones of scene structure and character development while exploring creativity and facing fears of speaking in front of audiences that are not stuffed animals. During the Intermediate 2A class, students with previous experience tackle the long-form style of improv juggernauts such as Second City and iO, and Intermediate 2B students revel in performance games common during ComedySportz and Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Each class aims to get students ready to create scenes, work with partners, and get out of tickets by saying, "OK, now I'm the police officer."

When Claire Weinkauf approached five St. Helena wineries with her idea for a wine-tasting passport, she was greeted with unflinching cooperation. Instead of bristling at their competition, the winemakers at each site decided to join forces to entice patrons with their aromatic, sippable wares. Because the Napa Valley area is so rich with vineyards and natural attractions, Passport St. Helena condenses the wine-tasting experience into an easy jaunt along five blocks of downtown St. Helena.

The five wineries along the passport route each offer something a little different. The Clif Family Winery crafts special climber blends sourced from local mountain vineyards, while the St. Helena Wine Center cultivates rare flavors from regional and international vineyards. Long Meadow Ranch Winery combines quality flavors with an eco-friendly outlookthe winery’s solar panels supply its electric needs and biodiesel fuels power its farm equipment and robot grape pickers. Merryvale was the first winery built in the Valley following the repeal of Prohibition, enchanting guests with landscaped gardens and a historical cask room with giant barrels stacked from floor to ceiling. Tamber Bey Vineyards brews cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and chardonnay with grapes all plucked from its pair of estate vineyards. As enophiles move through the wineries, they’re equally enticed by wine samples as they are by the product and activity discounts the passport also provides.