With Schwarzenegger gone, Sacramento's new cigar star is Fat Man

[El Presidente]

With Schwarzenegger gone, Sacramento's new cigar star is Fat Man

By Torey Van Oot

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/03/3523626/with-schwarzenegger-gone-sacramentos.html

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's famed Capitol smoking tent is a thing of the past, but stogie-loving political insiders have found a new spot to call home.</H1>Fat Man Cigars, a shop and lounge located just blocks from the Capitol, has become a go-to gathering place for cigar-puffing politicians and politicos since it opened its doors in December.

"It's becoming very popular," said Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello. "It's quickly becoming a real hang-out."

The converted two-story house on 10th and R streets looks at first glance like an ordinary cigar shop, complete with cigars, humidors and an on-site smoking area. But a flight of stairs accessible from the back of the building leads to a private clubhouse, where members can store and smoke their cigars in one of several rooms furnished with leather chairs and flat-screen TVs.

The swanky upstairs lounge, accessible by electronic key card, has attracted a VIP Capitol clientele, including consultants, Capitol staff and lawmakers. Full access starts at $500 a year, a price members say is a steal compared to the five-figure fees some smoking clubs in larger cities charge.

The smoke-filled lounge served as the venue for at least one private party hosted by a consulting shop during last month's Republican Party Convention. A handful of legislators from both sides of the aisle stopped by for late-night socializing last month after a "cordial caucus" bipartisan outing at nearby watering hole Fox & Goose Pub.

Sacramento cigar aficionados say Fat Man Cigars filled a void created by the 2006 closure of downtown's River City Cigars, where Schwarzenegger himself kept a storage locker.

"There weren't really any cigar lounges within walking distance of the Capitol since River City closed," said GOP new media consultant Chandra Sharma, who goes a few times a week. "It's just got a great selection, and it's a welcoming environment."

Fat Man's owner is no stranger to what it takes to run a popular hangout for Sacramento power brokers.

Joey Madrid, who also runs the Sacramento Cigar Society, has worked at Chops Steakhouse, a restaurant across from the Capitol that serves as the venue for countless fundraisers and power lunches. He was also the co-owner of the recently shuttered Hangar 17, a popular midtown haunt.

River City owner Dwight Floyd said Fat Man has attracted more of a political crowd than his old lounge, both because of the proximity to the Capitol and "higher end" setup.

"He already had a good following of folks that already smoke cigars," said Floyd, who now goes to Fat Man. "I think Fat Man is probably going to be the leading place to hang out."

Assemblyman Jeff Miller, a member of the lounge, said he frequently heads to Fat Man to unwind in a "relaxed and comfortable" environment after work at the Capitol.

"Sometimes I just go over there and do my reading and relax and catch up on reading on bills and legislative work," the Corona Republican said.

Miller is among a handful of mostly GOP lawmakers who are considered regulars at the members' lounge.

"The Republicans have adopted it as kind of a second home," said Fat Man member Dan Weitzman, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and consultant.

But the lounge attracts its fair share of Democrats and, members say, cigar fans from outside Capitol circles. Several regulars cited the privacy of the second floor as a top draw. Members and guests can use the kitchen, private rooms and patio upstairs at their leisure, including after regular business hours.

"It's a quiet place I can go and not worry about crowds," said Assemblyman David Valadao, R-Hanford. "If there's someone in town or someone that I had dinner with that wants to hang out, I'll go there for a little bit."

While Schwarzenegger's cigar tent often served as the location for many business meetings and budget negotiations, members said conversations at Fat Man tend to drift away from the day's work.

"When I've been there, the last thing we talk about is politics," Weitzman said. "Mostly it's about what's on TV, then it's about how to get the TV to work, then sports."

[Holysmokes]

I only wish Ottawa could have a smoking lounge similar to Fatman Cigar Lounge. Laws are getting so ridiculous here that you can no longer walk into a humidor. You now have to look at an inventory booklet and point out which cigars you would like, then the clerk will fetch them for you while you wait outside the "walk-in humidor"

I apologize, this was a bit off topic. Back to the article. Fatman Cigars sounds like a very classy/relaxing place to enjoy a smoke. Poker, TV'S, guest passes, private lockers, after hour reservations etc... Very fancy.

[headstand]

F*n Hell. Really, is that what it's like in Ottawa? Surely not all over the province. Please, say it isn't so! That's how they sold booze back in the old days. I remember tagging along with my father to the Ontario liquor control board store where he would fill out a chit to give to the clerk.

[Murri]

Must be the Ottawa politicians with their heads up their butts.

Headstand, you make me feel really old, I have bought booze using those chits.

[CanuckSARTech]

That's how it is in Ontario now, boys. If a store is selling cigarettes/cigars/tobacco products, they must all now be out of sight and covered/encased. If you want something, you have to tell the clerk what you want - you can't just go browsing for it, and make your pick that way, as many of us do with cigars. You now (for about the past year and a half now) have to tell the clerk what you want, they fetch it for you on your behalf, and only once you have paid may you then touch your item. The only exception to this is stand-alone cigar shops (LCDH stores), where the walk-in humidor is still in play and fine (still allowed to have see-through glass walls and doors), but a clerk must be with/beside each individual patron. If its a shop that sells anything else besides cigars, for example a variety store that sells other goods, then the cigar humidor/cabinet/walk-in must be not visible into, and the clerk is to retrieve the goods for the customer (a lot of shops near me had to have new doors/cabinetry put in, to get rid of the see-through glass).

[ckearns]

The reason you're allowed to enter some retailers' humidor and not others depends on their classification under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. If a retailer allows you to enter their humidor, it means that the retailer derives at least 50 per cent of the establishment’s total sales from specialty tobacco products.

Here's the Act if anyone's interested: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/engl...gs_060048_e.htm

[thechenman]

Wow...that serious blows for you BOTLs in Ontario. Still...I suspect laws like this will only continue to grow...

[asudevil08]

I only wish Ottawa could have a smoking lounge similar to Fatman Cigar Lounge. Laws are getting so ridiculous here that you can no longer walk into a humidor. You now have to look at an inventory booklet and point out which cigars you would like, then the clerk will fetch them for you while you wait outside the "walk-in humidor"

I apologize, this was a bit off topic. Back to the article. Fatman Cigars sounds like a very classy/relaxing place to enjoy a smoke. Poker, TV'S, guest passes, private lockers, after hour reservations etc... Very fancy.

Somewhat humorous this article is about a smoke shop in California - the rules and regs are getting so ridiculous there as well, it'll only be a matter of time before this smoke shop is declared unfit for public consumption and is shuttered to the dust bin of history. Cali is quickly becoming one of the top places not to go if you're in the mood for a good cigar. Bureaucracy at its finest.