The old Midway Bar and Grill space at 330 3rd Street in West Sacramento is about to get a new identity, and a new menu built around Lao sausage, Vietnamese banh mi and steaming bowls of pho. Torn Saetern and Micky Sisenglath are targeting a December opening for Trackside Kitchen and Bar, a fusion concept blending Southeast Asian dishes with American classics in the heart of the Broderick and Bryte neighborhood corridor.
It's the first restaurant venture for either owner, according to WhatNow Sacramento, which reports that both Saetern and Sisenglath came from non-restaurant backgrounds before deciding to take on the project together. Saetern described the partnership in simple terms, telling the outlet, “We're just two two local asian guys from westside trying to build community in westside.” The space itself sits just across the Sacramento River from downtown Sacramento, near the Barn District, in a stretch of the city that has seen steady reinvestment in recent years, per the same account.
A Familiar Face Taking On a New Role
Sisenglath isn't a stranger to 330 3rd Street. He previously served as general manager of The Midway Bar and Grill at the same address before partnering with Saetern to reimagine the venue, according to CBS News. That continuity gives the new ownership team a head start on understanding the building and its regulars, even as the concept shifts toward Asian American fusion built around dishes like Lao sausage and Vietnamese pho.
Saetern brings his own background to the table as well. He holds a Tribal-State Compact Key Employee Finding of Suitability granted by the California Gambling Control Commission in May 2020, issued during his time at Red Hawk Casino. The building itself, according to a description from Resident Advisor, features a brick exterior, a full bar and a spacious outdoor patio, a layout that previously hosted community dance events and neighborhood gatherings before its latest transformation.
Staffing Up Ahead of a December Debut
With an opening date on the horizon, Trackside Kitchen and Bar has already started building its kitchen team. The restaurant posted a job listing in July for a full-time Kitchen Lead position offering $22 to $25 an hour, with duties that include managing inventory control and the Toast point-of-sale system at the 330 3rd Street location. The owners say they plan to build the business carefully rather than rush the launch, a deliberate approach that matches the scale of the space they've taken on.
Riding West Sacramento's Foot-Traffic Wave
Trackside isn't opening into a vacuum. Sutter Health Park, just up the road, drew crowds exceeding 36,000 fans over a three-game Major League Baseball series in July 2025, with the Athletics' temporary relocation to West Sacramento for 2025 through 2027 sending customer volume spilling directly into 3rd Street's bars and restaurants. Sacramento and West Sacramento leaders have since launched a joint campaign to pitch the Capital Region for a permanent MLB team, betting that the Athletics' short-term run can turn into long-term stadium financing.
The neighborhood around the restaurant is filling in fast in other ways too. West Sacramento broke ground in July 2025 on Washington Park, a half-acre green space near 6th and E Streets that became the city's 40th public park, and the city council considered a $63 million master plan for a Bryte Park overhaul that would add an aquatics center, sports fields and an amphitheater. Down toward the waterfront, the 260-unit Pierside mixed-use project in the Bridge District is slated for completion late this year, adding hundreds of potential new customers within walking distance of 3rd Street.
Cooking From Deep Regional Roots
The menu's Lao and Vietnamese influences aren't arbitrary choices for a Sacramento-area restaurant. The Sacramento metropolitan region is home to the largest Iu Mien community in the United States, representing roughly half of the country's total Iu Mien population, a legacy of Southeast Asian refugee resettlement that took root across the Capital Region in the late 20th century. For two local owners building their first restaurant on the Westside, that culinary heritage offers a direct line between the neighborhood's past and the fusion menu Trackside Kitchen and Bar plans to serve when it opens its doors in December.
