The Dining Divas: Crush 29

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Guests: Diane G. Kindermann, attorney/partner at Abbott & Kindermann; Jeaninne Jenna-Budowich, administrator/bookkeeper at Abbott & Kindermann; Brian Holloway, lobbyist and president of Holloway Land Company; Katharine Ayers, president of K. Alexis Corporation, real estate development; Valerie Reynoso Piotrowski, divisional director of foundations and development for The Salvation Army, Del Oro Division; and Kathleen D. Duncan, dentist in professional life, wife of Capitol Cellars proprietor Marcus Graziano in private life

Where: Crush 29, 1480 Eureka Road, Roseville; (916) 773-2929; crush29.com
Benefiting organizations: Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and The Salvation Army

1-second review: Alive with sound and a mix of patrons.

Ambiance: “Beautiful,” according to Diva Paulette Bruce; “a warm and inviting atmosphere,” said Diva Gayla Mace.
Favorite dishes: Fennel sausage and pesto pizza; french fries with secret seasoning; rotisserie chicken and brie puffs; glazed artichoke; and lamb “lollipops” (everyone’s favorite dish, even the first-time lambers). End with a warm chocolate banana roll.

Clever name: Snap Crackle Salmon. (Rice Krispies provide the you-know-what.)

The wines: Diva Bernice Hagen selected the wines. The Frank Family 2006 Napa Valley Chardonnay is one of her favorites, with full body and good fruit. For the red, she chose Whitehaven 2006 Pinot Noir from New Zealand. “This is a new one for me,” she said, “but New Zealand has so many good Pinots and this is one of the best.”

Quote of the day: From Katharine Ayers, a 2008 graduate of UC Davis and business owner anticipating a move into a brand-new loft on L Street: “I’m blond with a brain.”

Of interest: Crush 29 offers see-and-be-seen tables, semi-secluded booths and private dining rooms.

Chatter: Diva Gayla Mace heard Jeaninne Jenna-Budowich ask Katharine Ayers, who is single, “Are you seeing any Mr. He’ll-Do-for-Now?” No answer. Brian Holloway said the lunch was too much fun and wondered why the women on either side of him had to leave early. “I didn’t do anything. Why did they leave?” Our birthday gift to Diane Kindermann: We did not ask the Crush 29 staff to sing to her. She was grateful.

The Dining Divas—Gloria Glyer, Paulette Bruce, Bernice Hagen, Joan Leineke, Gayla Mace and Peg Tomlinson-Poswall—have been wining and dining together since 1993. Every month, they lunch at an area restaurant, taking as their guests people who placed winning bids at charity events. To date, they have raised more than $288,000 for local charities and nonprofits.